2021 Week 2: Red Raider Preview

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Match-up: Texas Tech (0-1) at #7 Michigan State (1-0)

 

It’s approximately 1,400 miles by car from Lubbock to East Lansing. Thankfully for the Red Raider players, they’ll get to enjoy the comforts of a chartered flight as they travel to Michigan to take on the seventh ranked Spartans. There’s not much history between these two squads with only one previous meeting. A 2010 bowl game that witnessed Texas Tech come away with a 41-31 victory. For the second straight week, the Red Raiders will have their hands full against a top ten opponent, though the Spartans looked mortal as they struggled against Army barely escaping with a 17-10 victory. The Red Raiders on the other hand, put up a strong fight against #9 Wisconsin but ultimately fell short, losing 20-17.

 

What to watch for (TTU): Can the Red Raiders get the passing game going? Senior quarterback Reggie Chavis struggled against the Badgers completing 14 of 24 passes for only 106 yards and one touchdown. On a positive note Chavis didn’t do anything to lose the game, but he didn’t do much to propel the offense either. Running back Fernando Gonzalez is the heart of the offensive attack, but he can’t do it alone. Texas Tech will need more from Chavis to come away victorious.

 

What to watch for (MSU): Can the Spartans figure out their offense? The Red Raider offense certainly didn’t set the world on fire last week, but the Spartans looked even worse and they have to feel pretty good about escaping with a win. Quarterback Preston Darling finished only 10 of 16 with 80 yards through the air and one touchdown. He couldn’t get much going on the ground either, rushing 13 times for 15 yards. Running back Lucas Mihalik added 96 yards rushing on 19 carries. The Spartans will need more than 191 yards of offense to win most games. A repeat performance could see them come away with a loss against a Texas Tech team that has to be feeling good about their recent performance.

 

What will happen: We’re going to go ahead and give the Spartans the benefit of the doubt and trust that they have figured some things out on offense ahead of this game. We expect a tight battle and the matchup will likely come down to who is more productive in the running game. If Texas Tech plays as well (or better) than they did last week against Wisconsin, we won’t be shocked if they come away victorious. There’s still just a lot of question marks with this team.

 

Prediction: Michigan State 24 Texas Tech 23