Game Preview: Texas Tech vs. Washington State

SOUTH END ZONE BUILDING MAKES GRAND DEBUT

• Texas Tech officially opened the South End Zone Building to Jones AT&T Stadium, a $242 million project that began following the 2022 season finale on Nov. 26, 2022.
• The $242 million project will mark the largest contiguous football facility in the country, as the south end zone building will connect, via a sky bridge, to the Womble Football Center and the Sports Performance Center, which opened in 2017 as Texas Tech's indoor football practice facility and indoor track and field venue. Which in total will feature more than 340,000 combined square feet of space.
• The Red Raiders now enter Jones AT&T Stadium each gameday through the Gary Petersen Field Club, a 12,000-square-foot premium space that is among the first of its kind in college football. It is one of several new premium areas as Texas Tech has added 17 new luxury suites on the 3rd floor of the South End Zone building to go along with 500 club and loge box seats and two spacious party decks on the concourse. Texas Tech now boasts 102 premium suites throughout Jones AT&T Stadium to go along with more than 2,500 club and loge box seat options. 
• Joey McGuire and his staff moved into their new coaches' offices on the second floor of the south end zone building in July, giving them a stunning view overlooking Cody Campbell Field at Jones AT&T Stadium. The office location places McGuire and his staff steps from each position room and the sky bridge connected to the Womble Football Center, where offensive and defensive breakout rooms will be located, as well as a team meeting space and a state-of-the-art walkthrough area on the second level. 
• Texas Tech is slated to open the Womble Football Center side of the project this fall as the two-story building will maintain its football strength and conditioning, sports medicine and equipment areas on the main level as part of the new layout. The Red Raiders' main locker room will be located in the Womble Football Center, which includes space for 120-plus athletes and modern primary designs from Hollman that are fully ventilated and contain USB charging ports and DreamSeat technology for every player. 

ANOTHER 150-YARD OUTING FOR BROOKS

• Tahj Brooks opened his final Texas Tech season much like he ended the year prior thanks to 27 carries for 153 yards and a touchdown in Texas Tech's victory over Abilene Christian.
• It was the 13th time in his illustrious career Brooks has rushed for at least 100 yards in a game and the fourth time to reach the 150-yard mark.
• Brooks now has 3,205 rushing yards over his career, leaving him just 36 yards shy of tying Taurean Henderson for sixth place all-time on the Texas Tech career rushing chart. 
• His progress this season can be tracked on TahjTime.com.

KELLY SHINES IN TEXAS TECH DEBUT 

• Josh Kelly returns to Pullman this weekend after a stellar debut, hauling in a career-high 10 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown in the Red Raiders' victory over Abilene Christian.
• It was the eighth career game with at least 100 receiving yards for Kelly, who recorded half of that total a year ago as Washington State's leading receiver.
• Kelly was targeted 15 times by Behren Morton in the victory, finishing only three yards shy of his career high in the process.
• He returns to Pullman where he caught 61 passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 1: Texas Tech is the only school in the country to boast a 300-yard passer, a 150-yard rusher and a 150-yard receiver in a game through the first week of the college football season. 
• 2: Drae McCray is the only player in the country with multiple kick returns of at least 50 yards as he returned one for 65 yards and another for 74 in the victory over ACU. His 165 total kick return yards led the FBS in week one.
• 5: Tahj Brooks' 153 rushing yards versus ACU marked only the fifth time in program history and the first time since Ricky Williams in 1998 that a Red Raider rushed for at least 150 yards in a season opener. 

MCCRAY TABBED BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Texas Tech senior wide receiver Drae McCray was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday for his performance in the Red Raiders' victory over Abilene Christian.
• McCray, who was recognized for the first time as a Red Raider, proved again why he's one of the most explosive returners in all of college football as he brought back three kicks for a total of 165 yards against the Wildcats, finishing with an impressive 55.0 average. His 165 total kick return yards lead the FBS through games completed Sunday evening. 
• McCray had returns of 74 and 65 yards in the win, making him the only FBS player currently with multiple kick returns of at least 50 or more yards so far this season. His first return of 74 yards marked the second-longest of his career as he previously went 100 yards against Houston last season for a touchdown. 
• McCray, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, could potentially enter the top 10 all-time for career kick return yards this Saturday at Washington State as he trails Rodney Blackshear (1987-91) by 17 yards for 10th place. McCray, who has totaled 882 kick return yards on only 29 returns as a Red Raider, is also in striking distance of Ben McRoy in seventh place (2010-11, 977 yards), Wayne Walker in eighth (1985-88, 959 yards) and Johnnie Mack in ninth (2003-04; 955 yards).

