 "Photo: Courtesy of The University Daily Kansan")
Texas Tech tackle Rylan Reed does not hide the fact that he senses a certain vibe within the locker room in anticipation of the team's next game.
After all, how could he not?
The No. 6 Red Raiders, coming off a 63-21 thrashing of Kansas, get to face an in-state rival who happens to be the top team in the nation.
"The fact that it is the Texas Longhorns, that's a big deal," said Reed, whose No. 6 Red Raiders face No. 1 Texas at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium. "I've never beat Texas since I've been here, but we just gotta go out there and make sure our best shows up on Saturday."
UT has a 43-13 overall record in the series while winning eight of the last nine, including the previous five. However, history may have to take the backseat in this game because of how successful each team has been this season. Then again, as of Monday, the Longhorns are six-point favorites.
Tech is in its second game of a dangerous four-game stretch that started against Kansas. After UT, Tech must turn its attention to No. 9 Oklahoma State and then No. 4 Oklahoma.
The Longhorns were staring down a similar path three weeks ago. After a 45-35 win against then-No. 1 OU in the Red River Rivalry, Texas beat then-No. 11 Missouri 56-31 and followed that up with a gritty 28-24 victory against then-No. 6 Oklahoma State.
The reward has been a unanimous No. 1 ranking and a leading Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Colt McCoy, who has 2,285 passing yards, 28 touchdowns (seven rushing), and four interceptions while completing 81.8 percent of his passes.
Along with being tied with Penn State for the nation's longest win streak at 10, the Red Raiders have made it to 8-0 for the first time since 1976. If they beat UT, a 9-0 record will put Tech one win away from its best start in school history, which was 10-0 in 1938.
But before any of this can happen, Tech coach Mike Leach said his team must continue to block out any distractions off the field. The task of keeping their noses out of newspapers and eyes away from ESPN's "SportsCenter" has proven to be a strong suit for these players, Leach added.
"I think they're a focused group," he said. "I think they do a pretty good job with that. They're a group that spends a lot of time together, so they may be more on the same page than some of the other groups I've had."
Tech and Texas will be the two highest ranked teams to ever play at Jones AT&T Stadium. With Tech's recent win against Kansas highlighted by a stout defense and an overpowering offense, the nation has taken the Red Raiders into account.
In the USA Today Coaches Poll, Tech jumped from No. 6 to No. 5 while climbing two spots in the AP poll to No. 6 and advancing in the BCS standings to No. 7.
ESPN's "College GameDay" will make its first-ever trip to Lubbock for the game, and Tech spokesman Chris Cook said he has received more than 400 media requests from media outlets such as The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, among others.
Despite all the media attention, Leach said he still does not place the importance of this game above any other one this season.
"(This game is) no bigger than the eight that led up to it," Leach said. "There wouldn't be the sensation around this one if it weren't for the other eight."
Packing on more weight to the game's magnitude are representatives from the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton and Orange Bowls, who will be in attendance, Tech spokesman Chris Cook said.
But Leach, in his own quirky words, said its easier to handle these kinds of situations if teams just separate the small issues from the big issues.
"I think in the world of football," he said, "I think a lot of times there's a temptation to pick up rat droppings when elephant droppings are flying everywhere, so we try to focus on elephant droppings around here."
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