Texas Tech’s toughest challenge so far very quickly turned into a rout the Arkansas Razorbacks came to town and rolled the Red Raiders 49-28. Here’s a recap of our bold predictions for this Big 12 vs SEC showdown.
Texas Tech is giving opponents 227 yards on the ground. Over/under, Arkansas rushes for 227 yards?
"Robert: Over, by far. That’s what this team does and that’s what Tech can’t stop.Weston: Over. I think Tech can play a good defensive game and still give up more than 227 yards to Arkansas. They run the ball too often and have three talented running backs.Shelby: Texas Tech let UTEP rush a net 277 yards. Arkansas is an SEC school (i.e. rushing is their middle name). Over. Unfortunately.Louis: Over. Arkansas will run all day and Texas Tech will struggle to stop again this week. The Hogs will have at least 250 yards on the ground.Austin: Over. Arkansas’ whole game plan is to kill the clock and keep the other teams offense off the field. They won’t pass if they don’t have to, and they won’t have to.Yasmin: Over. Arkansas only passed five times last week so they’re clearly more comfortable with their run game. I think the Tech defense will stick with them as best as they can but Arkansas will rush for over 277 yards."
Oh yeah, waaay over. The Hogs rushed for over _ by half time and went on to accumulate __ yards on the ground and seven touchdowns. Wallerstedt’s defense just had no answer.
We saw a statistical improvement from a penalty standpoint last week, 10 compared to 15 the week before. True or false, Tech comments LESS than 10 penalties?
"Robert: True. Slight improvement is still improvement and I think it’ll continue this week.Weston: True. I’m being optimistic here, but they improved from week 1 to week 2 (which they better have), there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I think 5-6 per game would be great and would give them a much better chance to win against Arkansas and Big 12 quality opponents.Shelby: True, but just barely. Still think it’s probably getting beat into them not to commit such dumb penalties. I bet Tech commits 8 or 9.Louis: True. Penalties will still be a problem, but it will be an improvement from last week. Still see between seven or nine.Austin: True. They’ll still commit 6-8, but it will be significantly less than previous weeks.Yasmin: True. They did a lot better about not committing as many penalties against UTEP. I think they’ve only got room to improve."
True, actually. Tech committed just five penalties for 60 yards, which just goes to show you can play disciplined football and still get beat.
He’s become one of Tech’s most dangerous offensive weapons. How many touches for Justin Stockton this week?
"Robert: 10-15, just because Tech will be in a dog fight and Kliff will pull out all the stops with his young phenom.Weston: He got six carries against UCA and eight carries against UTEP. I say he gets 10 touches this week and makes the most of them again.Shelby: He had 135 yards on eight carries last week. I think 10-12 this week.Louis: 18 touches for Justin Stockton. Tech will still throw the ball, but Stockton should have good success against an Arkansas defense that gave up 300 rushing yards against Auburn.Austin: 15. The more he can take the pressure off of the passing game the more Kliff will lean on him over the other backs.Yasmin: Stockton came through when it really counted last week. He will be greatly utilized during this game. I think he will receive 12 or more carries."
Stockton had exactly 10 touches on the day if you combine all his carries, receptions and kickoff returns. He amassed 66 total yards.
Final score
"Robert: I circled this game as a maybe at the beginning of the year because it stank to high heaven as a mismatch and it still does. In all five of Tech’s losses last year, their opponent rushed for at least 277 yards, which is what UTEP put up last week. They weren’t talented enough overall to beat Tech, but Arkansas, who isn’t a great team, is custom built to beat the Red Raiders. I think the Razorbacks win 44-31.Weston: I think this is going to be a close game. I think once again Webb starts slow and makes a few mistakes, but the defense bows up when it counts and the passing attack comes on in the 2nd quarter. 31-28 Tech wins, a little lower scoring than many probably think.Shelby: 31-24 Tech. I think they’ve been working hard and Arkansas isn’t the powerhouse it used to be. Webb will have a better day Saturday and Tech will get the win.Louis: Arkansas wins 38-27. The Razorbacks will capitalize on a couple of turnovers and control the clock.Austin: Expect another tight one. Arkansas will look to wear down the Tech defense and turn this into a slugfest. Without a few stops or turnovers, Arkansas will be content to play keep away from the Tech offense. Tech does just enough to win 35-31.Yasmin: Tech will win 34-21. The offense knows their slow starts have been killing them and their momentum so they will try to come out of the gates running. Defense will come through when it counts like they did last week."
It was a good game until Davis Webb’s first interception set up Arkansas’ go-ahead-for-good score late in the second quarter. From there the Hogs pounded the Red Raider defense and never looked back.