The Red Raiders go into Week 2 with plenty to improve upon, but also a hint of how the Week 1 win over Abilene Christian could feel similar to the matchup with the Beavers.
LUBBOCK -- A win is a win, especially in the first game of a pressure-packed season like the one facing Texas Tech.
Head coach Joey McGuire pointed to the No. 12-ranked Red Raiders' spotty offense inside the red zone as the biggest area for improvement from the 33-10 win in Saturday's season-opener against Abilene Christian.
Going into the first road game of the year, McGuire found similarities in how the Wildcats played to what he expects from Oregon State this upcoming weekend in the Pacific Northwest.
Despite the Tech defense overwhelming ACU to the point of not allowing an offensive touchdown and hardly any looks in plus territory, the Wildcats were strategic in their game management.
ACU took every snap out of a huddle, hoping to drain the clock and extend their preparation time with a methodical approach that keyed in on the best opportunities. Because of that, the time-of-possession difference was much less drastic than the final score suggests.
"We'll see it next week," McGuire said. "Oregon State's going to do the same thing."
The Beavers played at Houston on Saturday in a matchup between Tech's next two opponents. Oregon State sizably controlled the time of possession 35:23 to 24:37 over the Cougars, but Houston earned a 27-24 win with an overtime field goal.
In his Week 2 press conference, McGuire said he was really impressed with the Beavers quarterback, Braden Atkinson, who made his debut after transferring from Mercer and throwing for 376 yards.
Offensively, McGuire was "frustrated" with the "impatience" in red-zone offense against ACU. The Red Raiders settled for three field goals from inside the 20-yard line when McGuire would have rather turned those opportunities into touchdowns.
"Our plan to win, number one, is don't beat yourself, and we did. We beat ourselves," he said, referencing mental miscues. "We had 12 men on the field, absolutely inexcusable. ... We forced the ball. The one really bad play he wished he had back was Will [Hammond] forced the ball down there for that interception when he started scrambling. ... The things we struggled with last year we struggled with again tonight."
Hammond remained effective in light of the interception, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes and a late touchdown. The rushing committee of J'Koby Williams, Cam Dickey and Quinten Joyner were also productive throughout the game, and McGuire recalled where the running backs should have gotten even more touches.
Hammond, making his first start since returning ahead of schedule from last season's knee injury, knew the interception was a poor decision on his part. He also noted that he was comfortable in the offense and that Tech didn't reveal too much of coordinator Mack Leftwich's scheme ahead of a Power 4 matchup next week.
"But the great thing about all of those is that we get to fix them," McGuire said about turning the page. "When you come back off a game like this, you get to have a great Tuesday, and you get to have a great Wednesday.
"Because these guys - we've got a very serious, old team that get what we need to fix. I know the coaches are frustrated, and we'll definitely fix the things we need to fix ... Just some things we'll continue to get better at."
The Red Raiders open as 27.5-point favorites against Oregon State. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Sep. 12 at 6:30 p.m. CT from Reser Stadium in Corvallis.
"First road game, I'm excited to get a road game early," McGuire added on Monday. "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."
