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  • Big 12 Preview: Joey McGuire Era of Texas Tech Football Begins Saturday Against Murray State

Big 12 Preview: Joey McGuire Era of Texas Tech Football Begins Saturday Against Murray State

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Football

After much anticipation, the 2022 football season is here. On Saturday at 7 p.m., the Joey McGuire kicks off as the Red Raiders host Murray State at Jones AT&T Stadium. It will be the first-ever matchup between the two programs.

MCGUIRE ERA KICKS OFF WITH RACERS

  • After an offseason full of excitement, Texas Tech will officially kick off the Joey McGuire era Saturday when the Red Raiders host Murray State inside Jones AT&T Stadium. McGuire was hired last November as the 17th head coach in program history, building a new brand for Red Raider Football as Texas Tech strives to be the "toughest, hardest-working, most-competitive team in the country. 
  • Texas Tech is 10-5-1 all-time in games where its head coach is making his debut as the Red Raiders have won four-consecutive such contests dating back to Mike Leach in 2000.
  • McGuire is one of 13 power-five head coaches making their respective debuts for their programs. Along with McGuire, that list includes: Mike Elko (Duke), Billy Napier (Florida), Brian Kelly (LSU), Mario Cristobal (Miami), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Lincoln Riley (USC), Sonny Dykes (TCU), Tony Elliot (Virginia), Brent Pry (Virginia Tech), Kalen DeBoer (Washington) and Jake Dickert (Washington State). 

WELCOME TO TAKE THREE UNIVERSITY

  • The term "Take Three" is one many around the Red Raider program have heard daily since Joey McGuire's hiring. The phrase is a key element of McGuire's plan to win strategy, highlighting the defensive goal of creating three takeaways per game.
  • Texas Tech returns six starters on its defense, including the bulk of its secondary such as seniors Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who led the Red Raiders with three interceptions a year ago. The defense also features one of the nation's top returning edge rushers in Tyree Wilson, the Liberty Bowl Defensive MVP from a year ago who had 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks.

HISTORY OF TEXAS TECH HEAD COACHES IN DEBUT

  • Texas Tech head coaches have an all-time record of 10-5-1 when making their debut on the Red Raider sideline. Joey McGuire will look to match each of Tech's last four head coaches - Matt Wells, Kliff Kingsbury, Tommy Tuberville and Mike Leach - with a victory in his first game leading the Red Raiders. This century, Texas Tech head coaches are 4-0 in their respective debuts. 
  • Texas Tech has not had a new head coach drop a season opener since 1981 when the Red Raiders, under first-year head coach Jerry Moore, fell to Colorado, 45-27, in Boulder. Spike Dykes also lost his first game leading the Red Raiders but that came in the 1986 Independence Bowl when he was promoted to head coach following David McWilliams' departure for Texas.

A GLANCE AT MURRAY STATE

  • This will be the first-ever meeting between Texas Tech and Murray State, a matchup added prior to the 2018 season beginning.
  • Murray State competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). 
  • Murray State was picked to finish third among the seven conference members in the 2022 OVC preseason poll. UT-Martin was picked to finish first (same school current Red Raider offensive lineman Michael Shanahan played for last season) while Southeast Missouri was selected second.
  • The 2022 season will be the final season of competition for Murray State in the OVC as it is set to join the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in 2023. 

RED RAIDERS AGAINST THE FCS

  • Since 1978 when the NCAA divided its Division I schools into two divisions, Texas Tech has compiled a 25-1 all-time record against FCS opponents. All of those games have been played at Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech has won its last 19-consecutive games against FCS foes dating back to the 1988 season. The NCAA renamed Division 1A and Division I-AA to FBS and FCS in 2006 to note the distinction in football programs.
  • This is the 12th time in the past 16 seasons that the Red Raiders have faced an FCS program in their home opener. Tech is a perfect 11-0 during that stretch. 
  • Texas Tech is averaging an impressive 51.0 points per game against FCS foes. For a 10-year stretch (2010-19), the Red Raiders reached the 40-point mark in each game versus an FCS program and won by an average 40.0 margin of victory (56.7-16.7). The previous two seasons, the matchups were much closer with Tech claiming a 35-33 victory in 2020 over Houston Baptist (by a then-led Zach Kittley team as offensive coordinator) and a 28-22 victory over Stephen F. Austin last season. 
  • Texas Tech's lone loss to an FCS program came in 1988 when North Texas stunned the Red Raiders, 29-24, inside Jones AT&T Stadium.

CHALLENGING SCHEDULE ON TAP

  • The start to the Joey McGuire era will be a challenging one for the Red Raiders, who will face three ranked opponents in their first four games to start the season. Tech will follow the Murray State game by hosting No. 24 Houston before traveling to close non-conference play at No. 13 N.C. State. The Red Raiders will then open Big 12 play back at Jones AT&T Stadium against in-state rival No. 18 Texas. 
  • Texas Tech is one of only four power-five conference schools that are slated to face at least two non-conference opponents currently ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25. That list also includes Pac-12 programs Oregon and Stanford, along with the SEC's Arkansas.
  • There is just one Power Five program, Mississippi State, that holds more AP top 25 teams on its season schedule than Texas Tech with six. The Red Raiders' preseason schedule pits them against five AP top-25 ranked opponents, and are one of 10 Power Five teams faced with that type of 2022 schedule (Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse, Stanford, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina and Vanderbilt).
  • If both Houston and N.C. State remain in the top-25 polls prior to facing the Red Raiders, it would mark the first time since 2002 that Texas Tech has faced multiple ranked non-conference opponents in a season. The Red Raiders previously started the 2002 campaign at No. 12 Ohio State before traveling later to face No. 16 N.C. State in the fourth week of the season. 
  • In addition to both Houston and N.C. State, the Red Raiders will open Big 12 play against Texas, which is ranked No. 18 nationally in the AFCA coaches poll and also receiving votes in the AP poll. Texas Tech will follow with contests at Kansas State, which is also receiving votes in both polls, and then at No. 12 Oklahoma State. 
  • In its history, Texas Tech has started off only one other season with three of its first four games against ranked opponents as the Red Raiders last did so in 1978 against the likes of No. 9 Southern Cal, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Texas A&M. Tech dropped all three of those games, falling 17-9 at Southern Cal and then 24-7 at home to Texas and 38-9 in College Station to the Aggies. The Red Raiders recovered, though, to win their next six games as part of a 7-4 season under Rex Dockery.

SHOUGH BACK AS QB1 OF RED RAIDERS

  • Tyler Shough will return as Texas Tech's starting quarterback after being sidelined for the final eight games a year ago following a season-ending injury in the Big 12 opener versus Texas. Shough was tabbed the starter by Joey McGuire following a close competition with sophomore Donovan Smith and redshirt freshman Behren Morton. 
  • Prior to his injury, Shough had already powered the Red Raiders to a 3-0 record that was highlighted by a come-from-behind victory against Houston. Shough had completed 69.6 percent of his passes to that point, throwing 872 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for two other scores.
  • Shough entering the 2022 season. Shough is 8-4 as a starter between his time at Texas Tech at Oregon where he led the Ducks to the Pac-12 Championship in 2020.
  • Shough was named Texas Tech's starting quarterback coming out of preseason camp as the senior will make the 12th start of his career Saturday against Murray State. Shough earned the job after a three-way competition between himself, sophomore Donovan Smith and redshirt freshman Behren Morton. Smith previously started the final four games of the 2021 season after Shough was injured, earning AutoZone Liberty Bowl MVP honors after leading the Red Raiders past Mississippi State.