Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire spoke to the media after his team’s 44-41 win over Cincinnati on Saturday night.
With a record of 4-1, the Texas Tech football team is enjoying its best start in the Joey McGuire era, following a thrilling 44-41 victory over Cincinnati. After the game, which ended with a last-second field goal miss by the Bearcats, Coach McGuire spoke to the media about his team’s latest Big 12 win.
“I’m incredibly proud of this football team,” he remarked. “Cincinnati is a strong team, and we recognized that all week. We expected a competitive four-quarter game. Early on, we lost Chapman Lewis to a hamstring tweak, and it felt tough to recover from that. Then Jordan Sanford injured his hand, requiring Joseph Plunk to step in at halftime, leading us through some challenging moments with three different free safeties.
“In the second half, Jordan and Plunk rotated again, but Plunk hurt his shoulder, although it seems he’ll be okay. Jordan had a nearly game-changing interception attempt as he continued to step up.
“On offense, we made some adjustments on the offensive line, and I believe we will keep improving with our core players, including Ty Buchanan. Tahj Brooks had a fantastic game, rushing for 172 yards, which is what we’ve come to expect from him. Baron made some crucial throws, and it was great to see Josh Kelly make plays after they initially targeted him.
“Dre McCray had a solid performance with five catches, while Coy Eakin scored two touchdowns. Overall, it was a fantastic game, reflecting the intensity of Big 12 football. It feels great to be 2-0 in the conference and 4-1 overall. We’ll celebrate this win before turning our focus to a tough matchup against Arizona.”
Sophomore linebacker Ben Roberts was the standout defender, recording 12 tackles, forcing a fumble, and applying pressure that led to a pick-six for the Red Raiders. McGuire praised Roberts’ contribution.
“That linebacker position has depth, thanks to Coach Bookbinder. Ben consistently comes through for us every week. His pressure on the pick-six was significant, and forcing and recovering a fumble made a big difference. He’s a highly intelligent player who can succeed in various roles.”
Regarding a specific play during Cincinnati’s final possession, when Texas Tech’s defense strategically delayed a substitution to chew up the clock, McGuire confirmed it was a deliberate tactic.
“Yeah, that’s definitely one aspect,” he noted. “We did over-substitute on one drive, but that’s something we practice frequently. It’s crucial to communicate from the box as soon as they notice someone coming off the field. In those moments, even a second can make all the difference, and we managed to get a player in.
“The positive is that our defensive line has enough depth to handle these substitutions. We have six players we trust, and I believe five of them played tonight, which means we aren’t panicking about putting someone in who can’t make a play. That was important. At the end there, we felt their kick line was around the 35-yard line, but they only reached the 32, which pushed them back for a longer field goal attempt to tie the game.”
The Red Raider defense allowed some major plays, particularly in the first half. McGuire explained how he kept the defense focused enough to make key plays later on.
“That’s a great question,” he said. “It seemed like all their scoring came from big plays. For example, they stopped us on fourth down, and right after that, they scored. We didn’t adjust properly on a motion play, leaving our linebacker confused, resulting in an easy touchdown. They got a 71-yard touchdown from a screen pass because we were taking the easy route and didn’t set our edges correctly.
“It all comes back to fundamentals and making sure we’re containing plays effectively. We hit the quarterback but didn’t sack him, which left our secondary exposed as they had to cover longer than needed. We must focus on containing the quarterback better, especially with Arizona’s mobile quarterback coming up next week. Many of those big plays stemmed from not containing the football and not setting proper edges. Even though we didn’t sack him, we did force some mistakes that helped us secure the win.”
Texas Tech QB Behren Morton had another strong showing, passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns on 19 of 29 attempts. McGuire shared his thoughts on Morton’s performance.
“He just keeps improving,” he said. “He’s making solid decisions, and we had some crucial checks tonight. He’s gaining confidence and even had some big runs. I think he feels really comfortable out there. He’s consistently playing at a high level, recognizing the field and executing what we need.
“However, there was one drive where we had to kick a field goal, and we dropped three passes, one of which was a sure touchdown. If we catch any of those, we likely score. Unfortunately, drops happen in football, but he was throwing the ball well tonight, completing 19 out of 29 passes. If we’d caught those three, his stats would look even better.”
When asked about the game plan crafted by offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, McGuire praised his strategy.
“Zach is doing an excellent job of understanding the flow of the game,” he said. “We have staff meetings before our final walk-through, focusing on what kind of game it is and how we can adapt. He’s excellent at recognizing what the defense gives us and calling plays accordingly.
“Our skill players have significantly improved compared to previous years in terms of play-making ability. And then there’s Tahj Brooks—there’s no doubt he’s the best running back in college football. He excels at rushing, receiving, and blocking for the pass. With him on our team, it complicates things for defensive coordinators trying to decide what to take away, and Zach is effectively leveraging that.”
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