One week after Texas Tech’s offense looked stuck in neutral against Oregon State, the Red Raiders found their rhythm at the right time Friday night in Lubbock.
No. 13 Tech held off No.
22 Houston, 28-26, behind a sharp outing from Hammond, who steered four touchdown drives and finished 17-for-27 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He added 30 rushing yards, giving the Red Raiders just enough juice to keep the Cougars chasing.
“We really challenged (Hammond) to push the ball down the field and he did,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “...
I said before the game don’t worry about making a mistake, you’ve got to go turn it loose. Man he turned it loose with his feet and he turned it loose with his arm.”
Hammond’s best connection came with receiver Kenny Johnson, the Pitt transfer who turned four catches into a career-high 113 yards and a touchdown. The biggest strike was a 35-yard throw layered over two Houston defensive backs, a play that jump-started Tech’s scoring in the second quarter.
“My focus on the play when I got the call was just take a shot at the end zone,” Hammond said. “They played man on Kenny Johnson. He’s one of the best receivers in the country and he proved that tonight.”
Johnson was the difference-maker in a receiving group that otherwise had some rough moments. Tight end Terrance Carter and receiver Coy Eakin both had costly drops that kept Houston hanging around, though Hammond still went back to Carter later in the second quarter and hit him for a key 21-yard gain that helped set up a touchdown.
Tech also got a steadier night from its backfield. Cam Dickey carried 18 times for 65 yards and a touchdown, while J’Koby Williams followed up his 116-yard game against Oregon State with 62 yards and an 8.9-yard average per carry, up from 5.8 last week. That more balanced ground attack helped Hammond stay on schedule and kept the Red Raiders out of plenty of third-and-long spots.
“I thought all three running backs ran hard,” McGuire said. “Cam Dickey came in with some fire tonight because he hadn’t had a great start to the season. I really felt like he was going to be able to get behind his pads and be tough to tackle tonight.”
There is at least one injury concern for Tech coming out of the win. Carter looked hobbled after sending Houston’s onside kick attempt out of bounds at the end of the game.
He had already missed the Oregon State game because of a lower leg injury and wore a boot on the sideline that night. McGuire said after the game that Carter was not 100% healthy going in, but he did not offer another update.
Backup tight end Jett Carpenter finished with two catches for 27 yards.
Tech’s next game is set for 11 a.m. Saturday against Sam Houston State University, the Red Raiders’ final non-conference matchup before Big 12 play resumes the following week at the University of Colorado.
In Other News...
Houston Proved It Can Hang With Big 12 Heavyweights Despite The Pain
No. 22 Houston came out of Saturday looking like a team that belongs in the Big 12s upper tier, even in defeat. The Cougars pushed No. 13 Texas Tech all the way to the final moments before falling 28-26, a result that dropped Houston to 2-1 but did little to dent the sense that it can line up with the leagues heavyweight programs.
Conner Weigman helped make it a tense finish, guiding a late touchdown drive that gave Houston a real chance to steal the game. The Cougars went for the two-point conversion and came up just short, leaving them with a painful loss and a reminder that the margin against the best in the conference is razor thin. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Exposed A Baylor Problem That Could Decide Two Games
Texas Techs win over Houston offered Baylor a useful preview of what the next stretch in the Big XII could look like, and it started with the Red Raiders ability to create problems all over the floor. Texas Tech showed how hard it can be to stay organized when a team keeps attacking from multiple spots, forcing defenses to sort out matchups while still trying to control the games pace. For Baylor, that means the upcoming meeting is less about one matchup and more about whether the Bears can keep their structure intact long enough to avoid getting dragged into a scramble.
Houston, meanwhile, provided a different kind of warning. Baylors defensive plan against the Cougars will need to put pressure on quarterback Conner Weigman and keep him from settling in, because giving him time only makes the assignment harder. The Bears have the pieces to make both games manageable, but the common thread is clear: defensive intensity cannot dip, and Baylor has to carry it from one opponent to the next if it wants these conference games to break its way. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Let A Statement Win Slip Away At Texas Tech
Houston built the kind of early edge that usually travels well in Big 12 road tests, forcing a pair of interceptions and grabbing control before Texas Tech settled in. For a while, the No. 22 Cougars looked like they were putting together a statement win, one that would have given their fast start even more weight against a ranked opponent.
Instead, the game turned once the Red Raiders found their rhythm and Houston could not get enough stops on pass defense or on third downs to close the door. The Cougars fell 28-26, dropped to 2-1, and now have to regroup quickly with Georgia Southern next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]