Texas Tech looks for road upset at NC State
Texas Tech passed its first significant test of the Joey McGuire era last week, rallying to beat a ranked Houston team in double overtime at Jones AT&T Stadium.
The Red Raiders, in all likelihood, will have to play even better to stay undefeated through the non-conference portion of their schedule.
Tech (2-0) is a 10-point underdog against No. 16 North Carolina State (2-0) at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Years ago in the same stadium, the Wolfpack blew out teams coached by Spike Dykes and Mike Leach. The assignment figures to be no less formidable this time.
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Under 10th-year head coach Dave Doeren, NC State has had three nine-win seasons and an eight-win campaign in the past five years. Expectations are high this year because from last year's 9-3 team, the Wolfpack return school record-setting quarterback Devin Leary, four starters on the offensive line and 10 starters on defense.
"I've never been to North Carolina State," McGuire said. "I've never played in that environment, but everything I hear from anybody that has, it's an electric environment. It's going to be a great test."
NC State went undefeated at home last year, beating Clemson in the process, and extended the home win streak to 11 last week with a rout of Charleston Southern. Saturday's game is a sellout, and the Wolfpack will be wearing all black.
"There's nothing better than a night game at the Carter when it's rockin' ," Doeren said.
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McGuire and Doeren both noted this week they became friends nearly 20 years ago when Doeren was a Kansas assistant and recruited at Cedar Hill High School when McGuire was head coach there. McGuire called Doeren "one of my favorite people in the world," and Doeren said he "was excited to see (McGuire) get to be a head coach at Tech."
"I remember eating pre-game meal with his team," Doeren said. "He had the best chicken fried steak and gravy you've ever had before the game. I was crushin' that with him. He's a good dude, and he'll have his team ready to play."
McGuire also has some history with Leary, the Wolfpack quarterback who threw 35 touchdown passes last season. Though McGuire was not directly involved in Leary's recruitment, Baylor offered Leary a scholarship when McGuire was a Bears assistant under Matt Rhule.
Now one of the keys for the Red Raiders will be defending the 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior.
"He's a pro. He's going to play in the NFL," McGuire said. "He's the real deal, so it's going to be really a test for us."
Tech's victory last week was its first over a ranked non-conference opponent in the regular season since 1989, when the Red Raiders beat No. 20 Arizona in the opener and went on to finish 9-3. This month is also the first time Tech has faced two ranked opponents on the non-conference regular-season schedule since 2002, when the Red Raiders lost at No. 13 Ohio State and at home against No. 17 NC State.
The following season, NC State beat Tech 49-21 in Raleigh, the last time the two programs met. Philip Rivers was the Wolfpack quarterback in both games before he went on to a 17-year NFL career.
The two teams' one common opponent last year was Mississippi State. The Bulldogs beat NC State 24-10 in the second week of the 2021 season, then lost to Tech 34-7 in the Liberty Bowl.
"A lot of that team is back," Doeren said of the Red Raiders. "They're a team that has a chip on their shoulder. Oftentimes, some of the other schools in Texas maybe don't get the notoriety of Texas and Texas A&M, and I think those kids play with a chip on their shoulder there because of that. So I have a lot of respect for Texas Tech, always have."
In his first five games as a college starting quarterback, Tech sophomore Donovan Smith has done his best work when the odds were against the Red Raiders. Last week, he rallied Tech from deficits of 20-17 in the last half-minute of regulation, 27-20 in the first overtime and 30-27 in the second overtime. He started the comeback at the end of regulation with a 27-yard run. In the first OT, he converted a fourth-and-20 with a 21-yard pass, and he won the game with a 9-yard touchdown run.
Last year, Smith led Tech to victory as a heavy underdog against Iowa State and Mississippi State.
"Their quarterback can run and has a great arm," Doeren said. "You can see him throw deep out routes to the field from the far hash, does it with ease and can make plays with his feet. He won the game with his feet on a scramble last week."
College football
Who: Texas Tech at North Carolina State
When: 6 p.m. CDT Saturday
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, N.C.
Records: Texas Tech 2-0, NC State 2-0
Rankings (AP/coaches): Texas Tech receiving votes/receiving votes. NC State 16/12
Line: NC State by 10
TV: ESPN2
Radio: FM 97.3, FM 100.7, FM 106.5, AM 950 in Lubbock. FM 95.7, AM 1440 in Amarillo.
Satellite radio: Sirius 108, XM 199
Follow Along: Follow @AJ_DonWilliams on Twitter for live game updates, with post-game recap and interviews to follow at www.lubbockonline.com.
Game guarantee: NC State to pay Texas Tech $300,000 by Feb. 15.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football vs. NC State: Red Raiders look for road upset
