Texas Tech football: 5 observations from the Red Raiders' loss against Oregon
The Texas Tech football team's upset bid of 13th-ranked Oregon came up short Saturday night in Jones AT&T Stadium.
Oregon kicker Camden Lewis booted a 29-yard field goal with 1:10 left on the clock and Jeffrey Bassa added a pick-six to give the Ducks a 38-30 win. The Red Raiders held a 27-18 lead to begin the fourth quarter, but a quick touchdown and a field goal put Oregon up for good.
Tech challenged late, but couldn't overcome the perennial West Coast powerhouse.
The Texas Tech football team isn't quite up to its lofty preseason expectations
The loss to Wyoming aside, the Texas Tech football team showed a lot against Oregon. The Red Raiders were in it until the fourth quarter, which is what you hope for — at the very least — in a marquee game of this nature.
The offense showed flashes of last year's successful close to the 2022 campaign. The defense gave up a couple of big plays, but avoided disaster by keeping the game within reach.
For Tech, though, close wasn't good enough against the Ducks. An 0-2 start was not what many Red Raiders fans expected before the season, but it's the reality.
As many strides as the team made in Joey McGuire's first season, it's still a work in progress.
Heat mitigates the tailgating numbers
The weekend heat wave played a factor in the tailgating experience for Texas Tech football fans. The main parking lot outside of Jones AT&T Stadium, usually filled with partiers before the game, had a sparse crowd 90 minutes before the game.
Just before 4 p.m., temps in Lubbock reached 95 degrees with 29% humidity, according to the National Weather Service. Though some fans toughed out the conditions, many opted to wait until closer to game time to arrive, which led to the usual delays in foot and vehicle traffic.
Tyler Shough seems to have a system for his receiving targets
Through all the talk about Jerand Bradley and his stellar freshman campaign, it appears that Myles Price has become Tyler Shough's top target, at least early in games.
Through Shough's first 13 pass attempts on Saturday, Price was the target of five of them, good for four receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Price and Bradley tied for the team lead with 51 receptions last year. With more attention being paid to the 6-foot-5 Bradley, Price and his 5-foot-10 frame have found openings for Shough to look for against opposing defenses.
Bradley overtook Price for the team-high in receptions once again in the second half. The combination, as it did last year, has paid off with Price getting looks early and opening things up for Bradley late.
About that whole less running from Shough thing
Before the season, offensive coordinator Zach Kittley said Shough's running ability would be used less frequently than last year. Part of that reason was to mitigate potential injury to the starting quarterback.
We've been hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Led astray.
Shough had 23 rushing attempts against Oregon, while the running backs combined for eight (receiver Xavier White added an attempt as well). This did, however, open up the offense for the Red Raiders, forcing the Ducks defense to honor Shough's ability to tuck and run.
Gamble in the fourth quarter proved detrimental
Live by the gamble, die by the gamble.
Oregon started the fourth quarter with a touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-25 with 14:47 showing on the clock. Texas Tech's next offensive possession started with a 4-yard pass to Mason Tharp, a run of no gain from Shough (on a called pass play) and a short throw out to Tahj Brooks, good for four yards.
Back up at their own 33-yard line, Tech took the shot and went for it on 4th-and-2. The play, a Shough power run to the right side, was stuffed by the Ducks, bringing a turnover on downs.
Oregon took about four minutes off the clock and kicked the go-ahead field goal with 10:27 left. Texas Tech was unable to respond but provided the Ducks a golden opportunity with the decision.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football: 5 observations from the Red Raiders' loss against Oregon
