Texas Tech absolutely dismantled No. 16 Utah in a 34-10 showdown in Salt Lake City. The win was credited to a smothering defense, with a late offensive surge led by backup QB Will Hammond. Hammond’s 169 yards, 2 TD, and 61 rushing yards helped the Red Raiders make a comfortable lead after Behren Morton exited in the third quarter. Cameron Dickey logged two scores with 67 yards on the ground. In hindsight, this road win is a must before the Red Raiders’ schedule eases and with the injury shuffle under center.
Discipline, though, was a disappointment. Texas Tech was flagged 14 times during the game. And those 14 penalties include 7 for false starts that repeatedly pushed back the Red Raiders during their campaign for the red zone. Ty Kaplan reported on X, “Joey McGuire said he blames himself for the false start penalties Saturday.” That’s a nod to the head coach owning up to pre-snap penalties, which could’ve cost them the game if the defense had not one-upped Utah’s offense every drive. This should not have happened, especially against a ranked team in a hostile environment.
But in the bigger picture, this was a statement road win for the Raiders. And the timing of the bye week cannot be understated, given Morton’s injury. Behren Morton left the field in the third quarter after facing a helmet-to-helmet collision, which was not ruled for targeting. It was confirmed that Morton was ruled out for the remainder of the game after the collision. Now with a Top-20 win and a rejuvenated confidence in their backup QB, Texas Tech will ease into their 2nd stretch of the season with a clean slate and both QBs healthy.