Texas may not have its usual Thanksgiving rivalry traditions anymore, but the Longhorns (4-6, 3-4 in the Big 12) are welcoming the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-5, 3-5 in conference) to Darrel K. Royal Stadium for a little Thanksgiving night tussle.
How to watch Texas Tech vs. Texas on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The Longhorns welcome the Red Raiders to Austin on Thanksgiving.
The Horns may not think this game is worthy of Rivalry Week, but that doesn't mean there is't some meaning here. Facing long odds in the season's final week versus Baylor, if Texas has any outside chance of squeaking into a bowl with some sort of sub-.500ish record, it'll have to come up with a fifth win against the Red Raiders. Charlie Strong's Horns have lost two of the last three -- and the win was against Kansas, which barely counts -- and it's turning out that this rebuilding job is a bit steeper of a climb that most anticipated. The importance of securing some extra bowl practices in December really can't be understated.
The Red Raiders managed to secure their own bowl eligibility, and snap a three-game losing streak last week with a 59-44 win over Kansas State. The offense averages some 46 points per game, and Patrick Mahomes II has 40 combined rushing and passing touchdowns. Granted, they’re also 120th and 122nd in defensive S&P+ and points allowed per game at 42.
Of course, the Longhorns are 95th and 87th in scoring and offensive S&P+, so anything can happen here when a bad offense meets a worse defense.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1
Radio: Texas, Texas Tech
Online streaming: FOX Sports GO Link
Spread: Texas is favored by 2 points.
Make friends: Longhorns fans have two different sites to chat this game up, Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival. Red Raiders can do the same at Viva the Matadors.
Three big things to know
1. Strength on strength
Texas Tech has been fantastic at creating big plays on offense, with an IsoPPP average of 1.40, which ranks 9th in the country. Texas, for all the issues they’ve had on defense, is second in the Big 12 in the fewest plays of 20 yards or more allowed, and 9th themselves in defensive IsoPPP themselves. So the Red Raiders may have to grind things out in a way they’re not totally comfortable.
2. Ya HEARD me?
Jerrod Heard has started the last eight games at quarterback for the Horns, but he hasn't exactly stood out. Tyrone Swoopes, however, has developed into a nice role as a counterpunch quarterback coming in for specific packages, and running the ball may help keep the Texas Tech offense off the field. It may be time for the Horns to switch things up a bit.
3. Strong watch
The Charlie Strong to Miami rumors don’t seem to want to go away, no matter how many times Texas’ coach says he has no interest. Sometimes when there’s smoke, there’s fire, and if Texas doesn’t have a bowl game to prep for, that could mean even more time for the Hurricanes to shape up their pitch.
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