The Red Raiders' first opponents of the 2026 season will enter the game 0-1.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- No. 12-ranked Texas Tech's first opponents of the highly anticipated 2026 season, Abilene Christian, fell 21-14 to Lamar in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday in the Wildcat's season opener.
ACU scored a touchdown late, but ultimately couldn't match the three touchdown passes thrown by Cardinals quarterback Aiden McCown, son of NFL veteran Josh McCown.
The Wildcats had a chance to tie or take the lead with a 2-point conversion at the end of the game, but quarterback John David Black was tackled on fourth down a yard short of the line to gain in the final seconds.
Black was playing in his first collegiate game and completed his first 11 passes before ending up 15-for-25 passing for 142 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats got good production out of the backfield as well, with three rushers averaging over 5.0 yards per carry, though they came on limited sample sizes.
Abilene Christian turns its attention to the trip to Lubbock to face the Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium on Sep. 5. The game, Tech's season-opener after receiving its highest preseason national ranking ever, will be broadcast live on FS1 starting at 6 p.m. CT.
According to DraftKings, Texas Tech is favored by 42.5 points and the over/under line is set at 59.5.
The Red Raiders and head coach Joey McGuire will also hold a pregame ceremony to celebrate the team's Big 12 Championship from last season.
Last Time in Lubbock...
Tech has a 7-3 record all-time against its FCS foes from across the Permian Basin. The last time the teams faced off, however, the Wildcats made the Red Raiders sweat.
Texas Tech outlasted ACU 52-51 in overtime on Aug. 31, 2024, in Lubbock. It is the only game of the series that has gone into overtime, and the win stretches Tech's overall win streak against ACU to five games, dating back to 1930.
The Red Raiders led 22-7 after the first quarter, but the Wildcats rallied with 17 fourth-quarter points.
Tech's Jayden Cofield tackled ACU quarterback Maverick McIvor on his 2-point conversion attempt, sealing the victory for the home side and escaping what would've been an embarrassing season opener. Red Raiders veteran Behren Morton tossed a career-high five touchdown passes in the game.
"Holy moly, that's my statement," Texas Tech head coach Joey Maguire said postgame. "We have a lot of things we have to fix to get better, and we've got to do 'em in a hurry." Tech would finish the 2024 season 8-5 before bringing in the No. 1-rated transfer portal class to load up for an eventual 12-2 campaign in 2025.
ACU head coach Keith Patterson enters his fifth season in Abilene in 2026. He was previously the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech under coach Matt Wells until 2022.
"We came here to win," Patterson said after the game in 2024, which featured many Wildcat players who were transfers from Tech. "I could tell there was something different about this football team during the summer as well as fall camp. There was just a competitive spirit and nature. I didn't know if that would carry over when you flip the lights on and play a Big 12 opponent."
The win would have been Abilene Christian's second against an FBS opponent since the school jumped from NCAA Division II to Division I in 2013.
