Despite the Win, This One Factor Is Holding Texas Tech Back From Greatness
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A 9-1 start with wins against teams that were ranked seventh and 13th heading into Week 11 is a strong résumé, especially by a combined margin of 63-17. However, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are far from a complete team as they face the final stretch of their season.
The No. 8 Red Raiders improved to 9-1 (6-1 in Big 12 play) with a statement 29-7 win over the BYU Cougars (8-1, 5-1) on Saturday, Nov. 8. The game showed plenty of what makes this 2025-26 Texas Tech team great: a strong run game that wears out defenses into the second half and an overpowering defense that suffocates opposing offenses.
BYU struggled to get any momentum during the game, and a team that had built a reputation as come-from-behind savants scored once in the second half before being corralled into a troubling three-possession finish: turnover on downs, fumble, and turnover on downs.
Suffocating.
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 8, 2025
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However, there was one glaring shortcoming that plagued Texas Tech in Week 11 that has been an ache all season: the Red Raiders' red-zone woes.
Tech advanced inside of BYU's 20-yard line seven times; the results were four field goals, two touchdowns, and a turnover on downs. In fact, the Red Raiders kicked five field goals against the Cougars, with the fifth coming at the 21-yard line, just outside of the red zone.
During the first quarter, quarterback Behren Morton took a sack on a third down that cost the scarlet and black 14 yards, forcing a 47-yard attempt despite opening the possession at BYU's 17-yard line due to a muffed punt. It put the Red Raiders up 3-0 to open the game, but it set the tone that things would be no different in Week 11 than they had been all season when the end zone is in sight.
While the Red Raiders did score on six of seven trips inside of their opponents' 20-yard line, the offensive stagnation raised a concern that existed heading into their critical top-10 showdown. Kicker Stone Harrington set a program record, going 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, but it was the difference between Tech scoring 29 and topping 40.
Nit-picking? Maybe, but the Red Raiders have aspirations beyond November, and Texas Tech has consistently been leaving four points on the board.
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— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 8, 2025
Throughout the game, Texas Tech had 28 plays on or inside BYU's 20-yard line; conversely, BYU had just four inside of Tech's, all coming on their lone touchdown drive.
This offensive stagnation is not just present inside the red zone. The Red Raiders have struggled to get drives started. Like a vehicle with a sputtering engine, Texas Tech has often gotten stuck in its own driveway.
Against BYU, Tech had five three-and-out drives. That is the most the Red Raiders have had in a single game all season, and they are now averaging over 2.5 per game in conference play.
"I think it starts with first down, going forward on first down," Morton said after the game. "We've gotten better with our pre-snap penalties, but still not great. But I think just moving that ball on first down and not staying at first and second, 2nd-and-10, or 2nd-and-long."
"Once you move the ball forward in the red zone, you know, it opens up so much in the run game, in the pass game, in the RPO game, but when you move backwards, it's tough to get the ball rolling again."
Head coach Joey McGuire also said that drops were part of the reason for the team falling short inside the red zone, particularly on a drive where Texas Tech turned the ball over on downs as the clock expired going into halftime.
The Red Raiders faced a 4th-and-goal at the 2-yard line — having settled for field goals twice at that point, McGuire got aggressive. Morton nearly completed a touchdown pass to tight end Terrance Carter Jr., the ball ultimately going off his hands. The pass was incomplete, taking the game into the second half.
While it was an aggressive move by McGuire, it showed his desire to ignite a fire in an offense that had fallen short so many times. Texas Tech has kicked 17 field goals this season from 40 yards or fewer, meaning the line of scrimmage was at the 23-yard line or further in. The Red Raiders have converted all 17.
"Yeah, we got to catch the ball," McGuire said. "Like, we got two touchdowns on the last two plays. I mean, are they tough catches? They're tough catches, but I mean, we've got elite receivers. Those guys want to play on Saturday, and they want to play on Sunday. If you're going to do that, you got to catch the ball. So, going into half, I went for it."
Despite these struggles, Texas Tech has averaged over 30 points per game this season, ranking inside the top five in scoring offense heading into Week 11. However, if the team's eyes are set on the postseason, this is a critical point of emphasis.
The Red Raiders have two more games to clean up their offensive woes before a potential Big 12 title game and beyond. They face the UCF Knights on Saturday, Nov. 15, before taking a bye week and traveling to Morgantown, W. Va., to face the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, Nov. 29.
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Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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