Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian 33-10, but Joey McGuire says red-zone issues and costly mistakes give the Red Raiders plenty to clean up.
No. 12 Texas Tech opened the 2026 season with a 33-10 win over Abilene Christian, but Joey McGuire wasn’t interested in celebrating a comfortable final score.
The Red Raiders controlled most of the night at Galaxy Stadium, outgaining ACU 471-194 and holding the Wildcats to just 75 rushing yards. Still, McGuire came out of the postgame news conference focused on the same offensive problems that frustrated Texas Tech a year ago.
“The things that we struggled on last year we struggled again tonight,” McGuire said. “Mainly it was our impatience on offense.”
Texas Tech repeatedly moved the ball into scoring position but failed to finish drives with touchdowns. The Red Raiders settled for four field goals, including three after reaching the red zone.
“That was frustrating,” McGuire said.
Quarterback Will Hammond still gave Texas Tech plenty to like in his first start since suffering a season-ending ACL injury against Oklahoma State last October.
Hammond completed 26 of 33 passes for a career-high 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He started the game by completing his first 14 attempts and finished at 79 percent.
“I thought Will really did a good job,” McGuire said, adding that he reminded Hammond before kickoff to “be Will Hammond and take a deep breath.”
Hammond said ACU’s defensive approach forced Texas Tech to stay patient underneath.
“I thought their defensive coordinator did a really good job playing deep coverage all game,” Hammond said. “We didn’t put much on tape today scheme-wise.”
The defense was far less complicated.
Texas Tech dominated that side of the ball, with defensive end Jamond Mathis recording six tackles and 2.5 sacks. Linebacker John Curry added an interception on the first play of the third quarter, returning it 15 yards.
Even Curry found some humor afterward.
“I thought I was faster than that,” Curry joked after being caught from behind by an offensive lineman on the return.
ACU’s only touchdown came on a 98-yard kickoff return late in the fourth quarter.
So the opener produced exactly what Texas Tech needed - a win - without allowing McGuire to ignore the flaws.
The Red Raiders are 1-0, Hammond looks healthy, and the defense appears ready to carry serious weight.
Now comes the bigger test.
Texas Tech travels to Oregon State on Sept. 12, and McGuire knows the Red Raiders can’t afford to leave that many touchdowns on the field again.
