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Texas Tech football looks to end recent struggles against Kansas State

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 4: Dalvin Warmack #3 of the Kansas State Wildcats tries to break away from Vaughnte Dorsey #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the game on November 4, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 4: Dalvin Warmack #3 of the Kansas State Wildcats tries to break away from Vaughnte Dorsey #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the game on November 4, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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This week, the Texas Tech football program will look to end its recent struggles against Kansas State and reclaim the lead in the all-time series.

In the past decade, the Texas Tech football program’s run of mediocrity has seen the Red Raiders lose ground in a number of all-time head-to-head series with Big 12 foes.  That is certainly true of the series with Kansas State which is now tied at 9-9 after being dominated by the Red Raiders for decades.

The Wildcats have won the last two meetings and six of the past seven games in the series that dating back to 2011.  Tech’s only win against Bill Snyder’s team since 2009 came in the home finale in 2015 when DeAndre Washington ran for 248 yards and three touchdowns in a 59-44 win.

But Kansas State has won the past two meetings including a crushing 42-35 overtime win last year in Lubbock that saw the Red Raiders miss a chip-shot field goal that would have given them an 11-point lead with just over two minutes to play in regulation.   Now, the Red Raiders must try to pull out a win against KSU to not only get the all-time series back in their favor but also to end a three-game losing streak.

Prior to 2011, Texas Tech had little trouble with Kansas State.  The two teams first met in 1933 with Tech taking home a 6-0 win in Lubbock.  Tech would also beat KSU in Lubbock in 1963 and 1986 before making their first trip to Manhattan.

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In 1996, the Red Raiders and Wildcats met in the first Big 12 game ever played.  Kansas State would knock off Byron Hanspard and the Red Raiders 21-14 in a game that featured several questionable calls from the officials effectively kicking off the love affair between Red Raider fans and Big 12 officials.

The Wildcats would win in Lubbock in 1997 with Tech managing just two points in a 13-2 loss.  In 2000, KSU took its third-straight game in the series via a 28-23 win in Mike Leach’s first season at Texas Tech.

But the Red Raiders would win the next five against the Cats.  The 2005 game in Lubbock, a 59-20 Red Raider blowout, provided one of the best moments in program history when Texas Tech safety Dwayne Slay delivered perhaps the biggest hit in Big 12 history leveling Wildcat QB Alan Everidge who was trying to run for a first down.

The 2009 game was also memorable for the Red Raiders.  Making his first career start, quarterback, fan favorite Steven Sheffield threw for 490 yards and seven touchdowns as the legend of “Sticks” Sheffield was born.

But Texas Tech has not won at Kansas State since 2008 and in most of those games, KSU has had an easy time with the Red Raiders. In the last three games played at Snyder Family Stadium, the Wildcats have won by an average score of 48-25.  Tech lost blowouts in 2012 (55-24) and 2014 (45-13) before dropping a close game in 2016 (44-38).

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It will be interesting to see if the Red Raiders can finally put an end to their futility in Manhattan.  But if this is indeed Bill Snyder’s last home game, as many expect, Tech will be in for another fight as they look to finally put and end to their struggles against a team that they used to handle with regularity.

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