An interesting matchup between a pair of Power Five schools takes place in the desert. The Texas Tech Red Raiders travel to face the Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday night. The game kicks off at 10:00 pm ET from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The game is nationally televised on Fox Sports 1. The icks off at 10:00 pm ET from . The Texas Tech Red Raiders travel to faceVegas odds for this week 2 clash currently show Arizona State as a 2.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 79.5 points.
Texas Tech rolled over Stephen F. Austin 69-17 in their opener last week. Arizona State cruised past Northern Arizona 44-13 to get the 2016 season off on the right foot. The two teams have met twice previously in their history. Each team has one victory. Texas Tech took a 37-23 victory in 2013 in the most recent meeting between the schools.
Texas Tech has one of the most prolific offensive units in the FBS and there’s plenty of options to choose from. The Red Raiders ran to a 21-0 edge after one quarter and led 45-3 at intermission. In the contest, Texas Tech rolled up 758 yards of offense. Texas Tech picked up 37 first downs and committed just one turnover. While the Red Raiders won’t pile up those kinds of numbers in the Big 12, Texas Tech is explosive. This one has the makings of being an offensive bonanza for both sides as there is suspect defense on the field.
Patrick Mahomes completed 30 of 43 passes for 483 yards with four touchdowns and no picks before taking a seat. He added a team leading 57 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Nic Shimonek got an opportunity to play in the contest. He connected on 18 of 28 passes for 150 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Texas Tech threw the ball 71 times and passed for 633 yards in the game, running 99 offensive plays all together. Seventeen different players caught at least one pass for Texas Tech. Devin Lauderdale had a team high seven receptions for 49 yards plus a score while Ja’Deion High had six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona State put together a solid offensive performance in their season opener as well. The Sun Devils started slow as they held a slim 10-3 advantage at the half. The score was 20-6 after three quarters before the Sun Devils outscored the Rattlers 24-7 in the final stanza. Arizona State was lit up through the air, giving up 389 passing yards. That’s something Todd Graham has to have concern about with the Red Raiders coming to town. Arizona State had a 456-425 advantage in total yards but turned the ball over twice while failing to force a turnover.
Manny Wilkins was 20 of 27 passing for 180 yards and an interception in his first career start. He ran for a team leading 89 yards and a touchdown. Demario Richard had 19 carries for 78 yards and a score while Kalen Ballage chipped in 10 attempts for 56 yards and a touchdown. Arizona State ran the ball 46 times for 276 yards and five touchdowns. Five different players found the end zone on the ground for the Sun Devils. Tim White led the Sun Devils with nine catches for 95 yards while N’Keal Henry had four catches for 31 yards. Can Wilkins keep Arizona State in the game in a potential shootout with his arm?
Arizona State was flat for the better part of three quarters last week. They can’t afford to be flat for three minutes against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders showed how impressive they can be on the offensive side of the ball. Texas Tech piles up yards and points like they’re going out of style in the Air Raid offense. Arizona State can’t keep up with that kind of prolific offensive attack. The Sun Devils gave up a ton of yards to Northern Arizona. Take the points and the Red Raiders here. For more free week 2 picks, click here!
Texas Tech is 5-0-1 ATS in their last six in September and 4-1 ATS in their last five overall. Arizona State is 1-5 ATS in their last six at home against teams with a winning road record and 1-6 ATS in their last seven in September.