Lubbock, Texas ? His game-winning pass last week left Texas Tech’s Cody Hodges where Kansas State coach Bill Snyder would like to see him frequently Saturday.
On his back.
Hodges found himself looking at the Nebraska sky after he released the fourth-down pass that Joel Filani caught for a 10-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining to lift No. 13 Tech over the Cornhuskers 34-31. Hodges said he only knew it was the winning score by the groans of fans.
But Snyder’s not sure even numerous knockdowns of Hodges can stop an offense he called “unlike any other.” When Kliff Kingsbury threw passes against the Wildcats a few years ago — even as the defense repeatedly blitzed him — he often was prone when he released the ball.
“Every time we put him on his back, he threw to the end zone,” Snyder said.
The Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) will try to match their best start since 1998, and Taurean Henderson will try to break the NCAA record for receptions by a running back (262). He is tied with Long Beach State’s Mark Templeton (1984-87).
Tech also will have to resist the temptation to look ahead to next week’s visit to No. 2 Texas, which shares the Big 12 South lead with the Red Raiders.
“If we don’t take care of business this week, the Texas game won’t matter,” said Hodges, who leads the nation in total offense (372 yards per game).
If Kansas State (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) defends against the pass too much, Tech’s running game looms large, Snyder said.
“As silly as it sounds, you have to make sure you don’t get stretched out and get beat on the running game,” he said. “You have to know that there’s going to be some completed passes in this ballgame. You have to be able to tackle well and keep people in the vicinity, so you don’t get those gargantuan plays.”
The Wildcats will have to rein in Tech receivers Robert Johnson, Filani, Jarrett Hicks and Henderson, who rank first through fourth, respectively, in receptions per game in the conference.
Kansas State also needs to get its offense going. Both teams benched their starting quarterbacks in the Wildcats’ 12-3 victory against Kansas last week. Freshman Allan Evridge, replacing junior Allen Webb, threw the game-winning, 8-yard pass to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter.
Wildcats running back Victor Mann, who lived in Lubbock until he was 4 and whose father played for the Red Raiders in the early 1980s, said the offensive key is to consume minutes.
“That’s the only way Texas Tech scores points is when they are out there on the field,” Mann said. “If we can come out and have a high-powered offense on Saturday, that will help out our defense a lot.”
Tech coach Mike Leach sees a diverse Kansas State offense. Running back Thomas Clayton ranks fifth in the conference at 88 yards per game.
“I think they have a really good running back, and they have a few quarterbacks that both offer a variety of things,” Leach said. “The quarterbacks have different skills that account for a wide variety of things. But then the running back is a really good player.”
