Dec. 28, 2025, 5:15 a.m. PT

The Oregon Ducks are back in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals once again, and they’re preparing for another New Year’s Day game in a win-or-go-home scenario, this time against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It won’t be an easy jump down to the Rose Bowl this year for Dan Lanning and his team, but rather a cross-country trek to Miami for a spot in the Orange Bowl on January 1.

After easily getting past the James Madison Dukes in the first round of the playoffs, Oregon has had a chance to knock the rust off and get back into game mode after a long three-week break at the beginning of December. However, they will face one of their toughest tests of the season in a few days, with the No. 4 seed Texas Tech Red Raiders waiting for them in Miami.

While Oregon has faced talented teams like the Indiana Hoosiers, USC Trojans, Iowa Hawkeyes, Washington Huskies, and Penn State Nittany Lions, few compare to Texas Tech, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. It may be fair to question some of the numbers that the Red Raiders have produced so far this year due to their level of competition in the Big 12, but you can also make that argument about the Ducks, who have boosted several stats against the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten as well.

So what can we expect to see from this Texas Tech team, and in particular, what type of challenges will they present? Let’s dive in.

What do the Texas Tech Red Raiders do well on defense?

Much like the Texas Tech offense, there aren’t many things that the Red Raiders don’t do well on defense. They rank  third in scoring defense (10.9 ppg allowed), first in rush defense (68.5 ypg allowed) and yards per carry allowed (2.3 ypc) and 25th in pass defense (185.9 ypg allowed). On top of that, they get after the passer very well, with 39 sacks this year, which is fifth-most in the nation.

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The defense doesn’t just excel at limiting the yardage for their opponents, as they’re also the best defense in college football at forcing turnovers, having intercepted 16 passes and recovered 15 fumbles for 31 total turnovers.

Who are the top players to know about?LB Jacob Rodriguez

Rodriguez is everything that you’d want in a linebacker, as he’s fearless, instinctual and a fierce competitor and leader. Coming into college as a quarterback at Virginia, Rodriguez transferred to Texas Tech and has had to scratch and claw for everything in his five-year career, turning himself into one of the best players in the country, period. He’s always around the ball and literally goes after it before making the tackle, leading the nation with seven forced fumbles while picking off four passes. Rodriguez is the Red Raiders’ top player and garnered Heisman buzz late in the season for his standout play, and finished fifth in the voting.

LB Ben Roberts

Alongside Rodriguez, you have another incredibly instinctual and talented linebacker in Ben Roberts. He is second on the team in tackles, with 73, and he also possesses a strong nose for the football with three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass-breakups. While Roberts may not have all of the stats that Rodriguez does, he is just as much a core member of this defense, and is someone that the Ducks will have to scheme around on Thursday.

DE David Bailey

David Bailey is one of the best post-children of the transfer portal this last year, coming from Stanford and absolutely flourishing in the Red Raiders’ defensive scheme. He has a whopping 17.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks this year, and was named a consensus All-American.

Are the Oregon Ducks built to score on Texas Tech?

We’ve said it all year, and we aren’t going to stop saying it now. Although Oregon is going up against quite possibly the best defense in the nation, I think they are built to score on just about anyone. The reason for this is that, with all due respect, I don’t think the Red Raiders have seen an offense quite like Oregon’s yet this season, especially in the Big 12. While that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a good defense, I think it could put things in a different light when they’re asked to defend all that Oregon will throw at them.

If you do down the board, there are a number of “bests” that the Ducks will present on Thursday. Dante Moore will be the “best” QB that the Red Raiders have faced. Noah Whittington, Dierre Hill, and Jordon Davison will be the best RB group Texas Tech has seen all year. Kenyon Sadiq and Jamari Johnson are the best TE duo in the nation. Oregon will have the best offensive line that the Red Raiders have seen all year. If fully healthy, which it appears they are, the Ducks also will have the deepest and most talented group of WRs that Texas Tech has seen all year.

What should we expect on Thursday?

In no way am I saying that Texas Tech is not good enough to limit Oregon’s offense. But I do fully believe that the Ducks will score their points in this game. Maybe it’s just confidence as we get near the end of the season, and the Ducks enter these win-or-go-home games with near full health and time to prepare for their opponents, but I simply think that Oregon has the best offensive coordinator, and in general, the best offense in the nation. While I think that Texas Tech may be able to find some success in areas, I don’t think they, or anyone, can completely shut down the Ducks for an entire game. I trust Will Stein to put this offense in a place to succeed, and if Dante Moore can play up to his standard, points will be scored. I fully expect Oregon to score 24-31 points in this game, at the minimum.

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