# 1976 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

The 1976 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by second-year head coach Steve Sloan, the Red Raiders compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference playing sharing the SWC title with Houston. Texas Tech was invited to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, where they lost to Nebraska. The team outscored opponents 336 to 206 and finished the season with the 38th toughest schedule in NCAA Division I.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 11 | Colorado* | | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX | W 24–7 | 44,132 |
| September 25 | at New Mexico* | No. 20 | University StadiumAlbuquerque, NM | W 20–16 | 28,501 |
| October 9 | at No. 17 Texas A&M | No. 15 | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX (rivalry) | W 27–16 | 52,651 |
| October 16 | at Rice | No. 10 | Rice StadiumHouston, TX | W 37–13 | 23,500 |
| October 23 | Arizona* | No. 8 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX | W 52–27 | 44,890 |
| October 30 | No. 15 Texas | No. 6 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX (rivalry) | W 31–28 | 54,187 |
| November 6 | at TCU | No. 5 | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX (rivalry) | W 14–10 | 20,986 |
| November 13 | SMU | No. 5 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX | W 34–7 | 34,780 |
| November 20 | No. 9 Houston | No. 5 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX (rivalry) | L 19–27 | 45,102 |
| November 27 | at Arkansas | No. 9 | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR (rivalry) | W 30–7 | 41,327 |
| December 4 | No. 18 Baylor | No. 9 | Jones StadiumLubbock, TX (rivalry) | W 24–21 | 37,105 |
| December 31 | vs. No. 13 Nebraska | No. 9 | Houston AstrodomeHouston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | L 24–27 | 48,618 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||

## Game summaries
### No. 15 Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Longhorns | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 5 Red Raiders | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Jones Stadium, Lubbock, Texas
* Date: October 30
* Game attendance: 54,187
* Source:

### Vs. No. 13 Nebraska (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Cornhuskers | 7 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 9 Red Raiders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 31
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 48,618
* TV announcers (TVS): Merle Harmon, Alex Hawkins and Ron Franklin
* Source:
Despite losing the game, Texas Tech quarterback Rodney Allison was named the game's MVP. Nebraska trailed by ten in the second half, coming back to win 27–24. The Red Raiders looked to take the lead back late in the fourth quarter, but lost a fumble that was recovered by Nebraska's Reg Gast to seal the Cornhuskers' victory.

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 20 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 13 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 3 | 67 | Thomas Howard Sr. | LB | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 6 | 196 | Tommy Duniven | QB | Cincinnati Bengals |