The Texas Tech football team should beat Oregon State on Saturday.

That isn't really the question.

The more important question is whether the Red Raiders will look like the team their fans expected to see when the season began.

After a rather uninspiring victory over Abilene Christian in the opener, Texas Tech has one more opportunity to clean things up before Big 12 play arrives. Next week, Houston comes to Lubbock, and the margin for error will suddenly get much smaller.

That makes Saturday's trip to Corvallis more important than the opponent's 0-1 record might suggest.

Oregon State shouldn't be mistaken for a pushover, either. The Beavers hung around against Houston in their opener, trailing 26-20 deep into the fourth quarter before the Cougars finally put the game away.

That's already more encouraging than much of what Oregon State showed last season, including its trip to Lubbock, where Texas Tech rolled to a 45-14 victory after building a 38-0 lead through three quarters.

This Oregon State team has a new coaching staff and a little more life. Throw in Texas Tech's first road trip of the season, and Saturday should provide a much better measuring stick than the opener.

Here are the biggest things Red Raider fans should be watching.

It's time to see what Tommy Castellanos can do

One of the biggest mysteries coming out of Week 1 was the role of backup quarterback Tommy Castellanos.

The Florida State transfer appeared for only one snap, handing the ball to J'Koby Williams for a touchdown. That's hardly enough to satisfy the curiosity surrounding one of Tech's most intriguing offseason additions.

Joey McGuire explained this week that Texas Tech had a package ready for Castellanos, but those plays were designed for situations deep near the goal line. Tech simply didn't get into the right situations to use them.

That's understandable.

Still, Saturday would be a good time to open that part of the playbook.

Castellanos brings a running dimension that could be especially valuable in the red zone, which happens to be the area where Texas Tech desperately needs improvement. Defenses have to account for his legs, and that can change the numbers around the goal line.

Nobody is suggesting there should be a quarterback controversy involving Will Hammond. There shouldn't be.

But if Castellanos can provide a specialty package that makes the offense more dangerous, use it.

Terrance Carter Jr. needs the football

This might be the easiest adjustment Texas Tech can make.

Get Terrance Carter Jr. involved.

Carter caught only three passes for 28 yards against Abilene Christian, and he didn't record a reception over the final 19 minutes of the game.

More troubling was what happened in the red zone.

Nothing.

Texas Tech made five trips inside the ACU 20, yet Carter wasn't targeted once.

How does that happen?

Carter is 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds with the athletic ability to create problems for defenders who aren't built to deal with someone that size moving like a receiver.

Last season, he caught 55 passes for 624 yards and five touchdowns despite battling injuries. He's already proven he can produce at this level.

Texas Tech may still be figuring out exactly what it has at wide receiver, and spreading the ball around in Week 1 made some sense. Ten Red Raiders caught passes against ACU.

But Carter isn't someone Tech needs to figure out.

He's someone Tech needs to feature.

Especially near the goal line.

The red-zone offense has to improve

This is the biggest issue facing the offense.

Texas Tech scored touchdowns on only two of five red-zone trips against Abilene Christian. Another possession fizzled just outside the 20.

Unfortunately, that's not a new problem.

Last season, the Red Raiders scored touchdowns on only a little more than 55% of their red-zone opportunities, ranking 98th nationally.

That can't continue if Texas Tech intends to contend for a Big 12 championship.

Against lesser opponents, settling for field goals can be an annoyance. Against the better teams on the schedule, it can be the difference between winning and losing.

That's why the Oregon State game needs to show progress.

Maybe another week of preparation helps Hammond become more comfortable running Mack Leftwich's offense. Maybe Castellanos becomes part of the solution. Maybe Carter finally gets opportunities near the goal line.

Whatever the answer is, Tech needs to start finding it Saturday.

LaDamion Guyton finally gets his chance

Few Texas Tech freshmen have ever arrived with the expectations surrounding LaDamion Guyton.

The five-star pass rusher was only 17 when he arrived for fall camp after finishing high school early. At 6-foot-4 and around 235 pounds, he already has the physical tools to make an impact.

Now Red Raider fans should finally get to see what all the excitement is about.

Guyton missed the opener as a precaution while dealing with a minor injury, but he's expected to make his college debut against Oregon State.

And this might be the perfect opponent for him.

The Beavers threw 48 passes against Houston while managing only 25 rushing yards on 26 attempts. Even accounting for sacks and quarterback carries, Oregon State showed little interest or ability to establish a traditional running game.

If that continues Saturday, Texas Tech's pass rushers should have plenty of chances to attack.

Nobody should expect a 17-year-old freshman to dominate immediately. But if Guyton flashes some of the athletic ability that generated so much buzz during camp, his debut could be one of the most exciting developments of the afternoon.

Texas Tech's safeties are about to get tested

Oregon State's willingness to throw also makes this an important afternoon for the Red Raider secondary.

Quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 376 yards against Houston on 48 attempts. That's not surprising considering his background. The Mercer transfer threw for 3,611 yards and 34 touchdowns last season.

Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard also comes from an offensive background with experience coaching receivers and coordinating passing attacks.

The Beavers are going to throw.

That's significant because safety remains one of the least proven areas of Texas Tech's defense.

With Brenden Jordan serving the second game of his suspension, Malik Esquerra is expected to start alongside Peyton Morgan.

Both showed some encouraging signs against ACU, but Oregon State represents a much different challenge.

Fortunately, Tech has experience at corner with Bryce Pollock and Amier Boyd, and a strong pass rush could make life much easier for everyone on the back end.

Still, if Oregon State drops Atkinson back 40 or 50 times again, Morgan and Esquerra are going to be involved.

We'll know quite a bit more about Texas Tech's secondary by Saturday night.

This needs to look like progress

Texas Tech doesn't need to play a perfect football game in Corvallis.

It does need to play a better one.

That's what Week 2 should be about.

Get Carter involved. Find ways to turn red-zone opportunities into touchdowns. Give Castellanos a chance to add another dimension to the offense. See what Guyton can provide off the edge. Find out whether the young safeties can hold up when an opponent decides to throw the football all afternoon.

Texas Tech has the talent advantage Saturday. A year ago, the Red Raiders overwhelmed Oregon State without much trouble.

This year's game might not be quite so easy.

That's OK.

In fact, with Big 12 play only a week away, a legitimate road test might be exactly what this team needs.

The Red Raiders don't have to prove they're a finished product in Corvallis.

They just need to prove they're closer to becoming one than they were a week ago.