Texas Tech Red Raiders Vs. Kansas Jayhawks: Bold Predictions For Week 5 Of The 2016 College Football Season

According to Campus Insider, the Kansas Jayhawks will travel to Lubbock, Texas to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a doubleheader on Thursday night. The Red Raiders are coming into this game as a 27-point favorite to win this game, which will be televised on Fox Sports 1 at 7:30 p.m. Central Time.

Both teams are coming off bye weeks. The Jayhawks lost to the Memphis Tigers two weeks ago 43-7. Kansas struggled to move the ball the entire game. The Jayhawks also turned the ball over six times in that game.

Two weeks ago, the Red Raiders defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 59-45. Texas Tech’s offense was on a roll. Patrick Mahomes led the way for the Red Raiders. He completed 26 passes out of 36 attempts. Mahomes threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury on playing Kansas on Thursday pic.twitter.com/fU6nUo3iFs

— Nick Talbot (@NicholasRTalbot) September 27, 2016

Last season, the Jayhawks came up short against the Red Raiders. Kansas lost that game 30-20. Patrick Mahomes threw for 354 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Willis was the starting quarterback for the Jayhawks in that game. He threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

For Kansas to win this game, they will need to take care of the ball better on offense. The Jayhawks will have to score a lot of points to keep up with the Red Raiders.

The Jayhawks have some offensive weapons surrounding starting quarterback Montell Cozart. So far this season, he completed 68.6 percent of his passes and has thrown for five touchdowns.

Wide Receiver Steven Sims Jr. has been the top receiver for the Jayhawks. He has 11 catches for 253 yards to go with four touchdowns.

Running back Ke’aun Kinner could potentially have a good game against Texas Tech’s defense.

The Red Raiders gave up 620 yards rushing in three games this season. Arizona State’s running back Kalen Ballage had seven touchdowns against Texas Tech three weeks ago.

Kansas’ defense has 29 tackles for loss in the first three games by 16 different players. If they can get to Patrick Mahomes, they could keep the Jayhawks in the game.

For Texas Tech to win this game, they need to continue doing what they have been doing on offense this season. The Red Raiders’ high-powered offense can put up points in a flash. They are averaging 61 points per game.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the engine that makes Texas Tech’s offense run smoothly. He has completed 94 passes on 132 attempts. The junior has thrown for 1,493 yards to go with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. Mahomes could have a field day against the Jayhawks’ defense.

Patrick Mahomes interestingly has more rushing carries than anyone for the Red Raiders despite being the starting quarterback. He has 138 yards on 33 carries with four touchdowns. Running back Demarcus Felton has 156 yards on 22 carries to go with three touchdowns. He is averaging 7.1 yards a carry. Felton also could also be in line to have a great game against the Jayhawks.

When it comes to spreading things out on offense, Texas Tech has done a tremendous job of that so far this season. The Red Raiders have eight players who have more than 100 yards receiving. They are all on pace to gain more than 500 yards receiving for the season. Jonathan Giles is leading the pack with 346 yards on 19 receptions to go with five touchdowns. He is averaging 18.2 yards a catch.

It will be hard for opposing defenses to contain coach Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense. Texas Tech’s defense has been bad to start off the season. Their defense could potentially keep Kansas in the game. The final score prediction for the game is Texas Tech 59, Kansas 24 in a blowout.

[Featured Image by John Weast/Getty Images]