Texas Tech Preview

Once again, the Red Raiders are one of the favorites to win the Big 12, and an undefeated record and No. 10 ranking back up those ambitions. But does ASU’s road opponent have chinks in the armor that ASU can exploit? Here’s our examination of Texas Tech

Texas Tech Preview

2025 Season in Review: Aided largely by a massive influx of NIL funds, Texas Tech enjoyed its best season in program history in 2025, as the Red Raiders finished 12-2, won the Big 12 championship, advanced to the College Football Playoff, and finished ranked seventh in the nation at the end of the year.

2026 So Far: 5-0

Though it hasn’t always been in dominant fashion, the Red Raiders are ranked No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press poll after collecting wins over Abilene Christian (33-10), Oregon State (35-24), Houston (28-26), Sam Houston (49-14) and Colorado (29-7)

Series History: Tied 3-3

With the exception of the neutral site 2013 Holiday Bowl meeting between ASU and Texas Tech, the home team has won all five remaining games, most recently with a Sun Devil upset of a ranked Red Raider team in Tempe last season.

Head Coach: Joey McGuire (fifth season)

McGuire has posted winning seasons all four years at Texas Tech entering 2026, as he finished 8-5 in 2022, 7-6 in 2023 and 8-5 in 2024 before guiding the Red Raiders to a 12-win season in 2025.

Texas Tech Offense Preview

Though Texas Tech initially brought in Brendan Sorsby as a transfer from Cincinnati to presumably be the Red Raiders’ QB1 for 2026, a much-publicized offseason controversy involving Sorsby’s gambling past prevented him from being a part of the program this season.

Getting tagged as the starter this season is Will Hammond, a returning signal caller who has seen spot-starting duty prior to this season, including against ASU in Tempe last year.

So far in 2026, Hammond has completed 68.3 percent of his passes and averages 220.4 passing yards per game, with five touchdowns and five interceptions, plus 62 net rushing yards and a score.

Hammond threw for a college career-high 298 yards in the season opener, but on two occasions – against Oregon State and against Colorado – Hammond failed to reach 200 passing yards.

A legitimate mobile threat, Hammond rushed for 299 yards with five touchdowns last season in generally limited action.

Likely the strongest candidate for the team’s most valuable offensive player through five games, running back J’Koby Williams has done a bit of everything for the Red Raiders, as he leads the team with 373 rushing yards on 63 carries (5.9 avg.) with three touchdowns, while also leading Texas Tech with 19 receptions, totaling 137 yards. Williams has surpassed 100 all-purpose yards in three of five games played so far.

Elsewhere on the ground, Quentin Joyner has 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but backup Cam Dickey, who has collected 242 yards and four scores, will be out of action due to injury.

Kenny Johnson, Coy Eakin and Micah Hudson are slated to lead the team’s wide receiver corps, with Johnson leading with 298 yards on 17 catches and one touchdown, while Eakin has 194 yards on 16 catches and two touchdowns. Hudson, a former five-star recruit, has seven receptions for 78 yards.

Terrance Carter, Jr., one of the nation’s top players at his position and the 2026 Preseason All-Big-12 pick at tight end, has appeared in three games and caught 13 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.

The Red Raider offensive line is expected to feature a starting group that includes left tackle Howard Sampson, left guard Cash Cleveland, center Sheridan Wilson, right guard Jordan Church, and right tackle Jacob Ponton.

Texas Tech Offense Summary

It’s hard to argue with a 5-0 start, but the 2026 iteration of Texas Tech’s offense has shown to be quite a bit less potent than last year’s, as through five games a year ago, the Red Raiders’ lowest scoring game resulted in 34 points, with three contests over 45 and two beyond 60 points. This year, four of Texas Tech’s five games have totaled 35 points or fewer, with two outings falling short of 30 points.

Overall, Texas Tech is tied for 41^st nationally in scoring offense (34.8 points per game), while ranking 58^th in total offense (406.4 yards per game). Without a doubt, Texas Tech had greater expectations than to barely rank inside the nation’s top 50-60 teams in key offensive categories.

