To conclude our examination of Arizona State’s 2017 non-conference opponents, our Joe Healey familiarizes Sun Devil fans with the Red Raiders, ASU's last contest before they open Pac-12 play.
Head Coach: Kliff Kingsbury (Fifth season, 24-26 at Texas Tech)
After an impressive debut season in 2013 that resulted in an 8-5 finish and Holiday Bowl win over ASU, Kingsbury has produced two losing seasons in 2014 and 2016 wrapped around a 7-6 campaign in 2015. Last year, the Red Raiders missed the postseason with a 5-7 final tally that featured a 2-6 record across the season’s final eight games.
Entering season five with a four-year record two games below .500, Kingsbury’s seat at Texas Tech must be at least a little warm. Also, with Houston and Oklahoma State on deck after ASU comes to Lubbock this fall, the Red Raiders’ rematch with the Sun Devils could prove to be a greatly significant game for Kingsbury.
2016 Review: 5-7 (3-6 in Big-12)
Texas Tech and ASU had a few notable similarities in 2016, as both teams had a strong first month of the season but completely fizzled out from there. The Red Raiders made it through September with a 3-1 record with the only loss coming against ASU in Tempe. From that point, Texas Tech lost three straight to Kansas State, West Virginia and Oklahoma and after a win over TCU lost another three consecutive games to Texas, Oklahoma State and Iowa State. With nothing more than pride on the line in the final week as the Red Raiders were unable to achieve bowl eligibility, Texas Tech notched its fifth and final win against Baylor.
Also similar to Arizona State was Texas Tech’s abysmal defense, a collective unit that allowed at least 44 points in eight games including three in which the Red Raiders gave up at least 66 points – 66 in losses to Oklahoma and Iowa State and 68 against ASU.
Statistically on the year, Texas Tech by far-and-away was the national leader in pass offense (463.0 ypg. to second place Louisiana Tech at 363.4) and ranked fifth nationally in scoring offense (43.7 ppg.), but finished 116th nationally in rush defense (238.6 ypg.), 117th in sacks (1.17 per game), 125th in pass defense (315.8) and 128th – dead last – in both total defense (554.3 ypg.) and scoring defense (43.5 ppg.)
After missing just one bowl game from 2000-2012 before Kingsbury was hired prior to the 2013 season, Texas Tech has achieved bowl eligibility in just two of Kingsbury’s four seasons.
Much of the offensive acclaim can be credited to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who surpassed 5,000 yards passing before choosing to bypass his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.
Key Number from 2016: Zero
Zero teams – even ASU – had poorer total defense and scoring defense statistics in 2016 than Texas Tech. Though Texas Tech has been a passing powerhouse on offense for as long as many fans can remember, if the defense does not improve dramatically the early departure of national passing leader Patrick Mahomes may be too tall a task for the Red Raiders to overcome in order to stage a noticeable recovery in 2017.
Program Overview: A mediocre program for the final quarter of the 20th century, only twice from 1977-1999 did Texas Tech win more than seven games in a single season before Mike Leach was hired as head coach prior to the 2000 season. Those two seasons were also the only two in that time frame that Texas Tech ended seasons listed in the final poll rankings.
After a pair of seven-win seasons in start his tenure, Leach never won fewer than eight games through the remainder of his time at Texas Tech, headlined by an 11-2 finish in 2008 and a No. 12 final poll ranking.
Largely due to player treatment issues, Leach was fired after the 2009 regular season, with Ruffin McNeil serving as interim head coach for Texas Tech’s bowl game that year. From there, Tommy Tuberville served as head coach for all of 2010 and 2011, but after the next regular season left Lubbock for Cincinnati, leaving Chris Thomsen, who later would become an assistant coach at ASU, to guide the Red Raiders in their bowl game following the 2012 season.
A former quarterback for Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury was hired prior to the 2013 season and enters his fifth year at the helm for the Red Raiders.
Since Leach’s unceremonious departure from Lubbock, the Red Raiders have continued their annual trend of posting gaudy offensive numbers but of late have been haunted by a horrifically poor defense that has ultimately resulted in subpar seasons for Texas Tech.
From 1989-2009 the Texas Tech program suffered just two losing seasons, but have endured three losing years of the seven since. Also, Texas Tech has appeared in just three bowl games over the past six seasons after an 11-year bowl streak from 2000-2010.
Series Record vs. ASU (Most Recent Meeting): 1-2 (ASU 68, Texas Tech 55 on Sept. 10, 2016 in Tempe)
Last September in Tempe, a ridiculous flurry of offensive firepower was seen from both teams as Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage tied the NCAA record of eight total touchdowns as the two squads combined for 1,264 yards on the night.
Ballage rushed 13 times for 137 yards and seven scores and caught two passes for 48 yards and another touchdown. ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins completed 28-of-37 passes for 351 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed for 55 yards on 10 carries, while running back Demario Richard also topped the century mark with 109 yards on 30 carries.
For Texas Tech, highly acclaimed quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 38-of-53 passes for 540 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions and also rushed for 44 yards on 11 carries and a score. Cameron Batson had game-highs of nine catches for 148 yards with a touchdown and linebacker Jordyn Brooks totaled a game-high 10 tackles.
History vs. ASU: The limited series between Arizona State and Texas Tech has all occurred in less than the past 20 years, starting with a 31-13 Sun Devil victory in Tempe in 1999. The two teams next met in postseason play when the Sun Devils were upset in the 2013 Holiday Bowl by a final score of 37-23. ASU got back on a winning track against the Red Raiders last season in a video game-like offensive output by both teams.
