So far this season, Texas Tech is 3 for 3 in producing 100-yard rushing games, which is a good sign.

Tech running backs coach Seth Littrell has stressed that the Red Raiders weren’t productive enough at running back last year to be a championship-caliber team.

The last two times that Tech got off to a good start running the football was in 2005 and 2006 when the Raiders also had team 100-yard rushing performances in each of three non-conference games. In each case, Taurean Henderson and Shannon Woods continued on to outstanding seasons.

SMU didn’t provide the stiffest competition last week. But with the running style they showed, Baron Batch and Woods, who combined for 301 yards from scrimmage (184 rushing), might have been productive regardless of the opponent.

“The biggest thing is they played with tremendous pad level and they broke a lot of tackles,” Littrell said. “Yards after contact were big. They did a great job of really running their feet and making people miss tackles, and we’ve got to build on that.”

Tech’s 5.5 yards per carry average is back up in the range that the Raiders need to be successful. It ranks 20th in Division I-A, and Tech already has a rushing touchdown longer than 20 yards in each of the first three games.

In 2005, the Raiders were able to run the football effectively in the red zone with Henderson. Their 25 rushing touchdowns that season ranked tied for 23rd nationally. In 2006, when Woods took the torch, Tech’s 4.63 yards per carry average ranked 24th.

Whether the Raiders can sustain that level this season remains to be seen. Though Batch and Woods ran hard, SMU seemed even more worried than most Tech opponents about being lit up by the pass. The Mustangs didn’t have many defenders in the box. Coach Mike Leach and Tech quarterback Graham Harrell recognized it with their play selection.

“Graham did a nice job the other night,” Littrell said. “That’s his job. That’s what Leach really puts on him and emphasizes to him: If we have the numbers (advantage) in the box and they’re spread out over the field, to run the football.”

Leach said he’s pleased with how hard Woods and Batch are running and likes what he’s seeing in run blocking.

“I think they’ve gotten better and better at it,” Leach said. “They’ve gotten to be a tougher unit. They’ve really emphasized that.”