Kent State Golden Flashes (1-0) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0)
September 6, 2025 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Texas Tech Red Raiders -48.5; Over/Under: 59.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Kent State Golden Flashes and the Texas Tech Red Raiders meet Saturday in college football action from Jones AT&T Stadium. Here’s a Texas Tech vs Kent State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Texas Tech vs Kent State pick.
Kent State Golden Flashes Betting Preview
To put things mildly, Kent State had a rough season in 2024. During Kenni Burns’ second year as head coach, the Golden Flashes tumbled to a winless 12-game campaign. They were the first squad to fail to register a win since the 2019 Akron Zips, in fact. Part of Kent State’s struggles stemmed from an ineffective offense which generated only 13.9 points per game (second-to-last in FBS rankings). The Golden Flashes were even worse with 233.3 offensive yards per game, which put them in last place among FBS teams. Making matters worse, the 44.1 points and 516 yards per game allowed placed Kent State in last place among FBS squads in those categories as well. No wonder a victory eluded them all year long.
Now for some good news. Kent State has officially registered a victory. In their opening 2025 matchup versus the Merrimack Warriors, the Golden Flashes posted a touchdown in each of the final three quarters to eke out a win 21-17. Dru DeShields went 6-of-10 for 118 yards and a score, while CJ Montes added 6-of-9 passing for 91 yards and a TD of his own. Gavin Garcia was Kent State’s leading rusher during the win with 15 carries for 49 yards. Cade Wolford caught only two balls in the game but they were both touchdowns totaling 109 yards in all.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Betting Preview
Over on the Raiders’ side, they had comparatively much more success last year but overall it was a disappointing campaign. Texas Tech would go 8-5 overall with a respectable 6-3 run in a very competitive Big 12. The Red Raiders still finished down the conference rankings behind Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, Colorado, Baylor and TCU, though. Texas Tech saw losses to Baylor, TCU and Colorado during a four-game stretch in October and November, but recovered with wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia to close the season and cement their bowl berth. In the Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas however, Texas Tech ended up taking a season-ending loss 39-26 on December 27.
Texas Tech opened their 2025 campaign with a matchup versus Arkansas Pine Bluff last weekend. In that one the Red Raiders demolished an overmatched opponent; they were off and running from the opening horn and posted a 47-0 edge in the first half alone. When the dust settled, Texas Tech had scored points in each quarter along the way to a blowout 67-7 win. QB Behren Morton had 201 pass yards with four touchdowns on 16-of-18 through the air. Tops in rushing was Cameron Dickey with 12 totes for 90 yards and a touchdown, while Reggie Virgil led the receivers on four catches for 56 yards and a TD of his own.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Player Prop Facts
- Behren Morton has thrown two or more touchdown passes in five consecutive games – equal-longest streak in the FBS.
Kent State Golden Flashes Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Cade Wolford ranks 1st amongst qualified players for Yards Per Reception (54.5) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Texas Tech ranks 1st among FBS teams for Q1 points per game this season (23.0).
- Texas Tech ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Kent State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Kent State ranks 121st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (11.0).
Texas Tech vs Kent State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Texas Tech but this probably isn’t one to mess with in reality. The line is downright obscene. The Red Raiders shouldn’t have any issues here as they’ll vastly overmatch Kent State in pretty much every capacity. It’s hard to imagine the Golden Flashes being competitive here, which is going to inflate the line in Texas Tech’s favor pretty much everywhere you look.
As for Kent State, they’ve finally got that proverbial monkey off their collective back with that victory over Merrimack on Saturday. The Golden Flashes posted some pretty modest offensive numbers in that one though, logging 305 yards (209 passing), 15 first downs, 5-of-15 on third-down tries and seven penalties. The 18:26 in time of possession is pretty concerning as well. Defensively the Flashes gave up 340 yards (176 passing) but held strong on third downs with a 3-of-15 rate allowed. Needless to say however, this week’s matchup will be quite different.
