Red Raiders Defense, Offense Both Show Up in 63-10 Route of Murray State
The Texas Tech Red Raiders beat the Murray State Racers 63-10 in front of what looked like a capacity crowd at Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday night behind a strong performance by the offense.
It's a new era of football in Lubbock, as Joey McGuire is now in charge of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football program.
As the already successful recruiting effort for 2023 continues, McGuire is left working with the players that were here when he arrived, left over from the Matt Wells efforts. And he's getting the most out of his squad.
Wells, of course, was fired in late October of last season, when the program decided it was time to move in a new direction, and best to start sooner than later. And that appears to have been the right choice.
Starting quarterback Tyler Shough showed why he was named the starter, throwing for 154 yards on 6-of-10 passing, with a touchdown before leaving the game in the second quarter with an undisclosed injury. He did not return to the game, but returned to the sideline with his left (non-throwing) arm in a sling.
Donovan Smith took over, just as he did last season, and threw for 221 yards on 14-of-16 passing with four touchdowns before freshman Behren Morton entered the game and also played well.
Tahj Brooks led the Raiders on the ground with six carries for 50 yards and three touchdowns, while Jerand Bradley had six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
The Murray State defense had no answer for the Tech offense, allowing 606 yards on 65 plays as the Red Raiders gained an average of just over nine yards per play.
For the Racers, DJ Williams led the team in passing with 207 yards on 8-of-16 passing on the night with a touchdown, while Damonta Witherspoon carried the ball 13 times for 36 yards. Jacob Bell led the team with two catches for 76 yards.
Next up for the Red Raiders are the Houston Cougars at Jones AT&T Stadium next Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.
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