What Can Texas Tech Expect on Offense Against Oregon State?

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LUBBOCK – No. 13 Texas Tech is heading out for the first time this season with a stop set for the Pacific Northwest for a showdown with Oregon State.

The Red Raiders began the year just as they expected, with a convincing home victory over Abilene Christian 33-10.

Despite earning the win, Texas Tech did not appear to be playing up to its full potential and the level worthy of a top 15 ranking, at least on offense.

Sophomore quarterback Will Hammond showed flashes of his talents, similar to his heroics off the bench last season, after throwing for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown.

But the starting passer also had a few moments that were not so bright, including an interception near the red zone and multiple missed opportunities that could have put down the Wildcats even earlier.

Head coach Joey McGuire and offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich were honest about the miscues, but still emphasized the strong foundation that Hammond set in only his fourth career start.

Outside of Hammond, the brightest spot for Texas Tech on the entire field was arguably its three-headed rushing machine, known inside the program as "The Committee."

Consisting of Cameron Dickey, J'Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner, the trio put on an absolute clinic against the ACU defense and accounted for the first two touchdowns for the Red Raiders.

The three tallied just shy of 175 combined yards on the ground when the game finally came to an end.

Even with their strong performance, they were unusually quiet in the second half as scoring chances seemed to elude Texas Tech.

Terrance Carter Jr. was repeatedly tabbed as one of the biggest factors for Texas Tech, yet the standout tight end had an uncharacteristically quiet night.

He finished with only three catches for 28 yards, ranking for fourth-most behind even Williams.

McGuire and Leftwich once again addressed these concerns and reassured that some of this sluggishness was due to play calling and the hesitancy to showcase the full extent of the offense against an opponent like Abilene Christian.

There is merit to those claims from the coaching staff, but it forces Texas Tech to be able to prove them against the Beavers or else the questions will begin to swirl even more.

Which could be setting up for the Red Raiders to hold nothing back in its trip to the Pacific Northwest.

In their matchup last year, Texas Tech completely imposed its will on Oregon State in a 48-14 beatdown of the Beavers inside Galaxy Stadium.

For a group touted to be an improvement from their predecessors, it is paramount for these Red Raiders to put up similar, if not equal, numbers Saturday night in Corvallis.

If that comes to fruition, expect all the initial fears about Texas Tech to disappear nearly as quick as they surfaced.

The defense has already shown its merits against the Wildcats, now it is time for the offense to show how much firepower it can bring in this most recent outing.

Oregon State welcomes Texas Tech for its debut at Reser Stadium in Corvallis on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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What Can Texas Tech Expect on Offense Against Oregon State?

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