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Will Hammond's Big Night Sends Texas Tech Into National Top 11
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- Will Hammond's Big Night Sends Texas Tech Into National Top 11
(Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images)
Texas Tech needed Will Hammond to prove he could handle a real Big 12 test.
Friday night, he did enough to push the Red Raiders higher into the national spotlight.
MORE: Texas Tech Defense Will 'Keep Getting Better' As Health Improves, Says Joey McGuire
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Hammond threw for 257 yards and a touchdown in Texas Tech's 28-26 win over then-No. 22 Houston , helping the Red Raiders improve to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Two days later, Tech climbed to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll.
The ranking jump is important.
So is the way Hammond got there.
The Texas Tech quarterback completed 17 of 27 passes and produced a career-high six completions of at least 20 yards, showing the kind of downfield explosiveness the Red Raiders will need against stronger Big 12 defenses.
His most important connection came with Kenny Johnson .
Hammond hit Johnson for 28 yards on a third-and-12 before finding him again for a 35-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Johnson finished with four catches for 113 yards, giving Texas Tech its first 100-yard receiving performance since Caleb Douglas last November.
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Hammond wasn't perfect.
He threw one interception and Texas Tech's offense spent much of the first quarter stuck on the sideline while Houston built a 10-0 lead.
But the Red Raiders never panicked.
"It just shows the resilience of this team and the belief they have in each other," head coach Joey McGuire said afterward. "There was never a time that those guys got down."
That resilience mattered because Houston kept answering.
The Cougars finished with 458 total yards and pulled within two points with 49 seconds left. Texas Tech survived only after Conner Weigman was ruled short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt.
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Hammond's performance also helped settle any lingering questions about the quarterback hierarchy.
"Will Hammond is our starting quarterback," McGuire said.
That statement carries more weight after a ranked win.
Texas Tech has plenty to clean up, especially defensively, but Hammond's ability to create explosive plays against Houston was an encouraging sign.
The Red Raiders didn't dominate.
They survived.
And now they're 3-0, inside the national top 11 and increasingly confident that Hammond can lead the offense when the competition gets serious.