THE MIKE LEACH CONNECTION 

• There is likely no greater connection between Texas Tech and Washington State than each of its former head coach in Mike Leach. The late Leach turned both programs into constant winners as he is Texas Tech's all-time winningest coach after leading the Red Raiders to 84 victories and 10 bowl appearances from 2000-09. He later rebuilt Washington State, guiding the Cougars to 55 wins over eight seasons, the third-most in program history.
• Leach compiled a 158-107 record over his career, leading his teams to 19 bowl games with 16 of those coming between his time at both Texas Tech (10) and Washington State (6). 
• Leach will be inducted into the Washington State Hall of Fame this weekend, only a year after he entered the Texas Tech Hall of Honor. He was inducted as part of the 2023 class alongside his first prominent quarterback of his head coaching career in Kliff Kingsbury.

TECH, WSU SET FOR ONLY THIRD MEETING

• This will be Texas Tech's first trip all-time to Pullman and only its second to the state of Washington.
• The Red Raiders are 2-0 all-time against Washington State.
• Texas Tech topped Washington State in back-to-back seasons from 1963-64, delivering a 16-7 victory to start the series followed by a 28-10 win a year later. Both wins came under head coach JT King, who pushed the Red Raiders to a season-opening win over the Cougars in 1963. The victory in 1964 was Texas Tech's sixth of the season, pushing the Red Raiders to an eventual appearance in the Sun Bowl versus Georgia. It marked the ninth bowl appearance of 41 now in history for the Red Raiders. 

MORE TIES BETWEEN TECH, WSU

• The trip to Washington State will be a return for two Red Raiders, OLB Sam Carrell and WR Josh Kelly. Carrell saw limited action in his one season in Pullman in 2021 while Kelly had a breakout year with the Cougars in 2023 in his one season. Kelly caught 61 passes for 923 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the Cougars in both categories, aiding a program that ranked fourth nationally in passing. Prior to Kelly's season at WSU, he began his career at his hometown university, Fresno State.
• Texas Tech offensive line coach Clay McGuire returned to his alma mater this offseason after completing his second stint as an assistant at Washington State. McGuire spent a total of eight seasons with the Cougars, first under the late Mike Leach from 2012-17 and then again under Jake Dickert from 2022-23. McGuire oversaw the offensive line throughout his Washington State tenure, helping push the Cougars to five bowl games during that span. 
• McGuire was replaced on the Washington State staff by another Red Raider in Jared Kaster, who previously worked alongside Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley at Houston Christian (2018-22) before spending the 2023 season at Austin Peay. Kaster began his coaching career at his alma mater, serving as an offensive line assistant and quality control coach under Kliff Kingsbury for the 2016-17 seasons. He previously played four seasons for the Red Raiders from 2012-15 where he was a three-time honorable mention All-Big 12 selection. 
• The Washington State staff has a pair of West Texas natives in offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, a native of Seminole, and offensive graduate assistant Colt Garrett, a former Texas Tech quarterback and Lubbock Roosevelt graduate. Arbuckle, a former quarterback at West Texas A&M, began his coaching career as an offensive assistant for Zach Kittley at both Houston Christian (2018-19) and Western Kentucky (2021). He replaced Kittley as WKU's offensive coordinator following his return to Lubbock. 
• Garrett, meanwhile, was a backup quarterback for the Red Raiders from 2016-18 under then head coach Kliff Kingsbury. He appeared in two games during his career before earning his degree in kinesiology from the university in 2019. He is now in his second season on the Washington State staff. 

SINGLE-GAME TICKETS STILL ON SALE FOR ALL SIX HOME GAMES REMAINING

• Fans still have time to lock in their seats for the remaining six Saturdays inside Jones AT&T Stadium this season as single-game tickets are still on sale through the Athletic Ticket Office.
• Tickets can be purchased online at TexasTech.com or by speaking to a ticket sales representative at 806-742-TECH.