In this new weekly series, KTTZ's Bishop Van Buren be covering some of the latest sports news in Lubbock and the surrounding West Texas region.
In this episode, we recap the Texas Tech football team’s historic season that came to a close on New Year’s Day with a 23–0 loss to Oregon in the second round of the College Football Playoffs.
But despite going scoreless in their first-ever playoff appearance, the Red Raiders gave fans plenty to be proud of this season.
After the loss to Oregon, Tech’s head coach Joey McGuire said he’s never been a part of a closer group of men.
“When you do something that nobody's ever done, that's where you start building something really special,” McGuire said. “And so I cant thank them enough. This is going to hurt for a long time, but can't be more proud of my football team.”
Although Texas Tech has been a founding member of the Big 12 since 1996, this year marked the program’s first-ever appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game after finishing the regular season 11–1.
The season began with high expectations, as Tech was ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 — its first preseason ranking since 2008 and its first appearance in the poll at all since 2018.
In their first three games, the Red Raiders outscored their non-conference opponents 174-35 and entered their Big 12 opener against No. 16 Utah slotted just one rank behind at 17.
After an injury to starting quarterback Behren Morton against the Utes, backup and redshirt freshman Will Hammond put together four scoring drives to lead the Red Raiders to a 34-10 win.
Tech then climbed into the top ten for the first time since 2008, peaking at No. 7, before suffering its lone regular-season loss — a last-minute defeat at Arizona State.
Tech responded with dominant wins down the stretch, including a nationally televised 29–7 victory over BYU in Lubbock, where ESPN’s College Gameday made an appearance.
The Red Raiders later defeated BYU again in the Big 12 Championship, again allowing just one touchdown, and securing a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
That dominance did not carry over into the postseason. Against Oregon, Texas Tech’s offense — which entered the playoffs ranked second nationally at 42.5 points per game — was held scoreless, and, in his final collegiate game, Morton threw for two interceptions.
The Red Raiders defense did their best to keep the game competitive, allowing just six points in the first half.
In a conference that has earned a reputation for offense, it was Tech’s defense that shined this season, led by senior linebacker Jacon Rodriguez.
Rodriguez drew national attention as a legitimate Heisman candidate this season, despite playing a position that has never produced a winner.
As his time and eligibility as a Red Raider come to a close, Rodriguez is now likely headed for the NFL Draft in May. He said that won’t stop him from being there for his teammates moving forward.
“I'll always be able to look back on this year, and be proud of, you know, the people that were around me,” Rodriguez said. “I kind of told them, they got me for the rest of their life, and I'm not going anywhere, and I'm here for them always, and they got me forever.
With Morton out of eligibility and Hammond recovering from a torn ACL, Texas Tech entered the new year with uncertainty at the quarterback position.
That question was answered this week, when the Red Raiders landed several of the transfer portal’s top players — including ESPN’s No. 1-ranked transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who threw for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns last season at Cincinnati.
The 6-foot-3 Dallas native committed to the Red Raiders after visiting LSU and Texas Tech. He has one year of eligibility remaining, and according to On3, his commitment includes an NIL deal valued at roughly $5 million for the 2026 season.
The program also made sure to secure stability off the field, extending not only head coach Joey McGuire but each of his coordinators as well — signaling continuity as Texas Tech looks to build on one the most successful seasons in program history.
And while it ended short of a title, McGuire emphasized that the foundation is now in place in the final postgame press conference of the season.
“Today, it hurt for a long time," he said. "But we're going to learn from it and we're going to keep getting better.”