Texas Tech football: Predictions for Red Raiders vs. Ducks

Oregon: 38 – Texas Tech 31

I want so badly to believe that the nighttime Jones Stadium magic we all love will sway things in Texas Tech’s favor this week.  However, it’s been over a decade since that mojo resided in Lubbock.

Sure, Tech went 6-1 at home last year including wins over Texas and OU.  That was a great start in trying to conjure up the ghosts of Jones Stadium’s past.

Also, this will be the most charged home atmosphere Tech has seen at a home night game since maybe 2015 when a top-5 TCU team came to town and escaped with a win thanks to a last-minute TD catch off of a deflected pass.

In the end, though, Oregon will be just a bit too talented for the Red Raiders.  If Jacob Rodriguez were playing, I’d probably pick Tech because he’s that good at playing the run.

However, when he went out last week, Wyoming’s pitiful offense started to impose its will on Tech so I fear what Oregon’s high-powered attack could do to a Red Raider defense starting a redshirt freshman in Rodriguez’s place.

Also, Oregon has advantages at the QB position, the running back position, the offensive line, and probably at kicker.  Thus, the task facing this Red Raider defense will be stout.

Tech will hang around all day.  The Oregon defense has yet to be tested this year after massive offseason rebuilding efforts.  Will their vanilla gameplan in week one against a little sister of the poor (Portland State) give them an edge strategically or will it mean they will be rusty and out of sorts as they try to implement their full system for the first time this year?  Hopefully, the latter.

In the end, I trust Nix more than Shough, though.  While I expect Shough to be better than he was against Wyoming, I think Nix is just a better player.

Ultimately, Nix will make just enough plays in the 4th quarter to give his team a seven-point win.  Of course, I was wrong last week when I predicted a 38-17 Texas Tech win so here’s hoping I go 0-2 on the season tonight and Tech doesn’t.