The No. 9 Texas Tech Red Raiders remained undefeated and with a share of the lead in the Big 12 Conference after a 42-17 win over the Kansas Jayhawks at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12) lost quarterback Behren Morton to an injury in the second quarter and turned to quarterback Will Hammond. While he didn’t put up good passing numbers, Texas Tech turned to the run game and got a huge game from running back Cameron Dickey. That, plus an exceptional performance from the Red Raiders’ pass rush, put Kansas (4-3, 2-2) in a corner.
Quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 228 yards and two scores. But he was on the run, especially in the second half. Kansas was only able to produce 74 yards on the ground. Boden Groen caught 13 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Taylor Davis had an interception.
Oh, and Tech fans threw stuff. A lot.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
THE SACK FEST
At Big 12 media days in July, I asked Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire where his defense had to get better in 2025 to shed its reputation as one of the worst in college football. One of the areas he said had to get better was getting to the quarterback. Well, mission accomplished.
The Red Raiders struggled to slow down Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels in the first half. But, but by the end of the game Texas Tech’s defense had nine sacks, including three from David Bailey and two by Romello Height.
So, remember those transfers and, by extension, all of that NIL and revenue-share money Tech and the Matador Club spent this offseason? Well, it was spent well. Bailey, the former Stanford star, has 8.5 sacks this season, which is a career high. Height, who played for three different programs before arriving at Tech, has 4.5 sacks, which is also a career high.
Tech knew it had to get better on defense. McGuire knew it. He told me as much. He also knew WHERE it had to get better. That was key. Finally, a team like Tech had to acquire the right talent for the right spots. The Red Raiders did that, too. This is part of the reason why Tech went so hard for Bailey after he hit the portal in the spring. It’s also part of the reason Texas Tech is still undefeated and in the Top 10.
NO MORTON, NO PROBLEM
Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and Will Hammond replaced him. Morton was on his way to a solid night, with 91 yards passing and a touchdown. Hammond did not have the game he had against Utah when he replaced Morton. He only threw for 42 yards and an interception. He did rush for 61 yards and two scores. But that wasn’t a problem, thanks to Cameron Dickey.
Dickey was already having a solid season, but he put it on accelerant against the Jayhawks. He rushed for 263 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Dickey was the first 200-yard rusher for Texas Tech since DeAndre Washington’s 248 yards against Kansas State in 2015.
When the quarterback goes down, a team must compensate. Against Utah, it was Hammond. Against Kansas, it was Dickey. He showed Texas Tech can get things done with the run game, too. Now, the Red Raiders will wait to hear more about Morton. His status may determine how much more work Dickey receives in the coming weeks.
KANSAS’ ROAD AHEAD
The loss probably eliminates the Jayhawks from contending for a berth in the Big 12 Championship game. Remember — four teams shared the Big 12 regular season’s top spot last year and two were left out of the title game. Kansas would have to win out from here to have a chance to finish in that kind of tie. The Jayhawks must still face Kansas State, Iowa State and Utah. Kansas gets a week off before hosting Kansas State.
Daniels continues to produce solid numbers. But the Red Raiders’ defense did a number on the Jayhawk running game. Kansas must also spend the next two weeks working on how to shore up a run defense that gave up 372 yards on Saturday.
Still, there are enough opportunities for Kansas to claim the two wins needed to reach a bowl game, a bowl game the program missed last year. That would be a just reward for Daniels returning one more year as he puts together a fine offensive season. But, for all intents and purposes, the Jayhawks’ realistic hopes of getting to Arlington ended on Saturday.
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