Texas-Texas Tech pregame notes and quotes

Compiled by Steve Habel
Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns will recognize 16 seniors on Senior Day when they host Texas Tech Friday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. CST.

The Longhorns have clinched a bowl berth but can bolster their résumé with a win over Tech, which has lost six games this year by 10 or fewer points.

Here are some notes and quotes from [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]the two teams as they prepare for their dustup:

• Texas coach Tom Herman on Senior Day: “This week, we owe it to our senior class who has done so much for this program since we got here to put us in a position to be successful moving forward.”

• Texas is 51-17 all-time against Texas Tech, including 30-7 when the teams meet in Austin. The Longhorns are 1-1 against the Red Raiders under Herman, and defeated their in-state foe, 41-34, last season in Lubbock.

• Herman on Friday’s game: “We know we’re going to get Texas Tech’s best shot.”

• Saturday will mark Texas’ final home contest this season. The Longhorns are 4-1 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium this season.

• Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai on the team staying together: “You sense it, because no one’s given up. You see, if you watch the games, we’re still fighting. We still believe and we still have hope in (Herman). We have hope in ourselves because we can get it done.”

• The Longhorns are 12-5 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in three years under Herman. That includes an 8-3 record against Big 12 foes. Texas is 9-2 at home over the past two seasons, including a 6-1 record versus the Big 12.

• UT was 10-8 in home games in the three years prior to Herman’s arrival, including a 6-6 record against Big 12 opponents. The Longhorns had lost three straight home games and five of their last seven at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium before Herman arrived for the 2017 season. That stretch included a 2-5 record in Big 12 contests.

• Texas is 11-3 in games following losses in three seasons under Tom Herman. That includes a 48-13 victory over Rice, a 50-48 win over Kansas and a 27-24 win over No. 16 Kansas State this season. After losses, Texas has scored a total of 459 points (35.3 per game), including a 48-point display against Rice and a 50-point outburst against Kansas, this season.

• Safety Brandon Jones on the Longhorns’ attitude heading into the Texas Tech game: “We are only going to be as good and strong as we want to be. I would say how we are in the locker room has stayed pretty consistent. We know that splintering apart isn’t going to do us any good. This season isn’t over yet, and we still have a chance to end it on a good note.”

• Texas has converted 80-of-163 (49.1 percent) third downs this season, which is the 11th-best conversion rate nationally and the No. 2 mark among Big 12 programs in 2019. The Longhorns have gone 5-1 this season in games where they converted more than 50 percent of their third downs, and are 1-4 when held under 50 percent.

• The Longhorns are 10-6 in one-possession games (games that are decided by eight or fewer points) since the start of the 2018 season.

• Texas has won 19 of the 20 games under Herman in which it has outgained its opponent. The Longhorns are 18-2 under Herman when outrushing their opponents, and have won 12 of the last 14 instances.

• UT’s defense has forced at least one turnover in 14 of its last 16 games. The Horns have forced at least one turnover in 31 of 38 games under Herman.

• Texas is 21-3 under Herman when leading at halftime, including a 5-1 mark in 2019. The Longhorns have won 13 of 14 when holding the opposition to fewer than 20 points.
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