There was no extra emphasis on Saturday's game inside Jones AT&T Stadium, according to Abilene Christian coach Keith Patterson.
Sure, Patterson himself was the defensive coordinator who was on his way out the door when Joey McGuire took over as head coach of the Texas Tech football team. And yes, more than half of the Wildcats' starting offense is comprised of former Red Raiders, many of whom followed Patterson to Abilene, either initially or eventually in the transition.
One such player was Nehemiah Martinez I, a former Red Raider receiver who shined in McGuire's first year as head coach. In his second, Martinez missed almost all of preseason camp in 2023, dealing with facial injuries after an altercation with a teammate. By the time Martinez was ready to go, he fell out of the rotation almost entirely.
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McGuire has never faulted a player for leaving. Asked Monday about Martinez in particular, the Tech head coach shared a similar sentiment, saying Martinez probably made the right choice going to ACU because he would play more.
"I wish him the best every game but Saturday," McGuire said.
Martinez and his fellow Red Raider castoffs nearly made McGuire regret those words. It was the New Deal/Lubbock-Cooper product's touchdown in the fourth quarter that made it a 39-35 game early in the fourth quarter. His was one of three touchdowns tosses by Maverick McIvor, who never got on the field in his time at Texas Tech.
Texas Tech's past and present squared off on Saturday night with McIvor and Behren Morton going toe-to-toe, McIvor trying to show the Lubbock faithful what could've been and Morton looking to prove what still could be. Both accomplished that feat.
McIvor went 36-for-51 for 506 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Morton was equally solid, completing 30 of his 41 passes for 378 yards (one yard shy of tying his career-high) and five touchdowns (a career-high). Neither quarterback was intercepted, both with star moments throughout the 52-51 overtime thriller.
After Morton broke free to hit Caleb Douglas for the go-ahead score to open overtime, McIvor had the chance to win. Isaiah Johnson -- another Lubbock-Cooper alum -- got his third score of the game and Patterson knew if ACU got the touchdown, they were going for two.
The play was an option for McIvor, who had several passing routes to choose from. The other option, which he chose, was to tuck the ball and run. He never made a good break on play and was sacked to end the game.
In total, 16 of McIvor's completions, two of his touchdowns and 195 of his passing yards were to former Red Raiders. Jed Castles had a score and Trey Cleveland -- who transferred to North Texas before ACU -- hauled in eight passes for 78 yards. Martinez finished with 88 yards.
Not to mention, McIvor took his snaps from Tay Yanta, who also spent time at Texas Tech, though never played.
Patterson swears none of these former Red Raiders had extra incentive to beat the 2024 version. It was all about playing their game, and it resulted in a thriller that went down to the final play.
"Once the game starts, it's just another football game to us," Patterson said. "You just try to really focus on what you do and try to do it well and try to do it better than your opponent."