Texas Tech took down Arizona State 30-22 on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium in an ugly ball game, one where Tech found a way to come out on top.
Here are five takeaways from the game.
Tech finds a way
Despite the Red Raider offense struggling to put together complete drives throughout the second half, Tech found a way to earn its third win, and first Big 12 win, on the season.
Behren Morton was not a major factor and was unable to elevate the Tech offense in this one, but played good enough to give Tech a chance. He completed 24-of-44 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
The Red Raiders leaned on the defense to get home in this one, while the Red Raider special teams unit posted a banner day. Tech is still rotating kickers, and both did their job, knocking through three field goals on the afternoon.
“I’m really proud of our football team today,” McGuire said. “I’m really proud of them. I thought our guys fought really hard and it’s great to be 1-0 in Big 12 play.”
Red Raider defense steps up
Tech’s defense has had major ups and downs throughout the season, but it posted its best effort of the year in the win.
Chapman Lewis had a great day while CJ Baskerville caught an interception early in the game. Tech was able to limit the Sun Devils’ lead threat, Cam Skattebo, to just 60 yards on the day.
The Red Raiders were also good situationally, forcing two turnovers on downs to get off the field.
“I thought the defense played really well,” McGuire said. “They got the big play, the same thing that happened last week to us, but besides that one play, we played really well on defense. We made them drive the field...They were 0-3 on fourth down, you think about that, like when you’re going for it on fourth down, those are turnovers, so we created four turnovers on defense, which is really good defense.”
Tech keeps ASU in the ball game
The Red Raiders were extremely undisciplined and let the Sun Devils stay in the ball game throughout the day.
Whether it be offensive execution, untimely penalties, or just a lack of complementary football — something that head coach Joey McGuire has harped on of late — Tech couldn’t create separation from Arizona State.
Texas Tech deeply misses Lux
While the Tech defense was better, the absence of starting corner Bralyn Lux was greatly felt.
Lux’s replacement, Macho Stevenson, struggled in coverage and committed multiple penalties in the game. The absence of Lux was compounded when CJ Baskerville went down and missed a few defensive drives, as walk-on safety Joseph Plunk saw the first defensive snaps of his career.
Red Raiders match best start under McGuire
Tech is 3-1 on the year and 1-0 in Big 12 play, matching McGuire’s start to the 2022 season. While it’s a different feel from defeating Texas in overtime, the Red Raiders have positioned themselves for a great opportunity moving forward.
With Cincinnati coming to town next weekend, the Red Raiders have a chance to make good on a three-game home stand. A win would make this McGuire’s best start to a season in his tenure and best Tech start to a season since 2021, Matt Wells’ final season at the helm.
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