After an uninspiring week-one win over Abilene Christian, the Texas Tech football team returns to action tonight against Oregon State in the season's first road test. The Red Raiders are 25.5-point favorites, a massive total for a visiting team.
For head coach Joey McGuire and his coaching staff, this is a bit of a tricky spot. This long road trip takes Tech into an unfamiliar setting to play a team that most consider undermanned. What's more, in just six days, Tech opens conference play at home against a ranked Houston team.
Therefore, the Red Raiders must be careful not to fall into the trap of looking ahead to next week. While Oregon State is not expected to be a good team, anything can happen in college football.
So the Red Raiders must not look at this game as a chance to work out some kinks before the Houston showdown. Rather, Tech has to devote all of its attention and effort to handling its business on the road.
When the game kicks off, Red Raider fans should keep an eye on these three players because they will play an important role in helping the team get to 2-0. Let's start by looking at a surprise star from week one.
Jamond Mathis will look to build off of a strong Texas Tech debut
Last season, Kent State came to Lubbock in week two and was humiliated in a 62-14 laugher. On the field that day for the visitors was Jamond Mathis, a pass rusher who recorded only one tackle.
Little did Tech fans know that he would transfer to the Red Raiders just months later. When he did decide to call Lubbock home, it made little news given the struggling program he came from.
However, he announced his presence to all of Raiderland in the 2026 opener by racking up a team-high six tackles and leading the team with 2.5 sacks. Now, the senior from St. Louis should get even more opportunities to rush the passer against Oregon State.
The Beavers are a pass-first team that threw the ball 48 times a week ago. If Tech can get ahead early and put OSU in a bind, Mathis and his fellow pass rushers may be able to take advantage of an Oregon State offensive line that surrendered four sacks against Houston.
With starting edge rusher Trey White out for another week, Mathis will be asked to help pick up the slack as he did in his Tech debut. If he has another big game, it may be a sign that the Red Raiders have found a diamond in the rough.
Cam Dickey may be able to set the tone against a suspect OSU run defense
On the other side of the ball, don't be surprised if Cameron Dickey has a big day running the ball. That's because Houston torched the Oregon State run defense to the tune of 228 yards on 41 carries (5.6 yards per rush).
The weather could also force Tech to lean on the ground game, with rain chances in Corvallis expected to peak right in the middle of this contest. It could all add up to a big day for Dickey and his fellow running backs.
In the opener, Dickey, who led Tech in rushing with over 1,000 yards a season ago, was quiet. He had just 48 yards on 14 carries and no touchdowns. It would be surprising to see him kept in check for a second week in a row.
Tech was content to spread the carries around to its three-headed monster in the backfield against Abilene Christian, with J'Koby Williams getting 13 carries for 71 yards and Quinten Joyner getting 10 carries for 43 yards. Tonight, it might be time for all three to feast, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Dickey lead the way.
Malik Esquerra needs to be on point against the OSU aerial assault
With starting safety Brendan Jordan serving the second week of his two-game suspension, junior Malik Equerra will make his second start as a Red Raider. How he holds up against the pass-happy Oregon State offense will be important.
With fellow safety Peyton Morgan being more of a coverage player, Esquerra is often asked to be an in-the-box safety. However, Oregon State will try to throw the ball all over the field, especially if Tech jumps out to a sizeable lead.
Therefore, both Esquerra and Morgan will have to handle their duties as coverage players. Last week, that wasn't a problem as Esquerra racked up four tackles and a pass defense.
Oregon State will have better weapons to throw to than Abilene Christian, though. That will put an emphasis on Equerra and Morgan's ability to communicate well and get the secondary aligned properly, which is something Jordan is normally asked to do given his experience.
Look to see if Esquerra and his teammates can keep the Beavers from getting behind them for big gains downfield. If he plays as well tonight as he did a week ago, Tech's defense will be in great shape.
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