NC State football vs Texas Tech odds, game key: Could series produce another thriller?
If the past three football games between N.C. State and Texas Tech are any indication, better buckle up.
Things could get a little crazy Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Both the No. 16-ranked Wolfpack and Red Raiders are 2-0, albeit coming off games that were diametrically opposite. The Pack ripped Charleston Southern 55-3 at home while Texas Tech had a wild night in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders led No. 25 Houston 17-3 at the half, blew the lead in the second half, got a 47-yard field goal to get to overtime and then won 33-30 in a second OT. Quarterback Donovan Smith scored on a 9-yard run for the winner, Texas Tech fans then storming the field and yanking down the goal posts.
Smith’s TD finished off Texas Tech’s first regular-season victory over a ranked nonconference opponent since 1989. Now, the Red Raiders are after another one.
And about that past history …
The Wolfpack and Texas Tech have not faced off since September 2003 at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Red Raiders’ B.J. Symons passed for 586 yards and Texas Tech had 681 yards in total offense — and lost by four touchdowns.
The Pack, coached by Chuck Amato, emerged with a 49-21 win. Symons was 39-of-63 passing and set a school record, but the Red Raiders had four turnovers in the game and several red-zone miscues.
“I’ve never had this much offense with this little production before,” Mike Leach, then the Texas Tech coach, said after the game about his “Air Raid” attack.
The year before, the two played in Lubbock and the Pack, with Philip Rivers at quarterback, won 51-48 in overtime as tailback T.A. McLendon tied the school record with five touchdown runs.
Go back to 1993 and there was another thriller in Lubbock. The Pack won 36-34 as quarterback Terry Harvey connected with star receiver Eddie Goines for an 11-yard TD on the final play of the game.
But what’s past is past. N.C. State coach Dave Doeren was 21 years old and a senior tight end at Drake in 1993.
Game key: Keep Smith uncomfortable
The Wolfpack must prepare this week for a Texas Tech team under first-year coach Joey McGuire that lost starting quarterback Tyler Shough to a shoulder injury in the 63-10 win over Murray State in the season opener.
But Smith, a 6-5, 230-pound sophomore, has stepped in and produced. He played six series against Murray State and was on target, completing 14 of 16 throws for 221 yards and four TDs.
Smith was inconsistent at times against Houston in his fifth career start but had TD passes of 54 and 43 yards. His final numbers were 36-of-58 passing for 351 yards and the two scores.
But Smith also had three passes picked off, one for a Houston touchdown. The Pack must pressure the pocket and make Smith hurry but also look to contain any QB runs. It won’t be Leach’s “Air Raid” again, but the Red Raiders are dangerous and can be a big-strike team offensively.
Vegas betting odds
Oddsmakers made the Pack as a 10.5-point favorite. The Wolfpack was a 44.5-point pick against Charleston Southern and covered.
Texas Tech at N.C. State
When: Saturday, 7 pm
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh
TV: ESPN2
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "NC State football vs Texas Tech odds, game key: Could series produce another thriller?."