Key Departures: OL Baylen Brown, LB Malik Jenkins, QB Patrick Mahomes, CB Justis Nelson, Kris Williams
Perhaps the most prolific passing quarterback at the FBS level the past two seasons, Patrick Mahomes ranked fourth nationally in passing yards as a sophomore in 2015 with 4,653, making him the leading returning passer in the nation entering the 2016 season.
As a junior, he lived up to the hype by leading the FBS in passing yards with 5,052, while tying for third nationally with 41 touchdown passes. Much more than just a pocket passer, Mahomes rushed for 12 touchdowns and 285 yards last season.
After opting to bypass his senior season to enter the 2017 NFL Draft, presumably passing the torch of the starting role to junior Nic Shimonek.
Last year against ASU, Mahomes completed 38-of-53 passes for 540 yards – one of four games with more than 500 passing yards he would register in 2016 — with five touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 44 rushing yards and a touchdown. Mahomes’ career best was a 734-yard explosion in a loss last year to Oklahoma, which tied the FBS single-game record achieved by Washington State’s Connor Halliday in 2014.
A staple up front for the Red Raiders the past four seasons, Brown started 35 career games at multiple offensive line positions and in 2016 was an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection.
Not many Power 5 teams had a poorer overall defense than ASU in 2016, but Texas Tech may claim the dubious title over the Devils as the Red Raiders ranked last nationally in both total defense and scoring defense. That said, the 2017 version of the Red Raiders will be without a few key components such as Malik Jenkins, Justus Nelson and Kris Williams and it remains to be seen if even greater deficiencies emerge this fall.
Jenkins is the top departing tackler for Texas Tech, having posted 76 total stops in 2016. Nelson started 32 career games from 2013-16 and last year totaled 59 tackles and 12 pass breakups. Williams was the team leader in tackles-for-loss (6.0) and sacks (5.0) and posted 35 total tackles and recovered two fumbles.
Top Returners: LB Jordyn Brooks, WR Cameron Batson, WR Dylan Cantrell, WR Keke Coutee, WR Jonathan Giles
With Mahomes off to the NFL and having such a porous defense, the team’s primary returning talent is found in its crop of highly productive wide receivers as the team’s top four players at the position return from 2016.
Giles was Mahomes’ top target in 2016 with 69 receptions for 1,158 yards and 13 touchdowns – all team highs. He also ranked 14th nationally in touchdown catches and 18th in receiving yards per game. Statistically, Giles is the most prominent wide receiver ASU will face in 2017 as he is the only opposing wide receiver to have surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 2016.
Batson ranked second on the team with 60 catches and tied for the team lead with eight touchdowns, also hauling in 644 receiving yards. Coutee ranked second on the team with 890 yards on 55 receptions with seven touchdowns, while Cantrell tied for second on the team with eight touchdown catches among his 58 receptions for 675 yards. This quartet combined for 242 of Tech’s 428 total receptions last year.
Texas Tech ranked dead last among 128 FBS teams in total defense last season by allowing 554.3 yards per game – don’t get cocky, Sun Devil fans, as ASU ranked 127th allowing 520.5 – so there isn’t a ton of star power returning on that side for the Red Raiders. That said, linebacker Jordyn Brooks enjoyed an excellent true freshman season in 2016. On the year, Brooks totaled a team-high 86 tackles including 5.0 for loss with one sack, one forced fumble and four pass breakups.
Last season against ASU, Batson had nine receptions for 148 yards with one touchdown – his first and only 100-yard receiving game through three seasons – while Giles added nine catches for 71 yards and a score. Cantrell also caught a touchdown pass among his three receptions against the Sun Devils last season. On defense, Brooks had a game-high 10 total tackles including 2.0 for loss.
2017 Signing Class Ranking: 47th nationally, 7th in Big 12 Conference
Top Signees: OG Jack Anderson, OG Will Farrar, SDE Nelson Mbanasor, CB Jaylon Lane, CB Octavious Morgan
For the 2017 class, the Red Raiders loaded up in two areas Sun Devil fans can appreciate in the offensive line and secondary. In total, of the 20 signees Texas Tech acquired for 2017, 11 are from these two position groups – at least in terms of the positions at which Rivals evaluated them. Though Tech’s class was rated seventh of the 10 Big 12 teams, its average star ranking of 2.9 ranked fifth in the league.
The prize of Tech’s class is Jack Anderson, the lone four-star signee, rated the No. 11 offensive guard and No. 192 overall prospect. The Frisco, Texas native was offered by ASU as well as schools including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Stanford and many others.
Will Farrar, the No. 24 offensive guard in the 2017 class, is a three-star prospect with a four-star offer sheet as scholarships were extended to him from ASU as well as institutions such as LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Texas, UCLA and Washington among others.
The No. 23 strongside defensive end for 2017, Nelson Mbanasor chose Tech over offers including Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Oklahoma State and others.
In the secondary, cornerback Jaylon Lane comes to Lubbock from the JUCO ranks and was the No. 58 overall JUCO prospect for the 2017 and chose Texas Tech over an offer list that included Pac-12 schools in Oregon State and UCLA. Octavious Morgan was ranked the No. 72 cornerback in the country and was offered by ASU and also earned offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri and West Virginia.
In total, four players who signed with Texas Tech were reportedly offered by ASU in Anderson, Farrar, Morgan and JUCO safety Vaughnte Dorsey.
