Texas Tech’s defense kept the pressure on at Oregon State, and that meant another boost for the Quarterback S.A.C.K. campaign.
In the Red Raiders’ 35-24 win in the rain at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Texas Tech recorded two more sacks, pushing its season total to five through two games.
The first came in the second quarter at 10:45. Facing a third-and-9, Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson was dropped by defensive lineman AJ Holmes at the OSU 1 for a 10-yard loss, forcing the Beavers to punt from deep in their own territory.
The second sack arrived in the third quarter at 7:24. On first-and-10 from their own 35, Atkison was taken down again, this time by linebacker and team captain Ben Roberts, for a three-yard loss.
With 10 home games still ahead and a likely postseason run still to come, fans still have a chance to donate for every Red Raider sack.
Texas Tech Athletics has partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest for more than a quarter century, and each sack adds to the fundraising total. Fans can pledge any dollar amount for every Texas Tech sack during the season through the Quarterback S.A.C.K. website.
The money goes to support families who need it most. The Ronald McDonald House in Lubbock gives families a place to stay when a child is receiving medical care, including newborns in the NICU, children going through cancer treatment, and others needing care. Families at Covenant Children’s and UMC Children’s can also use Ronald McDonald Family Rooms inside the hospitals for a break and basic comforts like showers, laundry, coffee, snacks, and more.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Is Giving Fans One Big Reason To Doubt This Ranking
Week 2 of the 2026 college football season did not exactly go according to the script, with several top-15 teams such as Oregon and Oklahoma falling to unranked opponents and a few others left sorting through uneven early rsums. Indiana is still unbeaten with a pair of strong wins, LSU and Ole Miss have already banked notable victories, and USCs 3-0 start has come with some mixed performances. In that kind of chaos, Texas Tech at least survived with its ranking intact, but only just.
The Red Raiders narrowly avoided becoming the latest surprise on a weekend that punished teams for looking vulnerable, and that is the part of their profile that still hangs over the program. A ranking can survive a close call in September, but it is much harder to trust when the margin for error is that thin. With Iowa also grinding through an ugly win over Iowa State, the early season has already made one thing clear: style points matter less than avoiding the kind of stumble Texas Tech came perilously close to taking. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech's Fast Start Comes With One Debate Fans Can't Ignore
Two weeks into the Big 12 season, the conference picture is already starting to take shape, and Texas Tech has put itself firmly into the conversation with a fast opening run. A fresh round of power rankings has the Red Raiders near the top tier of the league, a reflection of how quickly they have established themselves among the teams worth watching as the schedule begins to sharpen.
The broader debate now is whether that early placement is a fair read on where Texas Tech really stands, or just the kind of September snapshot that can change fast once conference games start piling up. The rankings also map out where the rest of the Big 12 sits heading into the next stretch, which makes the Red Raiders' rise more interesting because it comes with the usual question attached: how long can the momentum last once the race gets real? [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces An Early Test That Could Change Everything
Friday night brings a compact slate with a little something for every contender, and for Texas Tech the late game carries the most intrigue. Houston comes to town with a chance to test itself against a highly ranked Red Raiders team, while Oregon and Miami take care of business in their own different ways, each trying to keep its season on track on national television.
Miamis trip to Wake Forest is the kind of early road assignment that can tell you plenty about how real the start has been. The Hurricanes have handled the opening stretch well, but a road win in an ACC setting would add another layer to that rsum, and with Oregon also looking to steady itself after a recent loss, the night has the feel of one of those early-season checkpoints where the next step matters almost as much as the result. [Read more 🡒]