To say that the upcoming open week is going to be a blessing for the Texas Tech football team is an understatement. Several Red Raiders left Saturday night's 29-7 win over Colorado with injuries, including running back Cameron Dickey, who sustained a nasty-looking ankle injury.
Fortunately, the Red Raiders' second-leading rusher appears to have avoided a catastrophic injury. After the game, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire had an update on Dickey's status.
"We did get X-rays because we were worried with where the pain was," he said. X-rays came back negative, so usually when you're having an X-ray, you're probably looking at a high ankle sprain, you know, which, it all depends on the guy. But it's always hard playing with a high ankle sprain with a running back."
That's an encouraging update for Texas Tech fans, many of whom were fearing the worst when Dickey left the game in the first half after registering only 15 yards on four carries. Certainly, the Red Raider offense missed his presence.
That's because Dickey has been the team's best short-yardage running back this season. Most notably, he has operated as Tech's wildcat quarterback, where he's often asked to pick up tough yards to move the chains or get the ball into the end zone.
With Dickey out, Tech tried to run out of the wildcat on three short-yardage situations in the first half, and each time, the Colorado defense stuffed the play. McGuire said that the other running backs, J'Koby Williams and Quenten Joyner, had not received as much practice at running that play as Dickey had, and as a result, they decided to shelve that play after halftime.
Most Texas Tech fans were frustrated with the wildcat runs that didn't work against the Buffs. However, McGuire said that the team has had excellent success with that play this year and that it will remain part of the offense, even if Dickey is out for a while. He even suggested that tight end Terrance Carter might replace Dickey as the wildcat QB if needed.
The hope is that Dickey can heal up enough during the upcoming open week to play against Arizona State in Lubbock on October 7. That's because he's been one of the most consistent performers for a Red Raider offense that has been up and down this season.
Dickey has carried the ball 57 times for 242 yards and a team-high four touchdowns in 2026. He's averaging 4.2 yards per rush and has been Tech's go-to option to pick up the tough yards between the tackles.
If Dickey misses time, Joyner will have to pick up the slack. After returning from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of last season, he's run for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 35 attempts so far.
After Dickey was lost on Saturday night, Joyner racked up 63 yards on 10 carries. That included a 30-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to close the scoring for the night.
Joyner is capable of being a reliable option for Tech, and the depth the team has at running back is one of the strengths of the offense. However, there is no question that the team needs Dickey if it wants to be at its best on the ground.
Thankfully, it appears that a worst-case scenario has been avoided and that Dickey will return at some point. Hopefully, his return will be speedy.
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