It’s the nationally ranked Houston Cougars vs the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Week two of college football. And Air Raid sirens will be heard all over Lubbock, TX on Saturday.
Houston vs Texas Tech
Houston Cougars
In a 3 OT thriller, The Cougars played a very talented UTSA team this past Saturday and came out on top 37-35. Cougars QB Clayton Tune scored the winning 2-point conversion as he launched himself toward the goal line, was hit in midair, and helicoptered into the endzone.
Tune finished with 206 yards passing and three TDs. In addition, he added a rushing touchdown. Houston WR Tank Dell caught five passes for 50 yards and two TDs. Joseph Manjack also added a receiving touchdown.
On defense, the Cougars sacked UTSA QB Frank Harris three times. They also recorded six tackles for loss and added an INT. Donovan Mutin led the team with 11 tackles.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Red Raiders gained 605 yards of total offense, and 472 yards came through the air. Texas Tech scored 63 points on Murray State in head coach Joey McGuire’s debut.
New Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley, as is Houston head coach Dana Holgersen, is a disciple of the Air Raid passing offense. Kittley coached QB Bailey Zappe at Western Kentucky in 2021 and Zappe led the nation in passing with 5967 yards, 62 TDs, and 11 INTs (in 686 attempts).
Against Murray State, Tyler Shough started the game at quarterback and was 6 of 10 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown. However, he later left the game with a shoulder injury. As a result, the next man up in the rotation was QB Donovan Smith.
Smith completed a stellar 14 of 16 (87%) passes for 221 yards and 4 TDs and zero INTs. In addition, QB Behren Morton also saw action and completed 7 of 10 passes for 97 yards and a TD.
RB Tahj Brooks posted three rushing TDs. WR Loic Fouoryi caught four passes for 110 yards (27-yard average) and 2 TDs. WR Jerand Bradley hauled in six passes for 108 yards and 2 TDs. He averaged 18 yards per catch.
A Milestone Eclipsed
In the Air Raid offense, running backs will catch the ball out of the backfield. For example, RB SaRodrick Thompson hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass. In addition, Thompson eclipsed 2000-yards rushing for his career (2028 and counting).
Texas Tech scored nine touchdowns on Saturday, and of those nine, four were scored from the running back position.
On defense, they limited Murray State to just 50 yards rushing. In addition, they posted 4 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
Houston vs Texas Tech-The Series
Texas Tech has won the last four meetings with Houston, dating back to 2010. However, Houston leads the series with an 18-14-1 record over the years. The two teams met first in 1951.
Above all, this game is going to be fun to watch on Saturday.
Thanks for reading.
