A new era is officially underway in Lubbock. Texas Tech football delivered a dominant performance in Joey McGuire’s debut as Tech’s head coach. In a 63-10 dismantling of FCS opponent Murray State, Texas Tech put up 605 total yards while scoring a whopping nine touchdowns.
The Red Raider offense put on a clinic, executing big play after big play through the air and on the ground. The offense totaled 472 yards in the passing game and 133 yards on the ground. Tech outgained Murray State 605 to 258 despite the latter clocking more time of possession.
Game recap
On its first offensive possession, Tech drove 94 yards in four plays to score the season’s inaugural touchdown. Quarterback Tyler Shough found receiver Loic Fouonji wide open on a seam route resulting in a 45-yard score.
Tech extended its lead to 14 when running back Tahj Brooks turned the corner on a 14-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. The score capped another four-play scoring drive.
In response, Murray State embarked on a long nine-play drive. Red Raider linebacker Kerri Merriweather eventually ended the drive with a third down sack, forcing the Racers to settle for a field goal and a 14-3 deficit.
After Shough exited the game with an injury, backup quarterback Donovan Smith checked into the game and threw a touchdown to Freshman receiver Jerand Bradley on his very first pass attempt. The score put Tech up 21-3 early in the second quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Murray State finally found the endzone. Quarterback DJ Williams found receiver Jacob Bell for a 54-yard touchdown that cut Tech’s lead to 11.
Continuing with the fast-paced offense, Tech answered back in one offensive play. Smith served up another deep ball to Loic Fouonji on a 39-yard score to put the Red Raiders up 28-10.
Tech continued its first half onslaught by scoring a fifth offensive touchdown midway through the second quarter. Tahj Brooks scored his second touchdown of the game on an easy three-yard run, giving Tech a 25-point advantage.
Late in the second, Brooks completed a hat-trick by scoring his third touchdown of the game on a 23-yard burst up the middle. The score gave Tech a commanding 42-10 lead that they would take to the halftime locker room.
In the second half, the Red Raiders picked up where they left off. In its first eight offensive plays of the half, Tech found the endzone twice. A 30-yard catch and run by running back SaRodorick Thompson, and a 14-yard end zone grab by Jerand Bradley gave the Red Raiders an insurmountable 56-10 lead.
The rest of the game was mere formality, as the Red Raiders cruised to a 63-10 win.
Postgame comments
Red Raider head coach Joey McGuire had high praise for offensive coordinator Zach Kittley.
“I think we have the best coordinator in the country,” McGuire said. “I think one thing about Zach is he finds the best guys and the things that we can take advantage of and he gets them on the field.”
Tech ran plays out of a variety of personnel packages. McGuire said it shows just how much potential the offense has.
“That just shows the depth we have on this team,” McGuire said. “And no matter what personnel we’re in, we could go really fast.”
McGuire said his Red Raider debut was everything he had envisioned.
“It was everything I dreamed of,” McGuire said. “I thought the fans really showed up with great support … I thought it was just a game day atmosphere.”
Up Next
On paper, the Red Raiders will have a much more difficult challenge as they prepare to host the Houston Cougars in week two.
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