If tonight's game really is the last in the series (for the time being), Texas A&M is hoping they'll end their Big 12 rivalry with Texas Tech on a healing note: No matter what the game looks like early, all eyes will be on Mike Sherman's Aggies in the second half to see if they could close out a suspicious 4-0 Red Raider team.
I Am The 12th Man contends that Tech's lack of a receiving corps will make this the easiest of the Aggies' three most recent games, as the A&M secondary's collapse accelerated back-to-back second-half implosions against Oklahoma State and Arkansas:
This Texas Tech team actually looks like it will be our easiest game of the last three we've played. True, we're going on the road to Lubbock, and we have some serious questions about our secondary play, but Tech simply doesn't have the talent at WR that Arkansas or Oklahoma State does. There is no Justin Blackmon on the Tech roster, no wide receiver corps heralded as 'the best in college football' in Lubbock.
For the Red Raiders, the point is obvious: play a full four quarters and hope that A&M's second half woes continue. Double-T Nation worries that lightning won't strike three times in a row:
A&M has been fast out of the blocks against some pretty good competition the last couple of weeks. If we spot them 3 touchdowns, as demoralizing as it would be to see them melt down in the 2nd half again (and as much as I would enjoy it), this game is almost a must win for A&M. If we give up a big lead early, they will not give it up again. I hope that a night game will give our guys plenty of time to shake off the cobwebs and come out pumped and ready to play. If we come out rolling, it's going to be a long bus ride back to College Station.
Game date, time: 6:00 PM CT, Saturday October 7
Location: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
TV Channel: FX
Spread: Texas A&M favored by 9.5.
Series History: Texas A&M leads 36-32-1
For more coverage, check out our A&M blog I Am The 12th Man and our Texas Tech blog Double-T Nation.