No. 13 Texas Tech shifts focus to Saturday’s Top 25 matchup vs. No. 22 Arizona

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Two days after suffering their first defeat of the season, the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) are now turning their attention to Saturday’s Top 25 matchup against the No. 22 Arizona Wildcats (6-1, 3-1) in Lubbock.

With five games remaining in the regular season, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire says his players understand the importance of every game as they look to remain in contention for the Big 12 Championship and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

“We’ve turned this into a five-game season where there’s no room for error,” he said. “So, it’s going to come down to who can play the best each Saturday. And we’ve got to play much better, especially this week.”

The Red Raiders will face Arizona’s high-powered passing offense, which averages 310.9 yards per game, ranking ninth nationally and second in the Big 12. The Wildcats offensive coordinator is Seth Doege, who was Texas Tech’s starting quarterback from 2011-12.

“What he is doing is he has got a quarterback, a fifth-year senior, really extremely talented that he’s got him playing at a really high level. That quarterback drives everything, he’s pretty special, and Seth’s doing a great job,” McGuire said. “The one thing that he has done is created a true identity on offense to where, they’ve got things that they hang their hat on, and so it’s going to be a real test because that quarterback’s really good.”

That quarterback is Noah Fifita, who enters Saturday’s game with a passer rating of 174.12. Through seven games, he has completed 167 of 225 passes for 18 touchdowns and four interceptions.

“The quarterback’s a playmaker, he can hurt you with his arm, he can hurt you with his legs. They’re one of the top passing offenses in the country, they’re averaging 36 points a game, and he’s got some really nice tools on the perimeter to get the ball to,” said Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood. “...The quarterback can extend plays, and when he scrambles, he’s scrambling to throw and he can really push the ball down the field on the move, so it’ll be a great test for us.”

During Monday’s press conference, McGuire confirmed running back Cameron Dickey practiced Sunday and is expected to return Saturday after suffering an ankle injury at Colorado several weeks ago.

“It’s going to be good to have him back,” McGuire said. “He’s just another guy that’s been in some big games that’s got a lot of experience and a lot of juice.”

Dickey is among the veteran leaders Texas Tech will lean on during the final month of the regular season.

“That’s what we’re going to lean on,” said McGuire. “And I mean, Ben Roberts, Sheridan Wilson, Howard Sampson, Trey White, like these old guys, John Curry, I mean they’re embarrassed, they’re (upset), they’re very frustrated by the way you could turn on the tape and see we did not play very well.”

Texas Tech and Arizona will kick off 11 a.m. Saturday at Galaxy Stadium.