It may be Time to be Concerned but not Panicked about Texas Tech Football after their Victory over Oregon State
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Texas Tech is 2-0 on the season, but the Red Raiders’ wins over weaker competition have raised concerns for pundits and fans looking ahead to Big 12 conference play.
Concern over offensive inconsistency & slow starts. Texas Tech’s offense has had trouble finding a dominant, continuous rhythm early. The squad hasn’t steamrolled opponents early on, suffering through multi-drive slumps and relying on second-half adjustments instead, which could be a deadly flaw against top-tier conference opponents. For example, at the end of the first quarter when the score was 0-0, Oregon State had three more first downs than Texas Tech, and the Beavers had more passing and rushing yards than the Red Raiders. Texas Tech going into the second quarter only had three first downs, 36 passing yards, and 11 rushing yards.
In the second quarter, the Texas Tech offense picked up momentum by scoring two rushing touchdowns, taking over the time of possession unlike the first quarter, and out-rushing the Beavers going into halftime. However, going into the third quarter, Oregon State had 42 more yards of total offense and over 70 more passing yards than the Red Raiders. Furthermore, Texas Tech was only leading by a touchdown as they began third-quarter play.
Offensive line protection and throwing efficiency have been poor and worse than last season. The Red Raiders rely heavily on some regard for pass protection. Early games highlighted vulnerabilities up front. The offensive line has been giving up too much pressure against non-Power Four schools, causing hurried throws and messing up play-action development. Texas Tech didn't have a passing touchdown until the second quarter. In this game, Thomas Castellanos had two touchdowns, one on the ground and one thrown in the air, compared to the starting quarterback, Will Hammond, who threw for one touchdown and only 189 passing yards. Houston, the Red Raiders' next opponent was able to throw for 305 yards against Oregon State. The Beavers defense had four sacks and six tackles for loss. Texas Tech needs to improve if they want to beat the Cougars.
Perhaps the most shocking concern is the secondary breakdown and the big plays the Red Raiders defense has given up, especially against the Beavers. The defensive backfield has allowed soft coverages and several big plays over the top. Allowing easy yardage to lower-ranked passing attacks indicates teams with outstanding receivers and dynamic quarterbacks will be able to exploit the Red Raiders secondary. Oregon State's freshman wide receiver Jesse Legree had eight receptions for 240 yards and two touchdown receptions. In this game, the Beavers had four players with four or more receptions, gained an impressive 417 passing yards, and scored all three of their touchdowns through the air. Houston has a senior quarterback in Conner Weigman who will look to exploit the Red Raiders secondary.
Another shocking trend is the lack of efficiency in the rushing game. Establishing a consistent run game is crucial to controlling time of possession and staying out of typical third-and-long situations. The Texas Tech offense relies too much on the passing game to move the chains, as it has had a difficult time producing consistent yards on the ground between the tackles. The Red Raiders failed to get over 200 yards rushing in this game, but Texas Tech did have three of their five touchdowns come on the ground. J'Koby Williams had a very solid game with 116 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. However, Quinten Joyner and Cameron Dickey combined for only 46 yards on 15 carries.
Finally, discipline and the costly penalties, particularly pre-snap penalties, holding calls, and defensive infractions, have regularly stopped potential drives or extended opponent possessions. Unforced errors early in the season demonstrate a lack of execution that will turn close games into defeats as conference competition heats up. The Red Raiders had seven penalties costing them 70 yards in this game.
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Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Texas Tech On SI.