They like to go big in Texas so on Saturday two of the highest scoring teams in the nation meet inside the massive AT&T Stadium in Arlington. On one side are the No. 5 Baylor Bears, who are aiming to go 5-0 to start their season when they play their first conference game of the season. The Texas Tech Red Raiders, meanwhile, are looking to take down a giant to end a brutal back-to-back schedule against Top 5 opposition. A win would likely catapult the Red Raiders into the Top 25 rankings.
Read on for a preview of this matchup. You can also click here for a breakdown of the matchup between Arkansas and Tennessee.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Baylor Bears vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders Preview
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington
When: Saturday, September 26, 4:45 PM ET
Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders (+15.5) vs. Baylor Bears (-15.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Texas Tech Red Raiders
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Is Texas Tech for real? Following an upset win over the Arkansas Razorbacks back in Week 3, the Red Raiders hung tough with the then No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs before falling short in a 55-52 loss last Saturday.
Despite the loss to TCU, the Red Raiders likely have gained tremendous respect from at least their peers in the conference, including Baylor. Against Baylor this coming Saturday, Texas Tech will once again bring its vaunted offense that second in the Big 12 in scoring (53.8 points per game), fourth in rushing yards (197.25), and second in passing yards (397.3). At the forefront of the Red Raiders’ high-flying offense is Patrick Mahomes, who already has 1,421 passing yards and 11 touchdowns on 63.4 completion percentage.
Mahomes’ status for showdown in Arlington, however, is in jeopardy, as the quarterback’s left knee hasn’t fully healed after injuring it in the first quarter of the TCU game. Mahomes played through the pain in that game and finished with 392 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 36 yards, reaching the end zone once.
In case Mahomes won’t be able to go, last year’s starter and now backup Davis Webb will be the man under center for Texas Tech. Webb has played in two games thus far this season, coming up with only 96 passing yards. Last season, Webb had 2,539 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
Either way, the quarterback for Saturday’s game will have enough weapons down field, as the Red Raiders have four players with at least 200 receiving yards. That includes Jakeem Grant, who leads the team with 413 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions. Devin Lauderdale, meanwhile, has 307 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.
Texas Tech is 3-0 ATS in its last three games as underdogs by at least eight points.
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Betting on the Baylor Bears
The Bears are the same offensive juggernaut that they were in recent years. That much was true last Saturday, when Art Briles and his boys blew away the Rice Owls’ stick-and-straw defense on their way to a crushing 70-17 victory.
Against the Owls, Baylor picked up 793 total yards, with the Seth Russell-led passing attack accounting for 366. Russell has been doing a fine job of covering the spot left by now New York Jets quarterback, Bryce Petty, as he’s already racked up 995 passing yards and 15 touchdowns in three games thus far this year. Although Russell compiled those numbers against lowly competition, he’ll still be licking his chops at the prospect of facing Texas Tech. For one, the Red Raiders sport a vulnerable defense that allows 556.3 total yards per game—worst in the conference.
Other than Russell, running back Shock Linwood may also be in for a big game. Linwood is leading the Big 12 with 121.0 rushing yards per game. Against the Owls, Linwood had 158 rushing yards and a touchdown. Terrence Williams, meanwhile, is averaging 101.7 rushing yards per game, fifth in the conference.
Baylor, however, will have to watch out for Texas Tech’s offense, too. After all, it was just last season, when the Red Raiders put together 712 yards against the Bears’ defense in a high-scoring 48-46 Baylor win. Baylor is fourth in total defense in the Big 12 with 318.3 total yards allowed per game.
With their 57-point victory over Rice, the Bears pushed their scoring average to 64.0 points, the highest among all FBS schools.
The over is 4-0 in Baylor’s last four games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Baylor (-15.5) wins, 53-47.
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