Texas Tech football: What we will see today as Red Raiders face WVU

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Oct 22, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders offensive guard Landon Peterson (72), offensive center Dennis Wilburn (56) and offensive guard Weston Wright (70) block West Virginia Mountaineers defensive guard Mike Lockhart (93) and defensive lineman Jalen Thornton (52) in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Expect Texas Tech to be in a rock fight this afternoon

The old saying is that “styles make fights”. That’s going to be true this afternoon as well given that these two teams appear to want to play very different styles.

Tech wants to hurry the tempo on offense and be as explosive as possible with its playmakers. Though the ground game featuring QB Tyler Shough and RB Tahj Brooks could be important, look for OC Zach Kittley to try to test a shaky WVU secondary early and often with a group of Red Raider wide receivers that should have an edge today.

On the other sideline, Brown will want to make this game all about his offensive line and massive RB C.J. Donaldson Jr. With five returning starters from last year on the line and one of the most physical backs in the country, WVU will want to turn this game into a rock fight and see if Tech has the stomach to stand in the ring and slug it out for 60 minutes.

This is where McGuire’s team motto “60 minutes of us” will be tested. Buoyed by last week’s rivalry win, expect a juiced home atmosphere from the fans in Morgantown today and look to see if Tech is able to rise to that challenge as a veteran team should.

We have already seen one game this year where Tech was punched in the mouth by a team that had one shot at beating the Red Raiders and that was by making the game a cage match rather than a track meet. That was in Laramie, Wyoming where the Cowboys scratched, clawed, and gnawed their way to an upset over the more talented Red Raiders.

WVU is better than Wyoming but those two teams are similar in that they are limited offensively and to combat that, they have to muck things up and try to make each game a slog. Will that formula work against McGuire’s squad for a second time in four weeks?

WVU will bring the fight today. For now, the Mountaineers believe they can be a surprise team in the conference, and at least for the moment, the fan base is giving Brown a stay of execution. That makes WVU a dangerous bunch today and Tech is going to have to be ready for a 4-quarter dog fight.

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