Will Hammond spent last season waiting for his moment at Texas Tech. On Friday night, he finally gets it in a game that could tell a lot about where the Red Raiders are headed.
No. 13 Texas Tech hosts No.
22 Houston, and Hammond will be under the brightest light of his college career so far. He arrived in Lubbock as a major recruit in Joey McGuire’s rebuild, a passer with a reputation already built at Hutto High School outside Austin, where he set records and led Texas in passing as a senior.
The offers came late, but he never budged.
That patience has already been tested. Hammond started a few games last season as Behren Morton’s backup before a torn ACL against Oklahoma State ended his year.
Texas Tech was not planning to go shopping for a starting quarterback in the offseason, but Hammond’s injury forced the staff to pivot and bring in transfer Brendan Sorsby. Then Sorsby’s gambling saga complicated everything further, while Hammond kept moving forward behind the scenes.
McGuire first said Hammond would be ready by Week 3 against Houston. Instead, he beat that timeline and got back for Week 1.
So far, the sophomore has been steady. In two starts, he has completed 76.7% of his passes for 487 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in wins over Abilene Christian and Oregon State.
The turnover came on a sideline play where an Abilene Christian defensive back made a diving catch after a toe-tap grab. Outside of that, Hammond has mostly kept things clean.
But clean has also meant conservative. His average depth of target sits at 7.1 yards, which ranks 39th out of 44 quarterbacks with at least 68 pass attempts. Nearly two-thirds of his throws have come within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
“I think he's got to trust,” McGuire said postgame. “You got to turn the ball loose.
It's not always going to be perfect pictures. We had some shots downfield that we didn't get thrown that were tight coverage, but they weren't necessarily covered.
We want to give our guys, our playmakers, some chances to make plays.”
That message fits the pieces around him. Coy Eakin was one of the team’s top receivers last season.
Pittsburgh transfer Kenny Johnson made an immediate impact. Terrance Carter Jr. came in as a preseason All-American, freshman Matt Ludwig has popped early, and Auburn’s Malcolm Simmons along with former five-star Micah Hudson have already had moments.
Hammond finally opened it up when it mattered most against Oregon State. With Texas Tech trailing 24-21, he dropped back and uncorked a 32-yard touchdown to Eakin for the game-winner.
That kind of throw changes the conversation fast. What was supposed to be a passing attack that simply complemented everything else might now be the thing Texas Tech needs most.
The rest of the roster has not exactly settled the issue. Coming into the season, the expectation was that the Red Raiders could ease Hammond in while leaning on transfer help along the defensive line and three returning starters up front on offense. Instead, the first two weeks have been uneven.
Texas Tech is No. 76 in total defense after Oregon State’s Braden Atkinson threw for 417 yards. Even with All-American cornerback Brice Pollock back in the fold, the Red Raiders gave up 240 yards and two touchdowns to freshman Jesse Legree. The defensive line managed only one sack against Oregon State, despite the Beavers throwing on two-thirds of their snaps.
The ground game has not provided much relief either. Texas Tech ranks No. 75 nationally in rushing offense and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, a sharp drop from the 58.0 points per game the Red Raiders averaged in nonconference play last season. This year, that number is down to 34.0.
McGuire has also used backup quarterback Tommy Castellanos in some creative spots, including a fourth-quarter touchdown pass against Oregon State. Still, the job belongs to Hammond. And now, after waiting his turn, he gets the stage that was always coming.
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