LUBBOCK – The honeymoon is officially over for second-year head coach Joey McGuire after the Red Raiders fell 38-30 at home to nationally ranked Oregon on Saturday night in front of a sold-out Jones AT&T Stadium. Four turnovers, including three interceptions by Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough, resulted in 10 Oregon points, which was the difference in the game. Mistakes cost the Red Raiders in a Week 1 road loss against Wyoming. 

McGuire could do no wrong in his first 18 months on the job. He led the Red Raiders to eight wins and a winning record in the Big 12 for the first time since 2009 in his first year at the helm. Fund raising and ticket sales soared, as did expectations. Texas Tech was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 and were a dark horse pick to compete for a conference crown. 

That looks a long way away after consecutive losses to start the 2023 season. The Red Raiders play their final non-conference game next week at home against FCS opponent Tarleton State.  The Big 12 slate starts in Week 4 with a road game against West Virginia. Looming games against Tarleton State, West Virginia, Houston, and Baylor provide Texas Tech with a path to win four straight and get back on track if the mistakes are cleaned up. 

THREE THOUGHTS FROM THE LOSS 

Two sides of the Shough coin: In many ways, Texas Tech isn’t within striking distance of an upset over a top 15 team without Shough. He ran for 101 yards on 23 carries and threw for 282 yards on 40 attempts. He scored all four of the team’s touchdowns. He was also responsible for the team’s four turnovers. Those four turnovers directly resulted in 10 Oregon points, and the Ducks won by eight points. 

Shough’s turnovers also cost Texas Tech momentum at inopportune times. He fumbled deep in the red zone during the second quarter as the Red Raiders were close to taking a lead before halftime. Instead, Oregon went down the field, kicked a field goal, and took an 18-13 lead into halftime. He later threw an interception in the third quarter one play after a tipped punt gave the offense possession inside Oregon territory. The last interception gave Oregon an eight-point lead with 35 seconds left in the game. 

Shough’s toughness is unquestioned. He’s battled through two major shoulder injuries in his first two seasons at Texas Tech and returned for 2023 after beating out Behren Morton in the offseason. But if Morton is the quarterback of the future and Shough can’t protect the football, maybe the smart thing is to play the young guy and get him a full game before the start of Big 12 play. 

Don’t blame the defense: Tim DeRuyter’s defense only allowed 20 points in regulation in the Week 1 loss at Wyoming. Take away a late pick-six by Oregon and the Red Raiders only allowed 31 points against an explosive Ducks offense led by a Heisman Trophy candidate in Bo Nix. The unit held Oregon to 3.6 yards per run on 31 attempts. Even though Nix threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns, he was forced to work all night. Tech forced field goals in the second half on multiple drives to give the offense chances to put the game away. 

Texas Tech only allowed 21 first downs and stopped Oregon on its only fourth down conversion attempts. Both offenses averaged 6.3 yards a play as the Red Raiders tightened up on passing situations and tackled better in the second half. The only negative is the lack of turnovers. It was the second week in a row without a turnover forced by the Red Raiders defense. 

The goals are still ahead: No one realistically thought Texas Tech was going undefeated in 2023. The goal was to win the Big 12, and that’s still possible despite the 0-2 start to the season. It looks like Texas is the only real dominant team in the Big 12 in 2023 and the Longhorns are known to lose games unexpectedly in recent memory. The conference schedule gives Texas Tech a chance to build some momentum with contests against West Virginia, Houston, and Baylor. Those are three winnable games to start Big 12 play. Kansas State visits Lubbock in Week 7. The trip to Austin isn’t until a day after Thanksgiving. The top two teams play in the Big 12 title game and the loss to Oregon doesn’t hurt Texas Tech in the standings.