Texas Tech football fans can spend another week complaining about what happened against Abilene Christian, or they can turn the page.
Because now things get interesting.
The Red Raiders hit the road for the first time this season Saturday night when they travel to Corvallis to face Oregon State. And if Texas Tech wants to shut down some of the criticism that followed Week 1, there's a pretty easy way to do it.
Go beat the brakes off the Beavers.
That's certainly possible, too, because Oregon State's season opener exposed a massive weakness that Texas Tech is built to exploit.
The Beavers might be in serious trouble in the trenches.
And not just on one side of the football.
Oregon State's offensive line could have a long night against Texas Tech
Let's start with the ugliest number from Oregon State's 33-20 loss at No. 23 Houston.
Twenty-five.
That's how many rushing yards the Beavers managed on 26 carries.
You almost have to try to be that ineffective running the football.
Because Oregon State couldn't get anything going on the ground, the Beavers were forced to throw 48 times. Unfortunately for them, protecting the quarterback wasn't much easier. Houston came away with four sacks.
Now Oregon State gets to welcome a Texas Tech defensive front that looked like one of the strongest parts of the Red Raider defense in Week 1.
While plenty went wrong against Abilene Christian, the defensive line wasn't the problem.
Tech held ACU to only 75 rushing yards while producing three sacks and six tackles for loss.
That's exactly the type of performance that should have Texas Tech licking its chops after watching what happened to Oregon State's offensive line in Houston.
And the Red Raiders could be even more dangerous up front this week.
True freshman LaDamion Guyton, the former 5-star recruit from Georgia, is expected to make his Texas Tech debut after a minor injury kept him out of the opener.
Nobody should expect Guyton to walk onto the field and immediately turn into David Bailey. He's still a freshman playing his first college football game.
But does Texas Tech really need another talented pass rusher against this Oregon State offensive line?
Probably not.
They're getting one anyway.
Texas Tech should test Oregon State's run defense immediately
The mismatch isn't limited to when Oregon State has the football.
Houston also pushed the Beavers around when it was on offense.
The Cougars ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 41 attempts, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
That's not exactly what Oregon State wants to see with Texas Tech coming to town.
One of the biggest reasons to be excited about the Red Raider offense this season is the potential of the rushing attack. Tech has a dangerous trio of running backs and an offensive line that is bigger and more physical than what we've seen in recent years.
This should be their opportunity to prove it.
Oregon State was actually decent against the run last season. The Beavers allowed 157.4 rushing yards per game, ranking 81st nationally, and held Texas Tech to only 121 yards on 40 carries when the teams met in Lubbock.
But this isn't last year's Texas Tech offensive line.
And after watching Houston run through Oregon State in Week 1, why wouldn't the Red Raiders try the same thing?
There's no reason to overcomplicate this.
Hand the football off.
Then do it again.
And again.
Make Oregon State prove it can stop the run before asking Will Hammond to carry the offense in his first road start.
Oregon State might not be able to pressure Will Hammond, either
There's another encouraging matchup for Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders didn't allow a sack against Abilene Christian.
Oregon State managed only one against Houston despite the Cougars attempting 31 passes.
That's exactly what Tech needs with Hammond going into his first road environment as the starter.
If the Red Raiders can run the football effectively and keep Hammond's jersey clean, the offense shouldn't have to put too much on his shoulders.
Let him settle into the game. Give him manageable situations. Take some shots when Oregon State starts creeping defenders toward the line of scrimmage.
That's a pretty comfortable formula for a young quarterback.
Texas Tech has no excuse to lose the battle in the trenches
Now, let's not pretend Oregon State is incapable of making this interesting.
The Beavers were within 26-20 of Houston with less than six minutes remaining Saturday before the Cougars scored the touchdown that finally put the game away.
And we've already seen Oregon State give Houston everything it could handle in Corvallis.
Last season, the Beavers took the Cougars to overtime before falling 27-24. Oregon State actually led that game 24-10 with six minutes remaining before completely falling apart.
So Texas Tech better show up ready to play.
Oregon State may be trying to rebuild its identity after the destruction of the old Pac-12, but going into Corvallis and assuming the Beavers will simply surrender would be a great way for Tech to find itself in another uncomfortable game.
Still, there's a difference between respecting an opponent and pretending this matchup doesn't heavily favor the Red Raiders.
It does.
Texas Tech has spent significant resources over the past two offseasons upgrading its offensive and defensive lines.
Those investments are supposed to matter in games exactly like this one.
Oregon State couldn't run the football against Houston. It couldn't protect its quarterback particularly well. It got gashed by Houston's rushing attack. And it generated almost no pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Now the Beavers have six days to fix all of that before Texas Tech comes to town.
Good luck.
Maybe Oregon State takes a massive step forward from Week 1. College football can be weird, especially early in the season.
But Texas Tech shouldn't need Oregon State to play poorly to control this game.
The Red Raiders simply need to play like the more talented and more physical football team.
Last year, Tech led Oregon State 38-0 after three quarters on its way to a 45-14 win.
Doing that again in Corvallis would certainly make a statement.
More importantly, after the frustration of Week 1, it would remind everyone why expectations surrounding this Texas Tech team were so high in the first place.
