No. 17 Texas Tech faced one of its toughest challenges of the season and passed with flying colors as the Red Raiders walked into Rice-Eccles Stadium and rolled to a dominating 34-10 victory Saturday Afternoon over No. 16 Utah in front of a sold-out crowd of 52,236.
Backup quarterback Will Hammond sparked a stagnant offense in the second half as the freshman stepped in for starter Behren Morton who exited with a head injury early in the third quarter. Hammond looked like a veteran as he passed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and added 61 yards on the ground.
“When my number was called, I just leaned on the trust my teammates and coaches have in me,” said Hammond.
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Morton had managed 142 passing yards but tossed two interceptions before leaving with Tech up 10-3. From there, Hammond took command and the Red Raiders never looked back.
The defense matched the offense’s intensity, forcing four Utah turnovers and holding quarterback Devon Dampier to just 162 yards through the air. A 69-yard Utah touchdown was erased by penalty, one of several missed opportunities that left the Utes frustrated.
Texas Tech set the tone early with a one-yard touchdown run from Cameron Dickey, who finished with 67 yards and two scores. After Hammond’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Carter Jr. stretched the lead, Dickey broke free for a 24-yard score to make it 27-10. Another Utah miscue led to Hammond’s second touchdown strike — a 21-yarder to Reggie Virgil that sealed the win.
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The Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) not only won on the road, they did so with adversity and in a Top 25 showdown, showing the world that the Red Raiders are for real this year.
“This was the kind of test you circle before the season,” head coach Joey McGuire said. “Our guys rose to it.”
Utah had a quiet day on the ground by its usual standards. The Utes totaled just 101 rushing yards while averaging 3.3 yards per carry. On the other side, Utah allowed Texas Tech to gain 173 yards and score two touchdowns on the ground.
“I never would have believed if you were to say we would lose the line of scrimmage,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Never would have believed that in a million years, but we did.”
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