HOUSTON -- Texas Tech football got off to a slow start, and it eventually doomed them in a 47-27 loss to Ole Miss in the Advocare Texas Kickoff.

The Red Raiders went down 24-7 after the first quarter, and then lost starting quarterback McLane Carter to an injury. Ultimately, the deficit was too great to make up, especially with a true freshman quarterback under center.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Red Raiders’ disappointing performance.

Defensive woes

Texas Tech was meant to have a revamped defense with several key starters returning. But through one game, that hasn’t seemed to materialize. The Red Raiders gave up 24 points in the first quarter, and ultimately allowed 546 yards.

The real issues came in the secondary. Safety Jah’Shawn Johnson missed the game with an injury, and cornerback Desmon Smith was kicked out for targeting. The defensive backfield proceeded to give up a plethora of big plays. All five Ole Miss touchdowns were from more than 30 yards out. With two Preseason All-Big 12 pieces in the secondary, that can’t happen.

Quarterback issues

Senior McLane Carter won the starting quarterback job coming out of camp, but he didn’t even last a quarter. Carter went out with an ankle injury late in the first quarter, and did not return. That left Grapevine freshman Alan Bowman at quarterback.

Bowman got off to a slow start, completing just 5 of his first 11 passes for 34 yards. He got more comfortable as the game went on, and finished with 273 yards and a nice touchdown throw. There’s plenty to build on, but starting a true freshman in a critical year is far from ideal.

Difficult path ahead

There aren’t any must-win games in Week 1, but the schedule only gets tougher from here. After a respite against Lamar, the Red Raiders play Houston, at Oklahoma State, host No. 17 West Virginia and travel to No. 16 TCU. Starting the season 2-4 isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Lamar and Kansas are the only two gimmes on the schedule.

Granted, there were bright spots. Bowman looked pretty good once he got more comfortable. His upside could be greater than Carter’s if he has to start long term. Running back Da’Leon Ward was awesome. He posted 90 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 17 carries. But more has to materialize if Texas Tech is going to make a bowl game.