Friday night, the Texas Tech Red Raiders did just enough on both sides of the ball to secure a 28-26 win over then-No. 22 Houston in Lubbock. While no one is complaining about seeing the home team pick up a marquee win, there are certainly some areas for improvement moving forward.
On offense, the Red Raiders were good but not great. They racked up 425 yards and averaged 7.08 yards per play. That was while facing one of the better defenses in the Big 12.
Still, Tech needs to be more dynamic with the ball, especially considering that this season's defense is not as likely to hold opponents to under 20 points as the 2025 defense was (opponents scored fewer than 20 points in all but three games a season ago).
One way for the Red Raiders to put more points on the board is to get their two best playmakers more involved in the offense than they were against Houston. Running back J'Koby Williams and tight end Terrance Cater Jr. combined for just 12 touches in game three, with seven of those going Williams' way.
That duo totaled 110 yards between them. That's an average of 9.1 yards per play. To put it another way, Tech almost averaged a first down every time Williams or Carter got their hands on the ball.
Taking it a step further, Tech has averaged 6.8 yards per play when Williams or Carter touches the rock this season. Therefore, it would make sense to get them as involved as possible in the offense on a weekly basis.
Williams and Carter can take the Texas Tech offense to a new level
This season, Tech has been less dynamic than most versions of the Red Raiders have been in the modern era of the program. That's especially true when compared to last season, when Tech was top five in the nation in plays of 20 or more yards.
That's where Williams and Carter must come into the equation. The Red Raiders don't seem to have as many big-play threats to deploy this fall, so why not get their two biggest matchup nightmares involved?
Additionally, because one is a running back and one is a tight end, it should be a bit easier to get the ball to them. All QB Will Hammond has to do is hand the ball to Williams. Meanwhile, throwing the ball to Williams or Carter in the flats or over the middle should be a higher-percentage play than pushing the ball outside the numbers or down the field to wide receivers.
So why did they only touch the ball 12 times between them in week three? There could be a few explanations.
First of all, Tech didn't run many plays in that game. Houston held the ball for 33:42 compared to Tech's 26:18 time of possession. That obviously limited the plays that the Red Raider offense could run for each offensive playmaker.
Second, Carter was likely less than 100%. He was a game-time decision to play and spent all week in a walking boot so it is not a stretch to believe that he was not as effective as usual.
Of course, Carter's stat line would have looked much different if he had hauled in the third-down pass he dropped on Tech's second drive of the game. Had he caught that ball, he might have scored a TD and would have certainly had a huge gain given that there was only one defender in his area when the ball arrived.
Third, as the game unfolded, Tech felt more comfortable giving the ball to running back Cam Dickey, a bigger and more physical back than Williams. Down the stretch, as Tech tried to preserve its lead and keep the ball away from Houston during the final three Red Raider drives, Dickey got ten carries while Williams got just two.
Still, when Williams touched the ball against Houston, he averaged 8.9 yards per rush. Therefore, it didn't make sense that he went until 1:13 left in the first quarter without touching the ball, even though Tech ran on four plays prior to that.
The hope is that week four's matchup with Sam Houston won't require a heavy workload for anyone on the Tech offense. What's more, Carter was seen limping off the field following Houston's unsuccessful onside kick at the end of Friday's game, making it possible he sits out this week's game.
When Big 12 play resumes, though, Tech has to have more production from its two best offensive options. They both can be game-changers, which is something this offense needs more of if it wants to be of a championship caliber.
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