Let’s call it the Mike Leach Bowl. Texas Tech and Washington State, two teams once led by the late offensive genius Mike Leach, will meet Saturday in Pullman, Wash., on the day Leach will be inducted into the host Cougars’ Hall of Fame. And there will be plenty of points. “We’re excited to go to Washington State and honor Mike Leach,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “There’s no better way to do it than for us to be there.” Leach is the winningest coach in Texas Tech history and is third on Washington State’s list. The visiting Red Raiders (1-0) are fresh off a 52-51 overtime win over Abilene Christian last Saturday, and the Cougars (1-0) dominated Portland State 70-30 that day. Texas Tech gained 539 yards and Washington State 637. “I think both teams have exactly the same offense,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said of the offenses of both teams. “I think they’re saying the same thing. They’re signaling the same thing. It’s about execution. I think we’re used to it, but at the same time, what makes it hard for (Tech’s) offense is that every week is different. One week you see something and you can practice it, but with a new formation it’s totally different.” Red Raiders’ Behren Morton completed 30 of 42 passes for 378 yards, one yard shy of his career high. He also had a career-high five touchdowns. Taj Brooks also had 153 yards rushing and one touchdown. Josh Kelly, who played at Washington State last season, had 10 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown. Texas Tech, which was favored by 31.5 points in the season opener, must improve its defense. “Oh my goodness, we have a lot of things we need to fix to get better. We have to do it quickly,” McGuire said. Cougars’ John Mathias completed 11 of 17 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns in the season opener, Kyle Williams had four catches for 141 yards and two scores, and Chris Hutson had four catches for 101 yards and one touchdown. Wayshawn Parker had 96 yards and one touchdown on just eight carries, and Washington State scored 49 points in the first half. Texas Tech and Washington State will meet for the third time overall and the first time since 1964, when the Red Raiders defeated the Cougars in consecutive years. –Field Level Media
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