Arizona State started the season as the charmed Big 12 team of the 2024 season. It appeared they would be on a path to exceed expectations greatly. Head coach Kenny Dillingham still very well might see plenty of success for his Sun Devils this year. However, the Red Raiders came out in front of the home crowd and took control of the game from the opening kickoff. Thanks to a great game from their defense, Texas Tech starts Big 12 play with a 30-22 win over Arizona State.
Defense Answer The Call
The mismatch on paper was one Arizona State could have capitalized on. Texas Tech defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter knew his rushing defense had to have an answer for Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo. For most of the day, Skattebo was bottled up. Coming into the game, Arizona State ranked 22nd nationally in rushing yards per game. He finished the game with 18 carries for only 60 yards. It doesn’t mean Skattebo didn’t contribute to the offense though. Skateebo did have two touchdowns. He also had 6 receptions for 117 yards, with most coming on one reception for 66 yards.
But because the rushing defense held Arizona State to 94 yards on the ground. Texas Tech’s defense was physical and forced the Sun Devils to try and beat them through the air. It is noteworthy that towards the end of the game, the defense did appear to be gassed. However, a lot of that could be attested to second-half struggles by the Red Raider offense.
Passing Attack Was Grounded
When it comes to Texas Tech starts, the offense couldn’t have asked for a better one. The opening drive was a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that looked sharper than a thumbtack. The defense then forced an interception to give the offense a short field to work with. Again, quarterback Behren Morton orchestrated another crisp touchdown drive. The drives covered a total of 103 yards and confidence was high. However, the remaining 9 drives (last drive was a knee out) only found the endzone one more time. Texas Tech had to grind out a total of 245 yards of offense for the rest of the game.
Running back Tahj Brooks was the most reliable part of the offense on a hot Lubbock Saturday. He finished the game with 27 carries for 117 yards. Brooks had timely runs all day to help sustain drives. But for as productive Brooks was, the aerial attack had problems all day. Morton finished the game a paltry 24-for-44 with 201 yards passing and two touchdowns. He missed a handful of open receivers all day on top of the wide receivers dropping some very catchable balls. It resulted in a lack of rhythm that would have allowed Texas Tech to put the game away early. The best thing the offense did all day was keep the zero in the turnover column. But despite the offensive struggles, particularly in the second half, the Red Raiders have stacked back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Texas Tech Starts With Win, But Plenty To Improve On
Red Raider head coach Joey McGuire has been preaching that this program needs to start the seasons better to take the next step. So McGuire or the team will not apologize for a 3-1 start to the season. After all, that extrapolates to a 9-3 season. However, this team looked far from perfect today.
The offense line struggled to pass protect. Texas Tech finished the game with nine penalties for 95 yards. Arizona State also aided in the victory today with their own timely drops and kicking two kickoffs out of bounds. But it now is all in front of Texas Tech. There is not a currently ranked team on Texas Tech’s schedule until a November 2nd visit to Iowa State. McGuire and his staff have an opportunity to keep the momentum rolling next week in Lubbock when Cincinnati comes to town.
