Red Raiders (2-0) just squeaking by

FAYETTEVILLE -- A long Saturday night in El Paso, Texas, turned into a longer Sunday morning for Texas Tech's football team.

The Red Raiders' 30-26 victory over Texas-El Paso didn't end until 1:42 a.m. Central on Sunday, then mechanical problems with Texas Tech's chartered plane delayed the team's trip home for several hours.

Texas Tech finally arrived home at 1:21 p.m. Sunday, nearly 12 hours after the game ended, after struggling to beat the Miners, who were 21-point underdogs.

"Six hours of the morning in a hotel and then came back," Red Raiders Coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "So that was about par for the night, I guess."

Kingsbury said the travel problems won't affect preparations for Texas Tech's home game against Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.

"We had done a lot of prep through the spring and summer in anticipation of this game," he said. "It didn't set us back at all."

The Red Raiders (2-0) rallied to beat Central Arkansas 42-35 in their opener at trailing 16-7 in the first half, then needed a late touchdown to beat UTEP after the Miners took a 26-23 lead with 5:05 left.

Texas Tech sophomore quarterback Davis Webb said the UCA and UTEP games were the two worst days the Red Raiders have had this fall, including practices.

"We know the kind of offense we can be," said Davis, who ended last season by throwing four touchdown passes in the Red Raiders' 37-23 victory over Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. "We've got to stop talking about it and just do it."

Kingsbury said he is taking a positive approach to his team's play so far, which includes 25 penalties for 204 yards.

"To play as poorly as we have at times and have all the mistakes and penalties and still be 2‑0, we'll build off that," Kingsbury said. "It's got to go up from here."

Webb, who became a starter midway through last season, has completed 56 of 82 passes for 730 yards and 7 touchdowns with 2 interceptions.

"Davis has played OK this year," Kingsbury said. "Not where he wants to be, but he's only started eight games. He's just got to keep improving, which he will."

Davis said he hasn't been himself the first two games.

"I'm really looking forward to the third game because I felt like the first two games were off for everybody," he said. "We're all coming together as a team."

Davis connected with Bradley Marquez for a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Texas Tech ahead 30-26 at UTEP to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive.

"That's how it should be every drive for us," Webb said. "It's definitely a positive, because if we don't score on that drive, we don't win the game probably.

"We all looked at each other in the eyes and had that belief we could do it. We could tell we were going to score.

"There was no doubt in anybody's mind. ... We dream for moments like that."

Marquez has 14 catches for 217 yards for 5 touchdowns in two games. He had three catches at UTEP, all touchdowns.

"He's a guy that's made big plays for us this year in some games where we were struggling and needed somebody to step up," Kingsbury said.

It's tough for defenses to focus on Marquez because teammate Jakeem Grant has 14 catches 198 yards.

Freshman running back Justin Stockton, who has rushed 14 times for 173 yards, is also a threat. He gained 135 yards at UTEP on eight carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

"He has a different gear than we've had," Kingsbury said.

"Any time he touches it, he can take it the distance. So we've just got to keep incorporating him more and more in the offense and finding different ways to get him the ball."

Safeties Keenon Ward and J.J. Gaines are the team's leading tacklers with 15 and 12, a sign the Red Raiders have struggled defensively up front.

Kingsbury said the defense needs to improve against the Razorbacks after getting better from the UCA to the UTEP game.

"It's going to be a big-time challenge for us," he said. "We'll have to play our best game to date by far on that side of the ball to even slow them down."

Kingsbury said it's time for the Red Raiders to play as well in games as they have in practice.

"At some point, it's got to transfer from the practice field to the game field," he said. "I don't know if guys are trying too hard or the moment is too big right now. But eventually it will catch up, and we'll just keep hammering away at it."

Webb said he believes the Red Raiders have been putting too much pressure on themselves offensively.

"We want to score 70 points this game," he said. "We want to throw for 500 yards this game. No, just win the game."

Sports on 09/09/2014