LEROY: Red zone issues prevent Texas Tech from a more impressive win - Midland Reporter-Telegram

No. 12 Texas Tech opened its season with a 33-10 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday, but coach Joey McGuire left Galaxy Stadium frustrated rather than satisfied.

The Red Raiders settled for four field goals from Stone Harrington instead of touchdowns, leaving points on the board throughout the night. McGuire called them "self-inflicted wounds," pointing specifically to a 12-men-on-the-field penalty as the kind of mistake that cannot happen if Tech wants to compete at the level its ranking demands. The sold-out crowd showed up ready to celebrate, and the defense gave them reason to, picking up where it left off a season ago.

The 23-point margin looks comfortable on paper, but that red zone inefficiency will not fly against Big 12 competition later in the schedule. McGuire also called out quarterback Will Hammond for forcing a throw he should have pulled back, a decision that compounded the offensive frustration. The defense held Abilene Christian to 10 points, which is the clean side of this ledger.

Tech opens at No. 12 in the country, and the gap between winning by 23 and winning by more might be exactly what separates a Big 12 title run from another close call.