Hammond has dynamic playmaking but has also shown some turnover issues, while Texas Tech has relied on a group of pass-catchers rather than one or two decisive go-to targets. That said, players like Williams and Carter can certainly make defenses pay.

Texas Tech Defense Preview

The Red Raider defensive line figures to start end Adam Trick and “Dog” Trey White along with nose guard Mateen Ibirogba and tackle A.J. Holmes, Jr.

Holmes, the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, has 13 tackles, including a share of the team lead with 2.5 sacks, as well as four quarterback hurries. Trick has collected 11 tackles, including 2.0 for loss with 1.0 sack, along with four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and one pass breakup.

Ibirogba has nine tackles, including one sack, while White has six tackles, including 1.5 for loss and one sack.

At linebacker, Ben Roberts and Austin Romaine are slotted as the starters, with John Curry at the “Star” position.

Roberts leads Texas Tech with 34 tackles, including 5.0 for loss, and has also recorded three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and a sack. Romaine, a transfer from Kansas State, is just behind Roberts with 33 tackles for the year, including two for loss, two interceptions, one pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.  

Curry ranks third on the team with 28 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, with two interceptions, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.

In the secondary, cornerbacks Brice Pollock and Davin Martin presume to be joined in the starting lineup by free safety Brenden Jordan and strong safety Peyton Morgan.

Pollock, a First-Team All-Big 12 pick in 2025, has 15 tackles, a team-best five pass breakups, and two interceptions, while Martin has 13 tackles and three pass breakups. Jordan has 18 tackles and one pass breakup from safety, while his running mate Morgan has 17 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, an interception, and one pass breakup.

Texas Tech Defense Summary

Despite having five preseason All-Big 12 selections on defense, including the league’s pick for preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the Texas Tech defense has shown its pros and cons through five games.

For example, Texas Tech ranks 15^th nationally in rush defense (91.4 yards per game allowed) and is the only FBS program in the country still to have allowed a rushing touchdown, but against the pass, the Red Raiders rank 127^th in passing yards allowed per game (262.2).

That said, Texas Tech’s strength so far this season plays to a weakness of ASU’s – its offensive line and run game – so the Sun Devils will have to have perhaps their best blocking day of the season to date in order to achieve success on Saturday.

Texas Tech Special Teams Preview

Kicker Stone Harrington has connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts this year with a long of 52, while punter Will Karoll averages 50.0 yards on 19 punts.

In the return game, Jalen Jones averages 23.0 yards on three kickoff returns, while Kenny Johnson averages 8.9 on nine punt returns.

Local Ties: CB Amier Boyd (Phoenix Mountain Pointe High School) played high school football in the state of Arizona. PK Ian Hershey was on the ASU roster for the 2023-24 seasons.

Overall Summary

A clash between the last two Big 12 conference champions – and oddly a matchup where the loser the past two seasons has gone on to the league crown – Texas Tech enters this game after some scares and sporadic lackluster play, while ASU hasn’t been able to field a full team of motivated and focused players since the first or second game of the season.

Seemingly since the start of the fourth quarter of ASU’s game at Texas A&M, the Sun Devils haven’t had anywhere near the same drive or fight as they had for the first seven quarters of the season.

Texas Tech, especially on the road, is a far more formidable opponent, even if the Red Raiders aren’t lighting up the scoreboards like they did for virtually the entire 2025 season.

Ultimately, ASU this week faces battles from multiple angles, as ASU looks to prevent self-inflicted wounds and find a measure of momentum, while simultaneously working to contend with the nation’s No. 10 team and defending conference champion.

This outing for Arizona State likely will prove a great deal regarding what will be seen from this point forward – will ASU summon some juice and perhaps pull off the Red Raider upset for the second straight year, or will the problematic matters get even worse and will the weekend provide an even longer list of concerns for the Sun Devil football program?

Final Score Prediction (via Speak of the Devils Podcast): Texas Tech 34, Arizona State 16

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