Will Hammond made a successful return from knee surgery, Quinten Joyner and J'Koby Williams each ran for a touchdown and Stone Harrington kicked four field goals as the 12th-ranked Texas Tech football team put away Abilene Christian in a season opener on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Galaxy Stadium.
Joyner capped Tech's first series with a 14-yard touchdown, and Williams finished the second with a 5-yard TD. Harrington's field goals came from 23, 28, 33 and 45 yards.
Auburn transfer Malcolm Simmons made his Tech debut with a 64-yard touchdown reception with 2:45 left in the game.
Here's a quick report
card on the Red Raiders.
Offense: B
Yeah, the offense stalled in the red zone, continuing a pattern from last year. But had we said last winter and spring that Will Hammond, on opening night, would complete his first 14 passes and finish 26 of 33 for 298 yards, everyone's taking that.
Defense: B
Playing David Bailey's spot, Jamond Mathis had team highs of 6 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks. With two first-time starters at safety, Tech yielded only 119 passing yards. Red Raiders gave up six third-down conversions, a few more than you want against an FCS team.
Special teams: C
Stone Harrington, a Groza Award semifinalist last year, started this season going 4-for-4 on field goals. They came in a span of five possessions, opening up what was a 14-0 lead. Kenny Perry will be fussin' and cussin' after giving up a late kickoff-return touchdown, though.
Coaching: B
The Red Raiders looked ready to go, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions and coming away with points on six of their first seven series. Good on the staff that there were no long, sluggish stretches.
Overall: A
This probably isn't a performance to move a team up in the polls, not with being a six-touchdown favorite and winning by about half that. But the point of a season opener against a lower-division team is to answer some questions, get out healthy and never be in trouble. Red Raiders checked the box on each of those.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: No 50-burger, but does this one get an A? | Texas Tech football grades
