LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 17: Will Hammond #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galaxy Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
LUBBOCK — Following a week of homecoming festivities, No. 10 Texas Tech blew out Arizona State 53-25 Saturday behind a strong offensive effort at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders’ linebackers have a knack for pick-sixes this season. After a fumble from J’Koby Williams gave the Sun Devils the ball on the ASU 2-yard line, Tech’s defense didn’t let the offensive drive go to waste, as Ben Roberts earned his first pick-six of the season to make the game 7-0. Tech’s linebacker trio of Roberts, Austin Romaine and John Curry has combined for four pick-sixes this season.
Tech found the end zone two more times in the first quarter. Will Hammond ran for 9 yards to the end zone, including a spin move, to make the game 14-0. On the next offensive drive, and on the first play of that drive, Williams ran for 62 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-0.
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The Red Raiders added 22 more points in the first half, heading into the locker room up 43-10 on the Sun Devils.
Defensively, Tech did its best to make both Arizona State quarterbacks, Cutter Boley and Mikey Keene, as uncomfortable as possible. The Red Raiders recorded six sacks on the day, which is the most they’ve recorded in a single game this season.
Here are five thoughts from the Red Raiders’ victory over Arizona State:
First-half offensive struggles nonexistent against ASU
The Red Raiders struggled early offensively in each of their first five contests this season, either trailing at halftime or being within one score of their opponent in four of those five games. That wasn’t the case Saturday.
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Tech recorded 404 yards of offense in the first 30 minutes of the contest, which is more than the Red Raiders’ full-game totals against Oregon State and Colorado. Within those 404 yards, the Red Raiders put together four offensive touchdowns, with two from Williams, one from Hammond and another from Coy Eakin.
“How do you start fast? You got to execute,” said Joey McGuire, Tech head coach. “We came out and I thought we executed at a really high level. I thought our quarterback played really well in the first half. It’s probably the best half I’ve ever seen him play, the decisions he made.”
Hammond finished the half completing 14 of 20 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. Hammond’s top receiver, Kenny Johnson, finished the half with 113 receiving yards.
Williams has career day in Dickey’s absence
With Cameron Dickey out for several weeks with a high ankle sprain, the Red Raiders were down a premier rushing option heading into the game against the Sun Devils. It didn’t matter, however, as Williams rushed for the most yards of his career.
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The Beckville native had already broken his career-high in rushing yards at halftime with 141 and two touchdowns. His previous high was 135 yards against Kansas State last season.
“Everybody needs a J’Koby Williams in their life,” McGuire said. “He plays with such joy. He’s such a great teammate, and for him to have a day like he did is really, really special.”
Williams finished the game with 165 rushing yards on 11 carries, creating a sense of ease for the Tech running game despite Dickey’s injury.
Linebacker trio continues to impress
Following the victory against Arizona State, Tech’s linebacker trio of Romaine, Roberts and Curry have recorded six interceptions this season, with four finding their way back to the end zone.
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“I felt like the last three weeks, [defensive coordinator Shiel Wood] has even gone a step further to get these guys to knock the ball out or be in position to intercept the ball, and to just get another possession back for your offense,” McGuire said. “It’s a big momentum deal.”
As a unit, the three linebackers recorded 17 total tackles against the Sun Devils, including half a sack from Romaine and several hard hits across the field.
Tech’s linebackers continue to be behind the Red Raiders’ defensive success, creating pressure inside the box for opposing quarterbacks and offenses as a whole.
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 17: Ben Roberts #13 and A.J. Holms Jr. #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galaxy Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
Red Raiders’ pass-rush unit finally comes alive
Creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks has been an area of struggle through the Red Raiders’ first five games, with the team’s season high in sacks topping out at three.
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The Red Raiders doubled that total against ASU on Saturday, collecting six sacks. A.J. Holmes Jr. led Tech with 1.5 sacks on the day, putting his season total at four. There was consistent pressure on both Boley and Keene throughout the second half, resulting in several roll-out plays for the Sun Devils.
Other Red Raiders who found the QB included Romaine, Marcus Ramon-Edwards, Mateen Ibirogba, LaDamion Guyton and Trey White. If Tech’s pass-rushers can consistently find the quarterback and create pressure, it takes a lot of stress off an inconsistent secondary.
Bye week self-scout pays off against Sun Devils
McGuire tabbed the Red Raiders’ bye week as a vital time to fix his team’s consistent areas of concern. Tech showcased those areas of improvement by blowing out the Sun Devils with little resistance.
Tech’s offensive output specifically was a point of emphasis as McGuire called on Hammond to work on the timing of his release. Hammond bounced back against ASU after his lowest statistical game of the season against Colorado in Week 5, finishing the game with 18 of 26 completions for 232 yards and a touchdown.
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Whatever the Red Raiders wanted to achieve in their self-scout during the bye, they achieved it Saturday afternoon. Tech will attempt to ride the victory’s momentum as it heads to Cincinnati next week for its Week 7 matchup.
“We’re going to enjoy this for 24 hours,” McGuire said. “We’re gonna dig into the film. We’re gonna be real honest with ourselves. Still tell the truth. Just because we played better in the first half, there’s still a lot of stuff that we can get better at, and we’re gonna come back and try to go one and zero again when we go to Cincinnati.”