Texas Tech football team punishes North Texas to pick up second win of 2024

Needing to turn things around after two weeks of poor football, Texas Tech put forth its best performance of the season thus far on Saturday. Highlighted by a second-quarter span that saw the Red Raiders score three touchdowns in under one minute of gameplay, Tech's 66-21 dismantling of UNT in Lubbock was just what the doctor ordered for everyone in Raiderland.

Racking up nearly 600 yards of offense for the game, Tech jumped out to a 52-7 halftime lead and never looked back. So here are some rapid reactions to the big win.

Tahj Brooks makes all the difference for the Texas Tech offense

There is no question that this offense is different when Tahj Brooks is in the mix. Of course, it doesn't take a football genius to know that.

Saturday, Brooks returned from a one-game absence to rush for 109 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries, all of which came in the second half. He alone essentially doubled last week's output from the Tech running backs.

After the game, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said on the Texas Tech radio broadcast that Brooks settles the offense down, especially QB Behren Morton. Brooks is the ultimate security blanket and it was fantastic to have him back on Saturday.

Behren Morton rebounds after and awful showing for Texas Tech last week

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton was efficient and mistake-free on Saturday going 15/19 for 273 yards and four touchdowns while also running for a score despite taking the second half off. He needed that type of performance after last week when he was 34/58 for 323 yards with only one touchdown and two picks against Washington State.

Morton was decisive, accurate, and confident with the football. None of those adjectives applied to his performance in week two, though. This is the kind of showing that Tech needed to see from its starting QB with Big 12 play looming next week.

Texas Tech's defense makes significant strides against a high-scoring offense

The much-maligned Texas Tech defense made some significant improvements against a UNT offense that entered the day as one of the most potent offenses in the country. Most important was Tech's work on third down.

In the first two weeks, Tech allowed its opponents to convert on 60% of their third-down opportunities. However, UNT was just 4-14 on third down in this game.

Also, the Red Raider defense managed to generate three turnovers on the day. That's one more than they had generated in the first two games combined.

If there is one complaint about the Tech defense on Saturday, it was the lack of sacks as Tech got only one on the day, and it came in garbage time. Still, Tech did do a better job of getting pressure on UNT QB Chandler Morris and making him very uncomfortable in the pocket. Hopefully, the pressure that Tech is starting to generate on defense will turn into actual sacks in weeks to come.

Texas Tech may have a backup QB competition

In a game that was over by halftime, the second-half intrigue revolved around the backup quarterbacks. And after the way Cam Brown and Will Hammond played, it is fair to suggest that the Red Raiders have a legitimate battle for the No. 2 job behind Behren Morton.

Brown, who entered the game as the No. 2 QB on the roster, was largely unimpressive. Leading the team for the first three drives of the second half, he was just 4/8 passing for 11 yards. What's more, he threw an inexcusable interception, Tech's only turnover of the game.

Meanwhile, Hammond was 5/7 for 70 yards. He drove the ball down the field and had tremendous zip on his passes in his first collegiate action.

Brown appears to be a one-trick pony. All he's shown that he can do well is run the football (he carried the ball twice for 11 yards on Saturday).

Meanwhile, Hammond was more than impressive executing the offense. If Tech needed either Brown or Hammond to replace Morton for meaningful snaps, based on what we saw on Saturday, it is hard to see how Hammond wouldn't be the choice.

Texas Tech gets Micah Hudson some meaningful run

Finally, Texas Tech fans got to see a healthy dose of true freshman wide receiver Micah Hudson, a 5-star recruit in the class of 2024. Granted, almost all of his action came after the game had been decided.

Still, it was nice to see the Temple, Texas native get more than just a handful of snaps. In all, he caught three passes for 43 yards. That included a nice 32 yard catch on a post-route where he was one step away from breaking loose for a touchdown.

It doesn't appear that Tech is ready to play Hudson when the game is on the line just yet. However, he did flash the natural talent that we heard so much about in fall camp and hopefully this performance is one he can from from.