Texas Tech fans have been waiting for a sign that the Red Raiders are ready to open up the offense, and Joey McGuire delivered one this week.
The message from the head coach was clear: the vertical passing game needs to show up more often. Texas Tech’s 2-0 start has not exactly satisfied a fan base looking for a little more explosion, and McGuire didn’t dodge that concern when he met with reporters.
"We have to call those plays that it's like, 'Look, we are taking a vertical shot to stress the defense,'", he said. "Y'all saw that [Oregon State] definitely did that against us...and sometimes it doesn't matter if it's complete or not.
We want to complete them, but you gotta pressure the secondary. And so that's one thing that we have to do."
McGuire had a perfect example in mind from the win over Oregon State. In the fourth quarter, Will Hammond gave Coy Eakin a chance on a 50/50 ball, and Eakin finished the play with a 32-yard touchdown that pushed Texas Tech ahead 28-24.
Coy Eakin! Texas Tech takes the lead! pic.twitter.com/GFRYv5yJas
- CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 13, 2026
That wasn’t the only time Hammond pushed the ball down the field against the Beavers. Earlier in the game, he floated a deep sideline throw to Kenny Johnson, and the play ended with defensive pass interference, handing Tech 15 yards.
Those moments have been the exception rather than the rule, though. Most of the Red Raiders’ bigger passing gains so far have come after the catch, not from the kind of downfield throws that force defenses to back off.
McGuire made it clear he wants more of that pressure from his quarterback.
"That has to happen," McGuire said. "There's a play in the game that we run a wheel route to Cam Dickey, and he's not totally open, but he's not covered either, and you gotta make that throw.
Like, you can't come off of that. Everything can't be clean and perfect every time.
You've got to allow your playmakers [to make plays]."
Hammond has played cautiously in his first season as Tech’s starter, and there’s at least one obvious reason why. His lone real gamble so far ended with a bad interception against Abilene Christian.
Still, Texas Tech was supposed to lean on a dominant run game, and that hasn’t really happened. With the ground attack only looking ordinary, the Red Raiders need more from Hammond.
He is averaging 8.3 yards per attempt, a number that works but doesn’t exactly light up the stat sheet. Getting that figure above 9.0 would be a sign that Tech is stretching defenses more effectively.
The concerns don’t stop with the quarterback. A lot of the frustration from fans has been aimed at offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich, and the passing game’s lack of vertical punch has put his approach under the microscope.
When Leftwich was asked about it this week, he sounded a lot less direct than McGuire.
"We'll obviously evaluate every game as it goes," he said, "...So that's a week-to-week thing based on where we think the matchups are, where we think, how the defense is attacking us, and all that goes into putting together a plan and trying to find an edge on offense. So we'll continually evaluate where we're at, what our strengths are, how we can get better."
The numbers show the difference from last year. In 2025, Texas Tech ranked 38th nationally in yards per attempt at 7.8. This season, the Red Raiders are at 7.0, which puts them 70th in the country.
Some of that comes with the territory of starting a new quarterback, especially one making his first start and coming off a major knee injury that kept him out of most of the offseason and away from spring reps with his new receivers. But Leftwich still carries plenty of the burden for the slow start, especially with the rushing game failing to become the force many expected.
That reality becomes even more important this week. Houston has allowed just 20 total rushing yards through two games, which means Texas Tech cannot afford to stay one-dimensional.
The passing game needs to be sharper, and it needs more variety. Screens and hitches can only take an offense so far. Texas Tech has to challenge defenses deeper and force them to account for the full field.
McGuire sees it. The fans see it. Now the Red Raiders need Hammond and Leftwich to turn that into something real on Friday night, in what could be the biggest game of the regular season.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Suddenly Has A Friday Night Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Texas Techs first official injury report for its Big 12 matchup with Houston brought the kind of midweek uncertainty that always changes the conversation around a Friday night game. Cornerback Amier Boyd was ruled out, while wide receiver Kenny Johnson, tight end Terrance Carter Jr., safety Brenden Jordan and edge rusher Trey White were all listed as questionable, giving the Red Raiders a little less clarity than they would have liked heading into the stretch run of preparation.
Trey White drew the most attention because head coach Joey McGuire said the edge rusher is a game-time decision, which leaves Texas Tech waiting on one of the more important names on the report. For a team trying to line up its defensive plan and sort out its offensive and special teams options, the final hours before kickoff suddenly matter a lot more than they did earlier in the week. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech's Shakiest Defensive Issue Gets Tested Again Friday
Texas Techs secondary came out of the Oregon State game with some questions it still needs to answer, and the timing is not ideal with Houston up next Friday. The Red Raiders were stressed by freshman wide receiver Jessee Legree, a reminder that the back end can be vulnerable when an opponent finds the right matchup and starts winning cleanly downfield.
Houston brings another test with top receiver Amare Thomas having been productive this season, so this is the kind of matchup that can expose lingering issues if Texas Tech does not tighten up quickly. The Red Raiders do have some help on the way, though, with starting safety Brenden Jordan set to return from suspension and a chance that pass rusher Trey White will be back from injury, giving the defense a better shot at keeping pressure on the Cougars' passing game. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Heads Into Friday With One Offensive Concern Still Lingering
Texas Techs buildup to Fridays Big 12 game against Houston has been about polishing what already looks sharp at quarterback and tightening up the parts of the offense that have been less reliable. Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich said Will has been efficient and continues to trend in the right direction, giving the Red Raiders a steady presence as they prepare for another conference test. The overall picture sounds encouraging, with the passing game drawing the kind of confidence coaches like to hear this time of year.
The lingering concern is on the ground, where the running game has not yet found the same rhythm. Leftwich pointed to execution details rather than a lack of effort, and he made clear the burden falls on the offensive line and the rest of the offense to clean it up. For a team entering a short week with conference stakes attached, getting that part sorted out could matter just as much as whatever the quarterback does well. [Read more 🡒]