5 takeaways from Texas Tech's victory over Abilene Christian: Defense carries the day - Dallas News

No. 12 Texas Tech opened its season with a 33-10 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday at a sold-out Jones AT&T Stadium, with the Red Raiders' defense holding the Wildcats scoreless from scrimmage the entire game.

Tech wasted no time getting on the board. Quinten Joyner punched in a 14-yard rushing touchdown on the opening drive, seven plays after the Red Raiders received the kickoff. J'Koby Williams added a 5-yard rushing score on the very next offensive series, and just like that Lubbock's team looked like a unit with something to prove in week one.

The defense was the real story. Abilene Christian never crossed the goal line through actual offensive play. The Wildcats' only points came on a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown from Alex Broome late in the fourth quarter, which means every yard the ACU offense gained went nowhere.

For people here who showed up to a packed stadium expecting a statement game, they got one. A top-15 team rolling to a 23-point win while keeping an opponent out of the end zone offensively is exactly the kind of performance that makes the early-season noise feel justified.