The sky is falling for the Arkansas Razorbacks this early in the season. After a gut-wrenching loss to the Toledo Rockers on Saturday in Little Rock, the Hogs return home to Fayetteville looking to pick up the pieces of that shattering setback. As for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, they will have a chance to stretch their win streak to three games, but their first against a major conference program.
Read on for a preview of this matchup. You can also click here for a breakdown of the a matchup between Stanford and No. 6 USC.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Preview
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
When: Saturday, September 19, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (-11.5) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (+11.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders
[sc:NCAA240banner ]We know the Red Raiders can score. They’ve put up 12 points in their first two games. But can they defend? Two games into their schedule, Kliff Kingsbury and his boys still have that question to answer. A matchup against the Razorbacks, who mauled Texas Tech last season, should serve as a great test for the Red Raiders’ defense.
The Red Raiders are going to need their defense to start making its present felt against Arkansas. That’s easier said done, though, considering Texas Tech allowed FCS team Sam Houston State to compile 637 total yards, albeit in a 59-45 Week 1 win. If anything, Texas Tech can always resort to its high-scoring offense to cover up for its defense’s ineptitude.
In their most recent outing, a 69-20 win over UTEP, the Red Raiders absolutely demolished a Miners side that allowed Texas Tech to rack up 674 total yards. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had four passing touchdowns for the second game, throwing for 361 yards on 18 of 33 completions.
Mahomes wasn’t the starter when Arkansas defeated the Red Raiders last season, 49-28, and his presence on the field this coming Saturday should bring a different complexion to the game. For one, Mahomes uses his legs more than last year’s starter and now backup Davis Webb. Against the Miners, Mahomes also rushed for 23 yards and a couple of scores.
The Red Raiders are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
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Betting on the Arkansas Razorbacks
Losing to a 23-point underdog, one that’s unranked and plays outside of the Power 5, definitely wasn’t part of the agenda for Bret Bielema this season. But that’s exactly what the Razorbacks got in a 16-12 loss to a Mid-American Conference team, the Toledo Rockets, last Saturday. After that setback, the Razorbacks are now 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as the home team.
The loss to the Rockets came a week after Arkansas flashed its dominant offense in a 48-13 win over UTEP on September 5. In that game, the Razorbacks went off with 490 total yards as against UTEP’s 204. Quarterback Brandon Allen passed for 308 yards and four touchdowns, while the Alex Collins-led backfield had 182 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Collins is the top guy in the Razorbacks’ running game with fellow 1,000-yard back in Jonathan Williams (foot) out for the season. A season before, Arkansas rushed for 218.0 yards per game, but the absence of Williams sure is a big reason why the team is putting up just 142.5 yards on the ground in two games thus far this year. That said, the Razorbacks should be able to find gaps in between Texas Tech’s defense that currently ranks last against rush in the Big 12.
Where the Razorbacks need to improve moving forward is on third down conversion opportunities. Against the Toledo, they went 5-for-13 in such situations, thus putting to waste most of the 515 total yards they put together.
Writer’s Prediction
Arkansas (-11.5) wins, 41-28.
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