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The Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Baylor Bears are even-steven against one another since October of 2015 (3-3), but not for long. Texas Tech and the Bears will face off in a Big 12 battle at noon ET on Saturday at McLane Stadium. Baylor should still be riding high after a victory, while Texas Tech will be looking to get back in the win column.
A win for Texas Tech just wasn't in the stars last week as the squad never even grasped a temporary lead. They suffered a grim 23 to nothing defeat to the Oklahoma State Cowboys. QB Donovan Smith had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he fumbled the ball once with only 83 yards passing.
Meanwhile, Baylor beat the Kansas State Wildcats 20-10 last week. The team ran away with 17 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those in the second to pick up the victory. The Bears' RB Trestan Ebner filled up the stat sheet, punching in one rushing touchdown.
Baylor's defense was a presence as well, as it got past K-State's offensive line to sack the quarterback four times for a total loss of 21 yards. Leading the way was DL Gabe Hall and his two sacks. Hall now has five sacks this year.
Texas Tech is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Those burned by picking them against the spread last week might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
Texas Tech is now 6-5 while Baylor sits at 9-2. A pair of defensive stats to keep an eye on: The Red Raiders are stumbling into the contest with the 240th most passing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 26 on the season. The Bears have experienced some struggles of their own as they are 160th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 14 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
