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FACTS & STATS: Site: Jones A&T Stadium (53,000) -- Lubbock, Texas. Television: None. Home Record: Rice 0-0, Texas Tech 1-0. Away Record: Rice 0-1, Texas Tech 0-0. Neutral Record: Rice 0-0, Texas Tech 0-0. Conference Record: Rice 0-0, Texas Tech 0-0. Series Record: Texas Tech leads, 26-20-1.

GAME NOTES: Non-conference rivals collide in Lubbock on Saturday evening, as the Texas Tech Red Raiders play host to the Rice Owls.

The season got off to a disappointing start for Rice last weekend, as it was crushed by fellow Conference USA member UAB in a 44-24 final. The Owls had a seven-game win streak stopped that dated back to last season, a campaign that ended with a victory in the Texas Bowl. This weekend's game marks the second of what will be three straight road tilts to begin the season, as the club will face a stellar Oklahoma State program on September 19th in Stillwater.

Texas Tech is fresh off a 38-13 trouncing of North Dakota State in last week's season opener. The Red Raiders are now 20-1 in non-conference home games under Mike Leach, who is just six wins shy of tying the program's all-time record for head coaching victories. Many key players are gone from last season's Tech team that finished 11-2, which included a 10-0 start. Still, Leach has done a good job of recruiting during his tenure, so there is still plenty of talent in place.

Texas Tech owns a 26-20-1 series lead over Rice, which includes a 59-24 win over the Owls in the most recent meeting during the 2007 season.

The plan for Rice in the opener was to utilize the talents of two quarterbacks in a platoon situation. Judging by the fact that the team only scored 24 points, the plan wasn't wildly successful. John Sheperd led the club in rushing with 48 yards on only six attempts. Nick Fanuzzi, the other signal caller, connected on just 12-of-20 passes for 154 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, and he also ran for a score. Neither was terrible under center, but neither played exceptionally well either. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how David Bailiff uses his two quarterbacks against Texas Tech. Rice finished with 391 total yards in the opener, but two turnovers and a 4-of-13 effort on third down conversion attempts didn't help matters. Toren Dixon was clearly the squad's most productive receiver, as he finished with nine catches. Still, those grabs went for only 65 yards.

Defensively, Rice was dominated by UAB, which posted 516 total yards last weekend. The Owls were completely defenseless against the run, as the Blazers were able to compile 295 yards on 39 attempts, an average of 7.6 yards per rush. Of the six offensive touchdowns scored by UAB, four came on the ground. The Blazers only threw the ball 16 times, but 12 passes were completed for 221 yards with no interceptions and two scores. Rice held UAB to one touchdown in the first half and just three points in the fourth quarter. In between, however, UAB was able to rack up 34 points in 30 minutes of football. Andrew Sendejo was extremely active for the Rice defense, as he finished with 15 tackles, more than twice as many as his closest teammate.

Last season, Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree put up staggering numbers. Crabtree was the nation's best wideout during his time at Tech, and both players will undoubtedly be missed. In the first game for the program without those stars, the offense scored 38 points, not a bad showing by any means. Taylor Potts is the new starting quarterback in Lubbock, and he got the job done both through the air and on the ground. As a passer, which is what he is known for, Potts connected on 34-of-48 tosses for 405 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with minus-seven yards rushing, but did plunge into the end zone twice from a yard out. On a down note, Potts threw three interceptions, and Leach won't have much patience for turnovers. Detron Lewis made many big plays in the passing game, as he hauled in eight balls for 146 yards and a score. As for the ground attack, Baron Batch netted 30 yards and a score on nine carries for the pass-happy Red Raiders.

Texas Tech limited North Dakota to a pair of field goals through the first three quarters of the opener before finally yielding a fourth-quarter touchdown. The Red Raiders yielded only 207 total yards, including a mere 73 rushing yards on 29 attempts by NDSU. Sure, the opposition did connect on 20- of-28 passes, but the 20 completions resulted in only 134 yards through the air, an average of 6.7 yards per completion. With one takeaway and two sacks, there is certainly room for Tech to improve when it comes to big plays, but the overall defensive performance was solid. Five different players had at least one TFL, and Marlon Williams posted a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage.

The edge has to go to Texas Tech in this contest, as it is simply the better team and has the advantage of playing at home. Expect Potts to cut down on the poor decisions and play better overall.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texas Tech 49, Rice 17