If you walked away from Texas Tech's season opener feeling a little underwhelmed, you probably weren't alone.
This was supposed to be the beginning of another special season in Lubbock. The Red Raiders entered 2026 ranked No. 12 in the country, fresh off a 12-2 season that included a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. Expectations aren't just high anymore. They've changed completely.
So, naturally, fans wanted to see Tech come out Saturday night and steamroll Abilene Christian.
Instead, the Red Raiders delivered a rather ordinary 23-point victory over an FCS opponent. It wasn't a disaster. It wasn't even close to one. But it also wasn't the type of performance that sent everyone home dreaming about another Big 12 championship.
Before we start wondering whether this team was overhyped, though, it's worth remembering something about college football: Good teams can play mediocre football in September.
In fact, one of the best Texas Tech teams ever did exactly that.
Back in 2008, the Red Raiders also entered the season ranked No. 12 nationally. Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and company opened at home against Eastern Washington, then a Division I-AA program, in a game that was supposed to be little more than a tune-up.
It didn't exactly play out that way.
Tech led only 28-17 at halftime and 35-24 entering the fourth quarter. Two late touchdowns made the final score a comfortable-looking 49-24, but anyone who remembers that night knows plenty of Red Raider fans left Jones Stadium wondering whether their highly ranked team might have been overrated.
Then Tech went on the road to Nevada the following week and turned in another less-than-dominant performance, winning 35-19.
We know what happened after that.
The Red Raiders found their rhythm, started 10-0 and climbed all the way to No. 2 in the national polls. Those shaky performances against Eastern Washington and Nevada became little more than footnotes in one of the greatest seasons Texas Tech football has ever produced.
Maybe history won't repeat itself in 2026. But it should remind us not to make sweeping judgments based on 60 minutes of football in August or September.
Besides, there were some encouraging developments against ACU that deserve more attention.
Texas Tech's run defense still looks formidable
The backbone of Texas Tech's 2025 defense was its ability to make opponents one-dimensional. The Red Raiders allowed only 68.1 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the country.
Repeating that performance won't be easy after losing linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and defensive tackles Lee Hunter and Skyler Gill-Howard to the NFL.
Saturday night was a promising start.
ACU rushed 29 times for only 75 yards, averaging just 2.6 yards per attempt. Even that number is somewhat misleading because 17 yards came on one quarterback scramble.
For most of the game, ACU simply couldn't establish a conventional rushing attack.
Former Boston College running back Alex Broome eventually found some room and finished with 52 yards on 10 carries, but much of that production came late. By then, Tech was rotating defensive linemen and concentrating more on preventing the Wildcats from mounting a comeback through the air.
Yes, Texas Tech should dominate an FCS opponent at the line of scrimmage. Still, after losing some of the most important pieces from last year's defense, seeing the Red Raiders control the ground game was reassuring.
Jamond Mathis might be a name to remember
One of the best stories from Saturday night was a player who received little attention during the offseason.
Kent State transfer Jamond Mathis took advantage of an increased opportunity with Trey White injured and wound up being arguably Tech's best defender.
Mathis led the Red Raiders with six tackles and recorded 2.5 sacks.
Not bad for a transfer who arrived in Lubbock without much fanfare.
Given Kent State's struggles in recent years, Mathis wasn't a portal addition that had Texas Tech fans counting down the days until his debut. But the 6-foot-1, 250-pound senior showed an impressive first step and an ability to get into the backfield.
One game against ACU isn't enough to declare Mathis the next star of the Red Raider defense. However, his performance certainly gives Tech another potentially useful pass rusher.
That's especially encouraging considering the Red Raiders weren't even at full strength defensively.
Tech avoided the frustrating pre-snap mistakes
Sometimes the most encouraging developments are the ones that don't make the highlight reel.
Last season, Texas Tech had far too many pre-snap penalties, particularly on offense. Those mistakes often put drives behind schedule and contributed to the Red Raiders' problems in the red zone.
Saturday was much cleaner.
There was one particularly ugly special-teams mistake when Tech had 12 men on the field for an ACU punt, handing the Wildcats a first down. The Red Raiders also jumped offsides on the same play, though that penalty was declined.
That's not something Joey McGuire and his staff will enjoy seeing on film.
Still, it was essentially the only major pre-snap mental breakdown of the night.
Most notably, the offense didn't commit a false start. There also wasn't a parade of formation penalties or other procedural mistakes that so often show up in season openers.
That's progress.
There is plenty of time to get better
Texas Tech didn't look like a finished product against Abilene Christian.
That's OK. It shouldn't.
The goal isn't to peak in the season opener. It's to keep winning while improving enough to be playing your best football when the games that determine championships arrive.
Now Tech heads west to face Oregon State, another interesting parallel to 2008 when the Red Raiders traveled to Nevada for their second game.
We'll learn more about this team there.
For now, though, Texas Tech is 1-0. The run defense looked strong, an unexpected pass rusher emerged and some of last season's frustrating mental mistakes were largely absent.
There are certainly things to clean up.
There are also plenty of reasons to believe this team will get better.
