Texas Tech’s offense is starting to look like a unit that knows exactly who it is.
After the No. 8 Red Raiders rolled past Arizona State 53-25 and flashed their best offensive showing of the season, the message from the locker room was simple: the confidence is real, and it starts with quarterback Will Hammond.
“We always knew that from last year even and the year beyond that who he is and the quarterback, that he can be and he’s really stepping into that role and he played a really good game,” wide receiver Coy Eakin said after Saturday’s win. Eakin also caught an 11-yard touchdown late in the second half of a game that was already out of hand by then, with Texas Tech up 43-10 at the break.
That early avalanche wasn’t an accident, according to the players who lived it. Tech finished with 502 total yards, and 404 of them came before halftime. Offensive lineman Sheridan Wilson said the difference showed up long before kickoff, in the work the Red Raiders put in during their bye week.
“It all starts with just having a good week of practice. Last week was definitely our best week of practice, and then we kind of knew going to that game.
We were going to go out there and ball out,” he said. “So, I mean, showing that last Saturday just shows everyone that we can do it and then just continue on from there.”
Eakin pointed to the team’s approach during the week off as part of the reason the offense came out so sharp.
“It all shows how we took on the bye week. Everyone came back in at the right weights, and there wasn’t any mess around when it came to Tuesday practice. Everyone’s ready to go and just can’t wait to have another good practice today,” Eakin said.
The Red Raiders’ blocking success has not been limited to the offensive line. Eakin said wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Juice Johnson keeps the group locked in with an unusual kind of weekly motivation.
“It’s just a testament to Coach Juice. He literally gives awards and little trophies for body blows.
So, that’s always been a prominent thing since I’ve been here. The guys that we have this year are very selfless,” he said.
“It’s just as important as if you’re getting the ball because you never know when J’Koby (Williams) might break one or “Q” (Quentin Joyner) might break one back there or even Cam, and the ball gets to 20 yards down the field. You got to have your guy covered up.”
Williams did exactly that against Arizona State, breaking loose for a 62-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. Wilson said plays like that make the effort in the trenches worth it.
“And seeing that just complete euphoria, you’re like, ‘Man, we did it! We hit it, and then we get off the field, score a touchdown,” Wilson said.
“It’s just great to see, because we know if we get eleven on eleven, we just let J’Koby go out there. He’s going to do his job and he’s going to make magic happen.”
Now the Red Raiders have to carry that momentum on the road, where they’ll face Cincinnati on Saturday. Texas Tech is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12, while the Bearcats enter at 4-2 and 1-2 in conference play.
Wilson said the challenge changes away from Lubbock, but the response has to stay the same.
“It’s always a little tougher playing on the road, but that’s whenever we get close together and we really just lock in,” Wilson said. “We know it’s going to be a crazy environment, but we’re going to be prepared this week.”
Eakin echoed that idea, saying the Red Raiders have to tighten up their focus even more once they leave home.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a 100-yard field, like anywhere we go and play, but we have things that Coach McGuire takes with us, just close huddles, the preparation has to go up, the film study has to go up,” Eakin said “In a new environment, you have to feel more comfortable in the field than you do if we played at home.”
Kickoff at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, and the game will air on FS1.
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