The message in week one was a simple one. If everyone did their job, it would be a sweat-free affair for the Red Raiders. Well, head coach Joey McGuire has plenty to study on film. The season opener in Lubbock had plenty of fireworks. It turned out Abieline Christian was more than game. But, in front of a brand new south endzone, and a sold-out crowd, Texas Tech escapes an overtime showdown against the Wildcats from Abilene by a score of 52-51
Offense Looked Explosive
Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley called an excellent game all night. Certainly seeing 52 points on the scoreboard would suggest that. But the most impressive part of the game plan was that Kittley seemingly was always two steps in front of the ACU defense. Quarterback Behren Morton and his new wide receiver corps had a big showing. Morton finished the game 30-for-42 for 378 yards, five touchdowns, and zero turnovers.
Transfer wide receiver Josh Kelly led the receiver room with 10 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown. The rushing game felt quiet at times, but the production was there all night. Tahj Brooks had 27 rushes for 153 yards and one touchdown. As good as the offense was, there was still more to be desired. The offensive line had too many costly penalties and Morton made three-to-four poor decisions resulting in drives stalling out. Overall, this offense has weapons all over the field and will give Big 12 defensive coordinators fits this season.
Defense Looked Lost
Texas Tech defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter may not sleep tonight. The Red Raider defense surrendered 615 total yards of offense. DeRuyter’s defense could not solve the offense run by a former Texas Tech quarterback thrown to a bunch of former Red Raider wide receivers. The showing by the defense should give fans major concerns for the entire season.
For starters, the defensive line was non-existent. During Big 12 media days, McGuire said that they felt like they had “Seven to eight players” they felt comfortable playing. Yet, all game, they could not get pressure on the quarterback. They only had two quarterback hurries and one sack (worth noting the one sack won the game in overtime). ACU was 11-for-16 on third-down conversions. The part of the defense though that looked most concerning was pass coverage. ACU had receivers running past flat-footed defensive backs all night. Wheel routes to running backs looked to baffle the Red Raider defense. The only thing the defense should feel good about tonight is the execution of the stunt on the last play of the game resulting in the game-winning sack.
Texas Tech Escapes, Now Faces Larger Road Challenge Next Week
A surprise hurdle appeared this week against ACU. It wasn’t pretty, but Texas Tech cleared it. However, it gave fans flashbacks to games during the Kliff Kingsbury era and much of the Mike Leach era. The offense felt almost inevitable that they would score every time they had the ball. But the defense looked so unorganized that everyone knew ACU would score again. Quite frankly, if Wildcat quarterback Maverick Mclovr doesn’t severely underthrow a fade route on the final drive in regulation, the Red Raiders lose the game.
But the pass was underthrown and Texas Tech escapes the possibility of the season ending before it gets started. Now, another tricky hurdle approaches in week two for the Red Raiders. McGuire has struggled on the road with a combined 3-8 record in his first two seasons in Lubbock. He has been on the record saying the next step for the program is to play meaningful games in November. However, this team will not be able to play in those games with half of the team being non-existent. Will the lingering ghosts from the #Pac12AfterDark haunt the Red Raiders next week at Washington State?
