{
  "id": 6208588,
  "title": "Texas Tech still searching for consistency in red zone ahead of test at Oregon State",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/texas-tech-still-searching-for-consistency-in-red-zone-ahead-of-test",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-08T01:09:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/texas-tech-still-searching-consistency-010941272.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Texas Tech's football team continues to grapple with inconsistency in the red zone as they prepare for an upcoming game against Oregon State. In their recent matchup against Abilene Christian, the Red Raiders amassed 471 total offensive yards but struggled to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns, aside from two early rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Stone Harrington converted three of five red zone attempts with field goals, while running back Quinten Joyner and J’Koby Williams each scored on two early red zone trips. Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich attributes the team's struggles to ineffective play-calling on first and second down, as well as difficulty executing plays once the drive reaches third-and-long. Tech has been prone to stalling in the red zone, converting only five of twelve third-down attempts, with an average distance of 6.5 yards to the first-down line. Head coach Joey McGuire attributes quarterback Will Hammond's struggles to regaining his comfort on the field, rather than a lack of mechanics. The team's next opponent is Oregon State, who are coming off a loss to Houston. Leftwich emphasizes focusing on improving their performance against Oregon State rather than feeling added pressure from the matchup.",
  "summary": "After the Red Raiders' red zone issues were a hot topic in 2025, they had to settle for several field goals in Saturday's season opener.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Texas football Week 2: 5 things to know about the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/texas-football-week-2-5-things-to-know-about-the-top-ranked-ohio",
        "published": "2026-09-07T10:50:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}