I don’t think Texas Tech really needed a second half when facing off against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. I really don’t. It wasn’t necessary at all for either of these teams. There was no way the Golden Lions were going to mount a comeback against the Red Raiders and the weather got weird. It would have been totally fine had the game ended right then and there after just 30 minutes of play.
Is that a controversial opinion? Maybe. I don’t really know.
But Texas Tech found itself up 23-0 after the first quarter. And do you know what the Red Raiders did in the second quarter? They outscored Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24-0.
That means halftime had a 47-0 advantage for Texas Tech. That’s a full game’s worth of points for plenty of teams. That would have been a fine way to cap off the game after 30 minutes. I don’t think we needed to see a second half.
And the highlight reel kind of tells the same sort of story!
Texas Tech’s 1st half highlights vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff feature enough points and big plays for a full game
Just go ahead and sit back and watch all of the points that the Red Raiders put up in the first half against the Golden Lions.
While we wait, first half highlights anyone? 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/AQfb4NCvKS
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) August 31, 2025
This was exactly the sort of performance that Texas Tech needed to get this season started. Start fast, score a ton of points, put an overwhelmed opponent well out of reach of being able to keep up with you, and hold them out of the end zone until very late in the game.
Just from start to finish, it was such an impressive sort of game for the Red Raiders given all of the new components on this team. And if we just focused in on the first half, that would still be true.
The Red Raiders had 169 total yards of offense in the first quarter and they averaged 8.9 yards per play against the Golden Lions. In the second quarter, the Red Raiders had 223 total yards of offense and averaged 10.1 yards per play. TTU just simply couldn’t be stopped. And I love that.