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Texas Tech football's biggest challenge after Utah win is not getting full of themselves | Giese
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- Texas Tech football's biggest challenge after Utah win is not getting full of themselves | Giese
Since the start of preseason camp, even back as far as spring ball, Joey McGuire has said the biggest concern for the Texas Tech football team this season is looking in the mirror.
Talent deficits have been shored up . Depth is apparent — and often not needed with the starters playing lights-out thus far. To the Red Raiders ' leading man, it shouldn't matter much what the opposition brings to the table so long as Texas Tech takes care of its own business.
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That will never be more important than the next two weeks or so. Coming off a resounding 34-10 win at Utah, a triumph that put the rest of the nation on notice, the Red Raider s are in a precarious position.
They have the nation's attention, and now get to sit back for a while to listen to all the nice things people will say about them.
To this point, Texas Tech has been an idea of an elite team. Great on paper, but with oh so much to prove in the actual field. They did just that against the Utes . The strength-on-strength battle of Tech's defensive line going against Utah's elite offensive front had a clear winner; the victory was awarded to the Red Raiders by unanimous decision.
Putting up nearly 500 yards of offense against a typically stout Utah defense, much of that coming with backup quarterback Will Hammond running the show, is also something Tech fans will point to as proof of concept. As will the Red Raiders' gaudy 14 penalties that cost them 122 yards, and set up both of Utah's scores, that Tech overcame in the win.
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Realistically, the score could've been much more lopsided. Style points are nice, though not always necessary. This was one of those games where simply winning would've been statement enough. Doing so by a 24-point margin will escalate the "Texas Tech has arrived" chatter.
Ignoring outside noise is something Texas Tech players and coaches say they've been doing since December, back when this transfer-heavy roster was pieced together. Sure, the Red Raiders have umpteen high-level players now, but will it actually work?
"There's a lot of things said about our team," McGuire said in the postgame press conference, "and there's a lot of things said at the cost of the roster, and I would challenge anybody to have a closer locker room, guys that care more about wearing the Double T, that care more about themselves. That shows up in tight games."
Those same wait-and-see folks are starting to toot the horns McGuire wants. That's the double-edged sword the Red Raiders have to be wary of as they head into their first open date of the season.
Sep 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders tight end Terrance Carter Jr. (7) runs after a catch against Utah Utes cornerback Smith Snowden (2) during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Texas Tech has seemingly gotten by its biggest test of the year. Or so that's what will be said by many in the college football sphere. It's a straightforward argument to make, considering how meager teams like Arizona State and Kansas State have looked thus far. It's also the one thing Texas Tech can't afford to hear right now.
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Utah, by all accounts, is a good team. How good? Considering the Utes vaulted into the national rankings after destroying a UCLA team that has looked like the worst among the power conferences and already fired its head coach, the jury is still out.
Proclaiming a College Football Playoff spot being Texas Tech's to lose after one Big 12 Conference game is foolhardy. Just think back to last season when the Red Raiders were in a similar position.
Texas Tech went into Tucson, one of the preseason favorites in the conference, and handled Arizona, improving to 5-1 going into their open date. Looking at the schedule, we looked at a spot in Arlington as potentially inevitable. The Red Raiders then promptly got destroyed at home by Baylor and dropped their next game at TCU to put an end to that conversation. And Arizona wound up being one of the worst in the league.
Red Raider fans, though, are nothing if not boisterous. They'll spend the 13 days between games as a victory lap of sorts, hopping into anybody's mentions if they even think of questioning something about their team.
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Fight on, Tech fans, but don't come crying to me if all that social media jawing gets flipped on you after a loss at Houston.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Beating Utah is nice, but Texas Tech football must tread lightly this week
