Texas Tech's keys in Week 1 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff

The Red Raiders look to capitalize on a season-opening matchup with FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff

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The non-conference schedule is the perfect time for experimentation and to feel out a roster, especially with swaths of new players coming in on both offense and defense.

As the Texas Tech Red Raiders prepare for the Big 12 season, their three-game schedule of non-conference opponents could prove critical. All three come at home in front of the fans in Lubbock, Texas, and it starts with a matchup against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

What are the keys to Texas Tech's victory in Week 1 and the chase for a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff debut?

Learn where your depth is

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions are the first-ever SWAC team to play against the Red Raiders, marking the first matchup between the two programs. Unfamiliarity can breed uncertainty, but Texas Tech is a heavy favorite.

The top priority for the game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff is to win; as 52.5-point favorites, though, there may be no better opportunity to learn which players are starters, rotational players, and situational players through real-game action.

Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood highlighted this thought process defensively heading into Week 1 in the opening press conference.

"In terms of being aligned correctly, having our eyes in the right spot so that we can execute after the ball's snapped and understanding the angles that we need to take, where the point of attack of the play is, and how that affects the matchup that we have individually on the field — those are the things that I'm going to be looking at as opposed to maybe the results," Wood said.

Wood also highlighted the defensive tackle rotation as one that could get some extra attention: "We've kind of got a pecking order right now … but every year my experience has been it takes you a little bit of time in those early ball games to really kind of solidify how much a guy needs to play."

Which transfers can make instant impacts?

With one of the top classes in the transfer portal this offseason, there has been much ado about the players coming into the program. Some of them may make instant impacts, while others could inevitably fall by the wayside. A matchup with an FCS opponent could be a prime opportunity for the new additions to get comfortable in scarlet and black.

On offense, Reggie Virgil (Miami, OH) will start at the X receiver position while Howard Sampson (North Carolina) and Will Jados (Miami, OH) will start at left tackle and left guard, respectively. Terrance Carter Jr. (Louisiana) will get the co-start at tight end.

With an above-average offensive line in 2024, the additions will be looked at to help elevate the offense at the line of scrimmage, particularly in the running game. Texas Tech ranked seventh in the Big 12 in run-blocking grade, 66.6, according to PFF.

Jados sported a career-high 75.8 run-blocking grade last season, and Sampson had a grade of 70.0 after taking the leap to a Power Four school from North Texas.

On defense, all eyes will be on David Bailey, who earned a preseason All-Big 12 nod after standing out at Stanford. He had a 27.5% pass-rush win rate in his junior season, which was third-best in the country among players with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps.

Bailey will look to find synergy with fellow transfers Lee Hunter (UCF), Skyler Gill-Howard (Northern Illinois), and Romello Height (Georgia Tech) across the defensive line. With transfers along the backend of the defense as well, with Brice Pollock (Mississippi State), Cole Wisniewski (North Dakota State), and Amier Boyd (UTEP), there could be some road bumps early in the season.

Wood has built a reputation for turning around programs defensively, like Tulane and Houston, and with a scheme that wants to focus on disguised coverages and multiplicity, cohesion will be key to the Red Raiders' long-term success.

What's next with the running game?

Arkansas-Pine Bluff was in the middle of the pack defensively against the run in 2024, finishing seventh in the SWAC in PFF run-defense grade. While the story of the last month has been the injury to running back Quinten Joyner, one of the most hyped transfers in Tech's class, there is optimism from the coaching staff for the rest of the room.

Both J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey are young with mirror-image limited experience at the FBS level (both sophomores with 41 career carries), though they did average over five yards per rush attempt in 2024. One of the keys will be how well they can handle an expanded workload. Both have exactly one career game with 10+ carries.

The Red Raiders have averaged over 32 carries per game in each of the last five seasons, surpassing 36 attempts per game in each of the last three. With Tahj Brooks in the NFL and Joyner out for the season, the responsibilities will lay with Williams and Dickey.

Beyond the running game itself, pass-protection skills will be a focal point, as Behren Morton's health is a crucial point to Texas Tech's success in 2025. He is healthy after playing last season on an injured ankle, but the Red Raiders rely on their backs to keep their quarterback clean.

The running back who can hold steady in the passing game will have an immediate and repeatable role on offense in what could be a strong aerial attack.

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