Hammond and offense find form as he leads the No. 13 Red Raiders to win over No. 22 Houston
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Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond finally found his rhythm.
One week removed from the Red Raiders’ sluggish offensive effort against Oregon State, Hammond led No. 13 Tech to a 28-26 win over No. 22 University of Houston Friday night in Lubbock.
Hammond commanded four touchdown drives and went 17-27 for 257 yards through the air with a touchdown and a pick. He also utilized his legs rushing for 30 yards.
“We really challenged (Hammond) to push the ball down the field and he did,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “... I said before the game don’t worry about making a mistake, you’ve got to go turn it loose. Man he turned it loose with his feet and he turned it loose with his arm.”
A big part of Hammond’s success came from targeting receiver Kenny Johnson. The Pitt transfer caught four balls for career-high 113 yards and a touchdown. Hammond layered a 35-yard throw over two Cougar defensive backs to Johnson that kickstarted Tech’s scoring in the second quarter.
“My focus on the play when I got the call was just take a shot at the end zone,” Hammond said. “They played man on Kenny Johnson. He’s one of the best receivers in the country and he proved that tonight.”
Johnson excelled contrary to others in the receiving group. Crucial drops from tight end Terrance Carter and receiver Coy Eakin kept the Cougars in the game. However, Hammond still went back both and found Carter on a key 21-yard play late in the second quarter that set up a touchdown.
On the ground, Tech’s offense found success through the duo of running backs Cam Dickey and J’Koby Williams. Dickey carried the ball 18 times for 65 yards and a touchdown. While not the 116 yards against Oregon State a week ago, Williams’ 62 yards was more as he averaged 8.9 yards per carry versus 5.8 last week.
This more evened-out approach at running back helped support Hammond and kept the offense out of numerous third and long situations.
“I thought all three running backs ran hard,” McGuire said. “Cam Dickey came in with some fire tonight because he hadn’t had a great start to the season. I really felt like he was going to be able to get behind his pads and be tough to tackle tonight.”
One potential concern is the status of Carter going forward. Carter appeared hobbled after pushing Houston’s onside kick attempt out of bounds at the end of the game. Carter did not play against Oregon State with a lower leg injury, as he wore a boot on the sideline.
After the game, McGuire said he was not 100% healthy going into the matchup but did not provide any further update. Backup tight end Jett Carpenter had two catches for 27 yards.
The Red Raiders will host Sam Houston State University at 11 a.m. Saturday. The matchup will be the last non-conference opponent for Tech as Big 12 play reconvenes the following week during Tech’s trip to the University of Colorado.
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Andrew is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI. He has interned at Front Office Sports in New York and is now a freelance contributor for the outlet. Andrew got his start in sports covering Texas Tech teams with the student newspaper The Daily Toreador.