There were positives and not-so-great things that transpired in the Red Raiders season opener against the Wildcats.
As we wrote earlier this week, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Abilene Christian, who scored 51 points on the road and only lost one point to the Red Raiders in 2024, would lose by 40-plus points in this game. Let’s first look at what transpired in the first half.
Texas Tech was only able to put up 17 points in the first half, threw an interception in the red zone, and had only 102 total rushing yards. The Red Raiders also had four penalties, resulting in 45 lost yards, and allowed the Wildcats to get seven first downs in the first half. However, J’Koby Williams averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored a touchdown, while Kenny Johnson, Williams, and Terrance Carter Jr. each averaged 15 yards or more per catch, combining for 10 receptions and 109 receiving yards at halftime. Besides throwing an interception in the first half, Will Hammond completed 18 of his 21 passing attempts for 172 yards.
The defense in the first half played well overall but didn’t create any first-half turnovers, and the Wildcats’ time of possession was 12:53, which was a little more than expected. However, in the second half, the Red Raiders turned it up a level.
Texas Tech began the second half by kicking off and starting on defense. Texas Tech’s John Curry intercepted John David Black’s first pass attempt of the second half to give the ball deep into the Wildcats’ territory. However, Texas Tech couldn’t get a first down on their first drive of the second half, which led to Stone Harrington kicking the second field goal of the game and Texas Tech’s second field goal of the game, extending their lead to 20-3.
On the Wildcats’ second possession of the second half, the Red Raiders’ defense caused a fumble that was recovered by Abilene Christian, and then Texas Tech caused a quarterback sack to force the Wildcats to punt. Once the Red Raiders began their second offensive drive of the second half, Hammond completed a 28-yard pass to get the Texas Tech into Wildcat territory. However, the drive stalled once again in the red zone, which resulted in Harrinton’s third field goal of the game.
The following drive resulted in Abilene Christian getting into Red Raiders territory and attempting a field goal. Even though the Red Raiders had a comfortable lead, the pride of the Texas Tech defense didn’t want to give up any second-half points. The Wildcats missed the 51-yard field goal attempt as the score remained 23-3. Before the end of the 3rd quarter, Texas Tech made their third field goal of the 3rd quarter, giving them a 26-3 lead as the fourth quarter began.
In the fourth quarter, Texas Tech scored a touchdown on a 64-yard pass, giving the Red Raiders a respectable 33-3 lead late in the quarter. If the game ended with that score, many Texas Tech fans would be satisfied by the defensive and special teams performance. However, the Wildcats returned a 98-yard kickoff for a touchdown to make the score 33-10, which would end up being the final score fo the game.
The big takeaway is that the Texas Tech offense isn’t as great as some may have expected, at least in the season opener. However, in games against FCS opponents, teams and coaches of schools like Texas Tech seem not to open up their playbook, resulting in a lower-scoring game than many may have expected. The defense looked good but maybe not as dominate as last season’s defense. However, they didn’t give up any touchdowns; the Wildcats’ only touchdown came via special teams.
Fans are going to point to Red Raider’s quarterback Will Hammond’s play, which on paper was one interception and one touchdown against an FCS opponent. He technically passed for under 300 yards and only had 11 yards on the ground against the Abilene Christian defense. However, time will tell how good of a quarterback he is, and he did not play horribly in this game.
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