Texas Tech football: The most explosive games in Red Raider history

Today is Independence Day so let’s take a look at the most explosive offensive showings in the history of the Texas Tech football program.

Across the United States today, Americans will be celebrating Independence Day by setting off fireworks.  But of course, it’s one of the most unusual July 4th holidays that we’ve ever seen.

Typically, Independence Day is also one of the signs that college football is on the horizon.  That’s because, in late July, most conferences hold their annual media day events signaling the return of college football to the forefront of our collective consciousness.

Though such events are going to happen again in 2020, they are likely all to be virtual thus reminding everyone that there is no certainty concerning the upcoming season.  In other words, we aren’t guaranteed to see this fall the fireworks that shoot forth from the Jones Stadium video board.

But for now, let’s put that worry aside.  Rather, let’s look back at times when the fireworks in Lubbock got more of a workout than anyone ever would have expected.  Before we do, though, let’s pay homage to some of the games that won’t make this list because of the era in which they occurred or because of the opponent.

Tech’s school record for points in a game came in its inaugural season, 1925.  Scoring 120 points against Wayland, the Matadors (as Tech was known back then) averaged an insane 30 points per quarter (though I don’t think games were not divided into quarters back then).  Though that feat is impressive, we won’t spend much time on it given that there are no recounts of the game, and football of that era was almost a completely different sport.

In 1932, Tech hung 79 points on Trinity, and in 1953, the Red Raiders scored 71 against New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State).  But those games also don’t make this list given the lack of information about them and the helplessness of the opponent.

Speaking of teams that couldn’t defend themselves, that was the case in 2005 when Tech scored 80 points on Sam Houston State in Lubbock.  In fact, that season, Mike Leach’s program opened with three-straight games against Divison-II teams.  In those contests, Tech averaged 66.3 points.

Speaking of terrible opponents, UTEP is a program that is about as close to being an FCS program (which is what the old Division II is now called) as any in the FBS.  That’s why the 69 points that Pat Mahomes and the Red Raiders put up against the Miners in 2015 won’t make our list.  Doing that to UTEP is about as easy as beating a dead slug in a race.

So with that said, let’s begin our countdown of the most explosive offensive performances in Texas Tech history.  And we begin with a stomping that Tech administered to its most hated rival.