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Texas Tech football zeros in on tall task of containing Oregon
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- Texas Tech football zeros in on tall task of containing Oregon
Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire began a press conference on Monday, Dec. 22, with enthusiastic acknowledgement of what Texas Tech basketball teams did over the weekend. The Red Raiders rallied to beat No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and the Lady Raiders knocked off No. 15 Baylor on Sunday.
Next week, the onus will be on McGuire's team to keep the Tech athletics' hot streak going.
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Tech takes on Oregon in a New Year's Day battle of 12-1 teams in the Orange Bowl, which doubles as a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup. While Tech had a first-round bye as the CFP No. 4 seed, No. 5 seed Oregon blasted No. 12 seed James Madison 51-34 on Saturday night in Eugene, Oregon.
"This is going to be a great game, two really good teams," McGuire said. "I think we're very, very similar whenever you look at our teams, and so I'm looking for a great matchup."
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Both teams rank among the top 11 in the FBS in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense, with Tech being in the top five in each category. Oregon and Tech are first and second in the FBS in plays of 20 yards or longer.
Tech was the only Big 12 team to make the CFP, but it's not lost on Oregon coach Dan Lanning that all 12 Tech victories have been by more than 21 points.
"They've not just played opponents; they've dominated opponents, right?" Lanning said. "To dominate the way they've dominated speaks volumes about what kind of team this is, so there's a ton of respect for them, because they've got the winning formula.
"They protect the ball. They attack the ball on defense. They create explosives on offense. They prevent explosives on defense. They play really good special teams play. I think all those things show up."
Texas Tech's Lee Hunter attempts to make the tackle against BYU during the Big 12 Conference championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
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ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks four players in the game among the top 20 overall prospects for the 2026 draft: quarterback Dante Moore , tight end Kenyon Sadiq and defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington from Oregon and edge defender David Bailey from Texas Tech.
Kiper has another seven Oregon players ranked among the top 10 draft prospects at their positions: running back Noah Whittington, left tackle Isaiah World, left guard Emannuel Pregnon, right tackle Alex Harkey, cornerback Jadon Canady, safety Dillon Thieneman and deep snapper Luke Basso.
That's not even taking into account players who won postseason honors, including linebackers Bryce Boettcher and Teitum Tuioti, the Ducks ' leading and third-leading tacklers, and cornerback Brandon Finney, who leads in pass breakups.
In addition to Bailey, Kiper ranks three other Tech players among the top 10 NFL draft prospects at their positions: Tight end Terrance Carter Jr., defensive tackle Lee Hunter and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
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"They're very explosive, and you saw that on Saturday in the JMU game," McGuire said, noting Oregon's five touchdowns in its first five possessions. "We've got to do a good job of making them drive the field."
There might not be a key matchup better in any bowl than Oregon's offensive skill positions against Texas Tech's front seven. The Red Raiders' 39 sacks are tied for sixth in the FBS, and their 31 turnovers gained are first. Moore, a potential top overall draft pick, has thrown for 3,046 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Oregon running backs Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. have nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 24 rushing TDs among them and 7.1 yards per carry.
"Our defensive line has to show up," McGuire said. "They've shown up every week, putting pressure on the quarterback. This quarterback's special. ... We've got to put some pressure on him, and we've got to do a good job of stopping the run to get to do that."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football zeros in on tall task of containing Oregon
