Quinten Joyner, Jamond Mathis make most of opportunities for Texas Tech football - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Joyner took a handoff from Will Hammond, cut left, and found the end zone 14 yards later. He tore his ACL before the 2025 season even started, so Saturday's touchdown was his first real action in a Red Raider uniform. "I had a few tears before the game," Joyner said. "It's been a whole year since I've been doing it again. It felt good."

Jamond Mathis also made his presence felt when given the chance, giving Tech a pair of players stepping up in expanded roles. For a program that has leaned heavily on its depth all season, seeing younger or previously sidelined contributors produce is exactly the kind of thing the coaching staff needs heading deeper into the schedule.

For fans who packed Jones AT&T Stadium, Joyner's debut was the kind of payoff that makes the long wait worth it. A torn ACL typically sidelines a player anywhere from nine to twelve months, meaning Joyner spent his first year in Lubbock rehabbing and waiting for one moment that took exactly 14 yards to arrive.