MANHATTAN, Kan.—It didn't take long for Adrian Martinez to get feedback following his signature performance in helping Kansas State beat No. 6 Oklahoma 41-34 last Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma.
After the Wildcats' locker room celebration at Memorial Stadium, Martinez checked his cellphone.
"My phone had blown up," he said. "It's always cool to get that kind of support. I was definitely appreciative of all the people who reached out to me."
Martinez and the 25th-ranked Wildcats, 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12 Conference — the National Team of the Week — hope to have everyone across the nation talking again, as they return home to face Texas Tech, 3-1 and 1-0, in Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
K-State has won 10 of the last 11 meetings over Texas Tech — a stretch that touched the careers of three previous Texas Tech head coaches in Tommy Tuberville, Kliff Kingsbury and Matt Wells.
The Wildcats are nationally ranked for the first time since they were also ranked No. 25 entering their Big 12 opener at Oklahoma State last season.
"(The ranking) is very cool, but it doesn't mean a whole lot," said Martinez, who was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for 382 total yards and five touchdowns. "You have to prove it. (The ranking) is a cool thing for this team, but it's not what we're after.
"There's still a lot on the horizon and we have an incredible opponent coming in here who's knocked off ranked teams."
At about the time K-State prepared to kickoff at Oklahoma, Red Raiders fans stormed the field in Lubbock after a thrilling 37-34 overtime victory against nemesis No. 22 Texas.
On Saturday, and for the first time in history, Texas Tech will face a ranked opponent for the fourth time in its first five games. Already it has scored two victories against ranked foes in the same season for the first time since 2012. The Red Raiders beat No. 25 Houston 33-30 in double-overtime in Game 2 prior to taking down the Longhorns two weeks later.
The Red Raiders seek their first 2-0 start to a conference season since 2013.
"They're a really good team," K-State head coach Chris Klieman said. "They're excited, they're hot, they're confident. This is going to be a heck of a game. That's such a huge thing to get a ranked win or a signature win for a momentum standpoint."
First-year Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, a former Baylor assistant coach, calls Bill Snyder Family Stadium "my favorite place to play on the road," and "a true college atmosphere." As of late Thursday, fewer than 200 tickets remained for Saturday's contest.
K-State first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein, who beat Texas Tech 55-24 in Manhattan in front of a sellout crowd in 2012, knows all-too well the importance of the Wildcats' home-field advantage.
"There's no place like it," he said. "Our fans are so passionate, so into the ballgame, and truly care not just about the outcome but about our players and the type of culture and young men we've had here. It's a special place for sure."
K-State hasn't lost to the Red Raiders in Manhattan since 2008.
McGuire and the Red Raiders are looking to change that.
"We met and the first thing we talked about was what's next and I told all of them one of the hardest things for people — all of these quotes are about failure, not success and how to come back from failure," McGuire said. "We really talked about what we want to be remembered as, not just beating Texas."
Big 12 road teams are 9-4 so far this season.
"Playing in the Big 12 and playing against a really good opponent this week, you have to reset and focus on the next team," Martinez said. "Look, if we're not prepared, they're going to beat us. Anybody can beat anybody.
"We'll be ready."
This could perhaps be another offensive showdown for K-State. The Wildcats ran 83 total plays against Oklahoma, their most since running 90 plays against No. 3 Oklahoma State in 2011, while Texas Tech has already run 100-plus plays in two different games this season.
Martinez showed off his arm and his legs against the Sooners in his best performance yet as a Wildcat. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown, and rushed 21 times for 148 yards and four touchdowns. The offense was in rhythm, racked up 509 total yards, went 8 for 17 on third downs, and reached the end zone five times.
"We just have to focus on executing and staying on the field," Klein said. "That was as big a difference from our standpoint offensively was staying on the field in those third- and fourth-down situations and giving us more chances and the ability to find some rhythm and do some different things operationally.
"Ultimately, we finished with touchdowns. Every offense in this league is explosive and they go fast. We have the capability to be not any different than that. We have to finish with touchdowns inside the red zone and be good on third down."
Meanwhile, Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith went 38 of 56 passing for 331 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 15 carries for 42 yards and a score against Texas. His 79 total offensive attempts against Houston marked the second-most total offense plays by a Red Raider dating to 2000, trailing only the 100 attempts by Patrick Mahomes II against Oklahoma in 2016.
Texas Tech wideout Myles Price had a career game against Texas with 13 receptions for 98 yards (off 17 targets), marking the most catches by a Red Raider since 2018. Price is Texas Tech's leading receiver with 25 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Texas Tech has utilized multiple pass-catchers as 16 different players have caught a pass, including eight — four wideouts, two running backs and two tight ends — who have caught a touchdown.
Asked about Texas Tech's "pesky" offense, K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman replied, "Pesky? Explosive is probably a better word.
"They do a really good job pushing the ball down the field and they have a good run game complement with it," Klanderman continued. "They have playmakers all over the place. They do a great job creatively with the things that they do. They're a really good offense."
One of the other key offensive matchups will feature K-State's rushing attack against the Texas Tech rushing defense. The Wildcats rank seventh in averaging 248.2 rushing yards per game. K-State put 275 rushing yards on an Oklahoma defense that entered allowing just 118.0 rushing yards per contest.
Texas Tech is allowing just 99.8 rushing yards per contest. The Red Raiders have allowed just 399 rushing yards in four games, their second-lowest total through four games since 2000.
Returning Consensus All-American Deuce Vaughn rushed for 116 yards on 25 carries against the Sooners. He ranks eighth nationally and tops in the Big 12 in averaging 117.0 rushing yards per game. Coupled with Martinez's abilities in running the football — his 55-yard jaunt on a key third-and-16 play in the fourth quarter at Oklahoma might be talked about for a while — the Wildcats could possess a one-two punch that could be difficult to stop.
"There's no doubt about it and it's something we've got to keep building on," Klein said. "There are next levels of things and sequences of things and different types of schemes and formations and all that kind of stuff. It was a great stepping stone and building block for us seeing some of that stuff come together."
It's still early, but already there's talk that this could be the most parity-filled Big 12 in years.
K-State, Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas are off to a good start while Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa State and West Virginia find themselves at the bottom. Oklahoma State and TCU begin their Big 12 slates on Saturday. Everything can change over this weekend.
"I feel like we're really eager," Texas Tech defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings said. "We're off to a good start, but we've got to keep the ball rolling. We're not satisfied and just need to keep going."
The fact that the Wildcats have won six straight over the Red Raiders? K-State players suggest it's better than the alternative, but they aren't focused on history this week.
They're focused on Saturday.
"We've definitely had their number, but we're a new team and they're a new team," K-State tight end Ben Sinnott said. "We have to stack good days. In college football, it's a new season every week, and you have to prepare as hard as you can.
"Especially in this league, anybody can beat anybody."