High-flying No. 21 Texas Tech will welcome another test on the eve of Big 12 play when Oregon State comes to Lubbock, Texas on Saturday.
The Red Raiders (2-0) moved up three spots in the AP Poll this past week after a 62-14 thrashing of Kent State. Texas Tech played well on both sides of the ball, putting up 601 yards and holding the Golden Flashes to just 229.
There was an incident after the game, however, as starting cornerback Amier Boyd was arrested Sunday night and charged with reckless driving. Boyd, who had an interception in the Red Raiders’ first game of the year, was released Monday morning and could face potential punishments of a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in jail or both.
After starting the last game, Boyd has since been moved to a backup on the official depth chart. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said that Boyd’s situation will be handled internally.
Boyd’s status for Saturday may be up in the air, but the Red Raiders are still a force to be reckoned with, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Having put up at least 60 points in each of its first two games, Texas Tech is currently third in the nation in total offense (604.5 yards per game). The Red Raiders are led at quarterback by experienced starter Behren Morton, who has thrown for 459 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions.
There were some questions heading into the year if the Red Raiders could replicate the production of longtime running back Tahj Brooks, who broke the Texas Tech’s all-time rushing record, which had stood for 28 years, last season.
So far, the Red Raiders’ three-headed monster at running back has been productive. Adam Hill, J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey all have put up at least 100 yards across the first two contests, totaling 415 yards and four touchdowns among them.
“Guys that I think have really stepped up, I’ve been proud of all the running backs,” McGuire said Monday. “Anytime you’re replacing the all-time leading rusher, and you’ve had a group in there that has played (as well as) the way they’ve played, I’ve been proud of them.”
While Texas Tech has looked unstoppable through the first two weeks, Oregon State (0-2) has lived at the opposite end of that spectrum.
The Beavers are coming off a disappointing 36-27 loss to Fresno State. Oregon State played well enough to win, outplaying the Bulldogs in the box score.
Oregon State finished with 210 more yards, nine more third-down conversions and nearly 15 more minutes of possession. Costly turnovers and special teams mistakes proved to be the team’s undoing.
Starting quarterback Maalik Murphy has aired it out to start the year with 615 passing yards, good for 14th in the country, but has a 4-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
This will be the Beavers’ first road game of the season. They will look to change their recent road fortunes, entering this week having lost seven of their last 10 games away from home.
“They’re an extremely talented team, and they’ve got talent and speed all over, so it’s going to be just a challenge from that standpoint,” Beavers coach Trent Bray said on Monday.
This will be just the second time these two teams have played and the first since 1959, a 15-14 Texas Tech win.
