After losing Behren Morton to injury, playing against Arizona State looked like a tough job for Texas Tech. And it might even seem true after their 22-26 loss to them. But despite this loss, the Red Raiders got their ultimate leader, and that’s Will Hammond. Coming into the game, he just had a five-game resume, but ended up holding the game till the end with his exceptional passing and rushing skills. Even if it’s hard to believe for everyone, at least analysts are already buzzing over his skills.

That’s exactly why Steve Muench didn’t think twice before stating, “I am still as high on Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond as I was going into the Arizona State,” on the Todd McShay show. Before facing the Sun Devils, Will Hammond already had 411 passing yards, four touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a 143.4 passer rating on his back. Then, even his rushing skills pushed his luck as he rushed for 231 rushing yards with 4 TDs. But his real skills came out against Arizona State.

Muench didn’t mince words before pointing out his exceptional passing skills: “Those throws—the first one was a 30-yard touchdown pass off the back foot. Perfect timing, perfect placement, corner of the end zone. The ball—it was 30 yards, but the ball traveled 42 yards from where he threw it. It’s pressure closing in on him. Unbelievable throw. The second touchdown was a back-shoulder throw, perfectly placed. You’re looking at some of the other throws throughout this game, too.” His performance kept the Red Raiders in the game.

With those exceptional throws, he completed 22 of 37 of his passes for 167 yards with two touchdowns and 1 interception. And even rushed for 47 yards on 15 attempts. That’s what differentiates him from Morton, as Muench said: “And the zip—the zip on the ball, the accuracy on the ball, even when things aren’t working out well. It is clear. It is clear how talented this kid is. And then, I’ve said this from the beginning, the difference between him and Baron Morton is the run game—how well he runs.” 

After the Texas Tech game faltered for three quarters, Will Hammond finally showed his excellence. He set up two late scoring drives in an attempt to keep the team moving. Then he scored a TD on a one-yard run, and then, following a defensive stop, he connected straight to Reggie Virgil on a 12-yard touchdown pass. But he didn’t just stop there after that. Hammond also ran in for a two-point conversion to give Texas Tech a 22-19 lead.

That’s exactly what Muench was pointing at. Before the matchup, starting quarterback Behren Morton was available only in an emergency role. Now remains day-to-day after missing a game for the first time this season with a knee injury. Despite Hammond’s brilliance, there were many inconsistencies that led Texas Tech to a tough loss.

Joey McGuire gets real about the team’s inconsistency

The HC’s visit to Tempe didn’t go as planned, as they faced a tough loss against Arizona State. They only recorded 276 yards of total offense against them after averaging an FBS-best 558.8 yards. Also, the Red Raiders were playing without their defensive tackle, Skyler Gill-Howard, which gave the Sun Devils an upper hand. And the result? They racked up 394 total yards against the nation’s best defense. Let’s not forget their red zone inefficiency.

Texas Tech only scored 2 out of 3 trips, which is about 67% of their red zone presence. Whereas every time Arizona State reached the red zone, they scored points 5 out of 5, which is a 100% efficiency rate. Then in the third quarter, Texas Tech had the ball for just 1:46, whereas the Sun Devils almost ran the ball entirely, controlling it for 13:14, so they could barely do anything on offense. All this made Joey McGuire furious as he pointed straight at it, talking about the missed opportunities.

“We just missed out on too many opportunities,” he said. “Early on, we were holding them to field goals, and then we just didn’t counter with any kind of scores.” He further revealed how this is a perfect learning experience for them. “I hate it. I hate being in a locker room and feeling like I let the guys down. But the one thing I said to them is, just like coming off a win, you’ve got to come back Sunday and look at the film and learn from it. We’ve got to do the same thing.” 

Now, let’s wait and see if Texas Tech can double down on those mistakes and make a strong presence this season or not.