Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are about to get their third home game under way. The Red Raider football team is getting the chance to host the Oregon State Beavers this afternoon in a game that Texas Tech should theoretically win with relative ease.
Oregon State is a team that is still working to rebuild after its conference fell apart. The Beavers could use some help. And they’re about to play a Texas Tech team that is looking to make a splash on the national scale this season.
I’ve got a few questions ahead of this game. Here’s a few things to think about as the Red Raiders welcome the Oregon State Beavers to town:
Will Texas Tech’s offense take full advantage of Oregon State’s pass rush problems?
I fully believe Mack Leftwich is having some fun examining just how bad Oregon State’s defense has been when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks so far this season. We’re talking about a defense that hasn’t been able to record a single sack so far this year.
Oregon State fans have to be alarmed by that. Leftwich and Texas Tech’s offense? They’ve got to be thrilled.
This is a chane for Behren Morton and the Texas Tech wide receivers to get some more experience running routes while in a game without real pressure. And that is a good thing. We don’t need Morton taking any unnecessary hits in this game. But more reps in a real game matters. I’m on board with this.
How will Oregon State’s passing attack do against Texas Tech’s brand new defense?
Something that’s interesting to me is the way that Oregon State Beavers quarterback Maalik Murphy is off to an interesting start in Oregon State’s offense. He’s no longer with the Duke Blue Devils, where he had a really solid season in 2024, but Murphy is still performing in a way that is pretty productive.
The only problem is he’s thrown a few interceptions early on in this season.
Through the first couple of games this year, Murphy has managed to complete 52 of his 81 pass attempts (good for 64.2 percent, not bad) for 615 passing yards (307.5 passing yards per game, not bad) and four touchdowns (he probably should have a few more here). Along with that, he’s got a rushing score, which is nice.
But, Murphy has thrown three interceptions in just two games. And he’s about to face a Texas Tech defense that is so much better than it was a season ago. It’ll be interesting to see how this matchup plays out here.
What will we see from Texas Tech in the second half of this game?
I, for one, have appreciated seeing how the Red Raiders have been able to rest their starters in the first couple of games of this season. That said, I’ve wanted to see Texas Tech continue to thrive on offense down the stretch of a game.
But the Red Raiders haven’t exactly faced much of a test so far this season. And theoretically speaking, Oregon State is probably the most put together and talented team that Texas Tech will have faced up to this point, I guess.
So, maybe we will see more of the first and second string players playing later into this game. Which wouldn’t be the end of the world (as long as everyone stays healthy) as we get set to see Texas Tech face off against the Utah Utes (on the road) next weekend.
Of course, if this game gets out of hand in a hurry like it certainly could, then it also isn’t the end of the world if we see the starters resting. I’d be okay with that as well.