No. 13 Texas Tech is on the road for the first time this season, heading to Reser Stadium in Corvallis to face Oregon State at 6:30 p.m.
CT on Saturday. The Red Raiders entered the matchup as 26.5-point favorites, with CBS carrying the broadcast and Texas Tech Sports Network on the radio.
The game came with some familiar context for the Red Raiders: Texas Tech led the series 2-0, and the most recent meeting was a 45-14 Texas Tech win on September 13, 2025. Joey McGuire’s team also brought a strong recent record into the trip, listed at 12-2 overall and 11-1 in 2025, while Oregon State was 2-12 and 0-1. McGuire, now 36-18 at Texas Tech, faced Oregon State coach JaMarcus Shephard, who was 0-1.
McGuire said the trip offered an early test in a spot his team would need to handle again later in the season.
"First road game; I'm excited to get a road game early. I think it's going to be really important because we have some really good games on the road in conference, so this is going to give us a really good look, and a look for the first time as a travel."
He also pointed to defense as the kind of thing that can carry from one environment to another, and said Texas Tech expected LaDamion Guyton to be available.
"Anytime that you can play defense, home or away, then you've got a chance... the biggest thing is we played really good defense last year on the road, and we're gonna take that defense. I've hear different coaches, they always talk about, man, defense travels, so we're gonna take a really good defense, and add to it, because we do expect (LaDamion) Guyton to play.; I can't wait for Texas Tech fans to watch that young man play."
McGuire also made clear that the offense needed to clean things up, especially on early downs. He said the key was avoiding the long-yardage spots that had stalled drives.
"We've got to execute better. We have to have a better plan on first and second down.
Going into it the whole focus was trying to stay out of third and long, and the drives we weren't successful down there, you look at it and it was third and 12, third and 12 and third and 13. I've got to call better plays to put us in good situations where we're not down there in those third and extra long opportunities."
In Other News...
Texas Tech Fans Are Already Sounding The Alarm After Corvallis
Texas Techs first two games have left plenty of Red Raiders fans uneasy, and it is not hard to see why. A narrow win over Oregon State followed by a less convincing showing against Abilene Christian has already turned the early part of the season into a referendum on how sharp this team really is, with social media filling up quickly with complaints about penalties, play calling and the kind of execution that tends to separate a comfortable September from a tense one.
The frustration is less about one bad night than the feeling that the same concerns are showing up too early and too often. For a program that wanted cleaner football out of the gate, the online reaction has made clear that the leash is short and the patience is thinner, which means Texas Tech will have to answer some real questions on the field before the noise around Corvallis fades. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs 2-0 Start Just Put Its QB Situation In Focus
Texas Techs 35-24 win over Oregon State gave Joey McGuire plenty to like in the record column, but not nearly as much at quarterback. Will Hammond delivered a solid-enough stat line, hitting 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, yet McGuire made it clear after the game that the Red Raiders need cleaner play from the position as the competition around him continues to take shape.
The concern was not just about the final numbers, either. McGuire pointed to turnovers, sacks and decision-making as the issues that need attention, while Florida State transfer Thomas Castellanos also saw snaps at quarterback. With Texas Tech off to a 2-0 start, the question now is less about whether the Red Raiders are winning and more about how settled their quarterback room really is. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Escaped Oregon State With A Bigger Question Still Looming
Texas Tech left Reser Stadium with a 35-24 win over Oregon State and a 2-0 start, but it did not come away looking fully settled. Will Hammond managed the offense well enough, finishing 20 of 27 for 189 yards and a touchdown, and the Red Raiders found enough answers to stay in front late after building a 28-24 edge.
The bigger concern was how often Oregon State moved the ball, especially through the air, and how much pressure Texas Tech had to absorb before it could close things out. For a team trying to build on an early-season surge, the result was encouraging, but the way it got there left a sharper question hanging over the next stretch of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]