Last season under new head coach Joey McGuire the Texas Tech Red Raiders finished 8-5 in a year they beat both Oklahoma and Texas. With ex-Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough coming back from injury they won their last four games of the season, dumping Ole Miss 42-25 in the Tax Act Texas Bowl. In that one Shough threw for 242 yards and a touchdown, ran for 111 yards and two scores, chosen the MVP of the game.
Hopes were high entering 2023. Around the Lubbock barbecue joints there was talk of challenging the Longhorns, the Sooners and Kansas State for the Big 12 title, something Wreck 'em hadn't won in their 23 years playing in the league, though former Raider head coach Mike Leach fielded an 11-2 team in 2008 that finished 12th in the country. Shough was back for his fifth-year senior season, but the defense lost their best pass rusher in defensive end Tyree Wilson, who went number seven overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in this spring's NFL draft.
The optimism crashed to the turf Saturday night on the road against Mountain West Wyoming. In a game that was delayed 80 minutes by lightning, TTU fell 35-33 in double overtime when Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley (a senior from LaGrande, Oregon) stood in there against a blitz and hit his tight end for an 11-yard touchdown on fourth and seven to tie the game, then running back Sam Scott powered through a hole on the left side for the two-point conversion and a shocking win.
Jubiliation ensued. Cowboy fans rushed the field. It was the first time in three coaching administrations that Texas Tech had fallen to an FCS school. After the game Shough said, "'This game's not going to define us; I promise you that."
Even with the lightning delay the ex-Duck and his offense had gotten off to a hot start. They drove quickly down the field for a touchdown on the opening possession, scoring easily on a 33-yard pass from Shough to wide receiver Myles Price. Plagued by penalties and two fumbles, it was the home team that struggled to find its rhythm. Tech jumped out to a 17-0 lead after a 54-yard field goal by Gino Garcia. Shough started the game 6-6 for 91 yards and a pair of TDs.
Things went south, or rather north, after that. Wyoming found some creases in the TTU defense, Peasley kept improvising for timely plays while Shough and his offense stalled: they didn't score from 4:02 of the first quarter until the last minute of regulation when they tied it at 20-20 with another field goal by Garcia. He'd missed three on the night, including one that was blocked.
It didn't help that Tim DeRuyter's defense (another ex-Oregon connection) lost their best returning player when linebacker Jacob Rodriguez went down with a foot injury in the first quarter. In just a few plays he erupted for two tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in only four Wyoming possessions. Now he's out four to six weeks.
The thing to realize about Texas Tech is that under McGuire they are 1-5 in road games. In Jones AT&T Stadium, newly remodeled this season complete with a laser light system that lights up the whole building red, they are 7-1. Jones seats 60,454, most of them clad in red and black, rabid and raucous.
Oregon has to be prepared for the 0-1 Red Raiders' best shot. With time to throw Shough can deliver a beautiful ball. He hit 9 different receivers last Saturday, each with a catch of ten yards or more. The team ran the football poorly, however, just 93 yards on 33 carries, an average of 2.8 yards a carry. The Cowboys sacked him three times, pressuring him often.
Shough is going to want to show out against his former teammates--it's just the nature of being a competitor. And as college football storyteller Josh Pate points out in this preview, the Red Raiders are a wounded animal.
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