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Texas at Texas Tech prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the game between the Longhorns and Red Raiders.

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Texas at Texas Tech Game Preview

When: Saturday, November 5 – 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX
Broadcast: FS1

The Longhorns authored one of the biggest wins of Week 9, dealing No. 8 Baylor its first loss of 2016. Terrific. But can Texas build on the upset with a strong finish that helps make a case for beleaguered coach Charlie Strong? The schedule sets up relatively well, though sustained prosperity has not been this program’s identity for a very long time. Motivation is never an issue for Texas Tech when the Horns are on the other side of the field. The 4-4 Red Raiders will be fired up to host the state’s marquee program, especially since two wins are needed over the final our games to become bowl-eligible.

What To Know About Texas

You never really know which Longhorn team is going to show up on a week-to-week basis, a central theme for a school that sits at the .500 mark. However, there are a few bedrock tenets of the Horns in 2016. They’re tough at home. They’re awful outside of Austin. The defense is a continuous liability, surrendering almost 33 points per game. And D’Onta Foreman might be the most underrated back in the country. The 250-pound junior has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his last nine games, including 250 and a pair of touchdowns in the upset of Baylor.

What to Know About Texas Tech

No curveballs here. The Red Raiders, fueled by Patrick Mahomes, lead the nation in passing … by a wide margin. It’s a dynamic in Lubbock that won’t change as long as Kliff Kingsbury is in charge. Mahomes, whose shoulder injury has nagged him for much of the year, is averaging 440 passing yards per game, spreading the ball around to receivers Jonathan Giles, Cameron Batson and Keke Coutee. However, the defense pulled a little more of the weight last week, an encouraging development heading into November. linebacker Malik Jenkins led the way with 14 tackles, as Tech held TCU to 17 points in regulation.

Advantages

Offense: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are higher scoring, more explosive and tops nationally in third-down conversions.

Defense: Texas. While both programs are vulnerable, Texas Tech is home to one of the worst Power Five defenses in the nation.

Special Teams: Texas. Punter Michael Dickson is a boomer, though placekicker Trent Domingue needs to improve his accuracy.

Coaching: Push. Neither coach, Strong or Kingsbury, is having a particularly stellar season on his respective campus.

Intangibles: Texas Tech. The Longhorns have been a bad road team this season. Plus, Mahomes really wants to stick it to Texas, which has antagonized him the past three years.

Matchup To Watch

Foreman vs. Jenkins and the rest of the Texas Tech front seven

Is the Red Raider defense ready to carry a little more of the burden going forward? Don’t bank on it, especially with Foreman heading to Lubbock. He can brutalize undersized, poor-tackling defenders, bouncing off tacklers as if they’re rag dolls. Tech must wrap up in space against this opponent.

Texas at Texas Tech Betting Odds

Spread: Texas -1
Over/Under: No line as of post

Texas at Texas Tech Prediction

Texas Tech played in its lowest scoring game of the year last weekend versus TCU. It’s not the beginning of a trend. Mahomes will once again operate through pain, trading blows with Foreman throughout the afternoon. Both stars will amass huge numbers against overmatched defenses. In the end, the Longhorns will succumb to poor play in the secondary and an inability to win away from home, squandering the opportunity to build on the Week 9 surprise over Baylor.

Texas at Texas Tech Score Prediction: Texas Tech 43, Texas 40

MORE: No. 1-128 College Football Rankings – Week 10