Will Hammond threw for 298 yards and a touchdown in his return from ACL surgery as No. 12 Texas Tech opened 2026 with a 33-10 win over ACU.
Texas Tech spent the offseason insisting Will Hammond would be ready for Week 1.
Saturday night, the quarterback finally got to prove it.
Hammond returned from the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season and threw for 298 yards and a touchdown as No. 12 Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian 33-10 in Lubbock.
It wasn’t a flawless opener, but for a defending Big 12 champion breaking in a new quarterback and reworked roster, the result was more than good enough.
Hammond looked composed in his first game action in more than 10 months.
He didn’t throw a touchdown until late, but when he finally did, it was a big one: a 64-yard strike to Malcolm Simmons with less than three minutes remaining that put the game away.
Joey McGuire said afterward that his biggest message to Hammond before kickoff was simple: settle down and be himself.
That mattered because Texas Tech didn’t need Hammond to carry the offense early.
Quinten Joyner scored on a 14-yard run on his first regular-season touch as a Red Raider, while J’Koby Williamsadded another first-quarter rushing touchdown.
Kicker Stone Harrington handled the rest for much of the night, drilling four field goals.
The bigger development may have been the defense.
Two years ago, Abilene Christian came into Lubbock and nearly stole a 52-51 overtime win after piling up more than 500 passing yards.
This time, the Wildcats barely moved the football.
Texas Tech held ACU to just 119 passing yards, a dramatic reversal from that 2024 shootout.
The Red Raiders also got an interception from John Curry on the first play of the second half, setting up another Harrington field goal.
Abilene Christian’s only touchdown came on special teams, when Alex Broome returned a kickoff 98 yards after Simmons’ late score.
Texas Tech didn’t dominate offensively from start to finish, but it didn’t need to.
Hammond got through his return healthy, the defense looked fast and disciplined, and the Red Raiders avoided the kind of Week 1 scare that nearly burned them two seasons ago.
Next comes a tougher test. Texas Tech travels to Oregon State next Saturday. The opener was about getting Hammond back. Now the season really starts.
Follow Timm Hamm on X at @IndyCarTim.
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