'I Want To Beat His Tail' — Joey McGuire Reflects on Facing West Virginia in Regular-Season Finale
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The regular-season finale between the No. 5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1, 7-1 in Big 12 play) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (4-7, 2-6) could not be more lopsided in terms of what is on the line.
Texas Tech faces a win-and-in situation for the Big 12 Championship Game, with elimination still a potential outcome. Meanwhile, West Virginia is two wins removed from a bowl game with just one game left.
The Red Raiders have dealt with injuries all season but still find themselves not only gunning for a conference championship appearance but for a College Football Playoff appearance … and maybe even a first-round bye. But before Texas Tech gets too far ahead of itself, it must focus on securing a win.
"Our guys know exactly what's at stake," head coach Joey McGuire said during the team's weekly press conference on Monday, Nov. 24. "I mean, we know if, when this all started, if you have told us in January coming into the last game, if we win, we're in — we know that's the case, and so we're planning on making sure that we're ready to play when we go up there."
Back on the road for Game 1️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/wnHvhRpesW
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 24, 2025
However, these are the moments coaches coach for and players play for, and they are ready to take on the challenge. An Arizona State loss on Black Friday could guarantee the Red Raiders a berth in the conference title game, but Texas Tech knows it can secure things with a win in Morgantown, W. Va., on Saturday, Nov. 29.
"One scenario we bring in is two losses, and if Arizona State wins on Friday, [Nov. 28], I think some head-to-head stuff and just comparisons, we're not in the Big 12 championship," McGuire said, looking ahead. "So, we're looking at this game to where we're coming in, and we want to be as healthy as possible, and we are because of the bye week, and, man, we got to come in guns blazing.
"It's not, you know, 'Protect this guy, protect this guy,' because there's really, if you don't win on Saturday and you don't get in the Big 12 championship, then you know, you can't save anybody for anything else," McGuire said about the potential for the team to sit players to ensure health.
Quarterback Behren Morton should be good to go for Week 14's finale, and Texas Tech is prepared for the challenge they face against West Virginia.
While West Virginia has just four wins, the Mountaineers have played their best football over the last month. A 2-2 record in the last four games shows recent improvement, with both losses coming by no more than one possession.
As well, West Virginia has played up to its competition all year. The Mountaineers beat Pitt by seven, lost to Utah by 34, lost to BYU by 14, lost to TCU by six, beat Houston by 10, and lost to Arizona State by two. All six teams have been ranked at one point this year — though only BYU and Houston were at the time they faced the Mountaineers — giving West Virginia a 2-4 record in such contests.
"They're playing really, really hard … and whenever you got that, that means they still believe," McGuire said of West Virginia. "Whenever you got a vet coach [West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez] — I mean the guy's won like 194 games — and you're sitting there 4-7, so they can't be bowl-eligible, but you get to play the No. 5 team in the nation, they're going to be jacked up."
Furthermore, Week 14 is Senior Day for the Mountaineers, giving the team extra motivation in front of their home crowd.
Rich Rodriguez on his senior class of 40 that will take the field for the final time Saturday vs. Texas Tech: pic.twitter.com/TWKUFv24gq
— Joe Brocato (@joebrowvm) November 25, 2025
The challenge against West Virginia, as pointed out by both McGuire and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood, will be the offense's tempo. With a promising quarterback under center, the Mountaineers want to pressure the defense, and it will be on the Red Raiders to come prepared.
McGuire credited freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. for inspiring confidence in the team and noted that it appeared as though the game had slowed down for him recently. Fox has started the last five games and has 1,060 passing yards with eight total touchdowns and three interceptions over that stretch.
"Tempo," Wood said during the Nov. 24 press conference regarding the biggest challenge West Virginia's offense presents. "I think they're playing really hard, and I think they put a premium on that. So, they want to run the football. They want to go fast, and I think they do a nice job distributing the ball on the perimeter to multiple playmakers as well."
⭐️ 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝟏𝟐 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: Scotty Fox Jr.
— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) November 3, 2025
🔹 13/22, 157 pass yards
🔹 65 rush yards
🔹 3 total TDs pic.twitter.com/7TcLOkbRrG
However, running the football could present a challenge for West Virginia. Texas Tech's run defense is among the best in the nation, ranking first in yards allowed per game, and the Mountaineers are dealing with multiple backfield injuries
Leading rusher Diore Hubbard has been ruled out for the rest of the season (491 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns), adding to an already banged-up running back room.
"It's been the quarterback and the running back situation," Rodriguez said during the team's weekly press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 25. "It's funny because I know a lot of teams are like, 'Boy, we've battled some injuries,' when they lost one guy. You know, how about losing three or four at that position? So, we'll get it all the way this year and then go from there."
Facing a dominant defense and defensive front, Rodriguez knows the challenge ahead of him: "A lot of guys when they get a Power Four transfer, maybe he was doing OK at Power Four. These guys were dominant at the Power Four level, and they're dominant still at the Power Four level."
"They picked the right guys, evaluated very well, and they're coached well, too," Rodriguez said. "It's not just great players. I mean, they're coached really well, and I've been really impressed how hard they play, all those guys."
On offense, the challenge for Texas Tech will be dealing with pressure. Morton has shown some significant splits when under pressure. While he has performed well overall when blitzed, when the pressure reaches him, his PFF passing grade drops. It goes from an 85.3 when kept clean to a 48.2 when under pressure.
"They're really aggressive on defense, one of the highest blitz percentages that we've seen so far this year," said Texas Tech offensive coordinator during the Nov. 24 press conference. "They do a bunch of different stuff from a pressure standpoint, present a bunch of different looks for you in the box. … It will be a challenge in preparation."
However, as the season finale approaches, there is one more underlying storyline for McGuire and the Red Raiders. West Virginia inside receivers coach Logan Bradley played for McGuire at Cedar Hill High School before going to Ole Miss, where he was a student and coached for the Rebels.
McGuire showed his love for Bradley, but he reminded everyone what the goal for his team is in Week 14: "He's a really hard worker, and man, I'm excited, love him to death, but I want to beat his tail on Saturday."
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-43389ae7766a84cbb8a6c33939d17968.jpeg "Jordan Epp")
Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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