Texas Tech’s offense had its worst game of the season at the most inopportune time.
The No. 4 Red Raiders averaged fewer than four yards a play and turned the ball over four times in a 23-0 loss to No. 5 Oregon in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. The loss means that teams that have received a first-round bye in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff are now 0-6 as Oregon will play the winner of the Rose Bowl in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.
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Oregon freshman defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. was on the opposite end of three of those turnovers. And his second interception of the day severely damaged any chance of a Texas Tech comeback.
With the Red Raiders trailing 13-0, Finney intercepted Tech QB Behren Morton in the corner of the end zone on third down as the Red Raiders were threatening to cut Oregon’s lead to six points. Morton seemingly never saw Finney as he dropped back off the line of scrimmage.
The pick was Morton’s third turnover of the day. Even when Tech’s offense would finally string together productive plays, something would happen for the Red Raiders to stall out.
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After Finney’s second pick, Atticus Sappington hit a 43-yard field goal to put Oregon up by 16.
The lead could have been so much larger had Oregon’s offense not squandered so many opportunities in Texas Tech territory itself. The stellar Red Raiders defense did all it could to keep Tech in the game and stopped Oregon on four of its eight fourth-down attempts.
Oregon led just 6-0 at halftime as Texas Tech had a fantastic chance to take the lead at the start of the third quarter after receiving the second-half kickoff. Instead, the Red Raiders gained a grand total of two yards on three plays and punted the ball away to Oregon.
The Ducks extended the lead to 13 points a short time later after Matayo Uiagalelei stripped Morton and caught the ball. Uiagalelei ran 16 yards to the Texas Tech 6-yard line and Jordon Davison scored the first touchdown of the game one play later.
Tech got to the Oregon 34-yard line on its next drive, but, in a play that summed up how the whole game unfolded, running back J’Koby Williams lost a yard after taking a direct snap on fourth down when he needed just one yard for a first down.
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Tech still had a glimmer of hope after Finney’s second interception as its defense quickly forced a three-and-out. But as Oregon punted — and Tech didn’t make a concerted effort to block the punt — AJ McCarty lined up offsides. The penalty gave Oregon an automatic first down and helped set up Sappington’s field goal.
The Red Raiders didn’t have over 200 total yards until there were fewer than five minutes remaining in the game.
Can Texas Tech build another contender?
The Red Raiders were one of the best teams in college football in 2025 thanks to mega-booster Cody Campbell and the astute use of the transfer portal by coach Joey McGuire and his staff.
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A defense that was absolutely abysmal in 2024 turned into one of the nation’s best with players like David Bailey, Romello Height, Lee Hunter and Cole Wisniewski joining fifth-place Heisman finisher Jacob Rodriguez and others. But many of Tech’s key contributors on that side of the ball are either out of eligibility or off to the NFL. Can McGuire’s staff quickly identify talent to restock that side of the ball as the portal opens on Friday?
And will Tech go after a transfer portal quarterback? Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby has been linked to the Red Raiders after he announced he was transferring away from the Bearcats. Sorsby was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 in 2025 as Cincinnati was a midseason contender in the conference before a disastrous November.
Oregon is a win away from its first national title game in 11 years
Oregon hasn’t been this close to a national title since making the national championship game in the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of the 2014 season.
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A year ago, the Ducks entered the playoff as the No. 1 seed following an undefeated season and a Big Ten title. Like Texas Tech, that all unraveled in the quarterfinals, as Ohio State steamrolled the Ducks in the Rose Bowl on the way to a national title.
This year, Oregon looks like it can be a a serious threat for the national title. And it may have to avenge its only loss of the season. If Indiana beats Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Ducks will get another crack at the Hoosiers. Indiana beat Oregon 30-20 in Eugene in October.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
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Ben Fawkes
Oregon closed as a 1-point underdog vs. Texas Tech, which means underdogs are now 5-1 ATS in this year’s College Football Playoff with four outright wins.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks tacked on another touchdown with just seconds remaining, but the Oregon defense was the story of the game. It forced four turnovers and shut down Texas Tech all game long.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks are just burning clock in field goal range now.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
Well, something finally went wrong for Oregon, but it likely won’t matter. Atticus Sappington just sailed a field goal wide with just under 5 minutes left in the game.
It’s still 16-0.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
Well, that’ll just about do it for this one. Behren Morton was just sacked by Oregon’s Teitum Tuioti on fourth down deep in Texas Tech’s own territory.
It’ll be Ducks ball at the TTU 25.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks have added to their lead with another Atticus Sappington field goal as the game ticks inside the 8-minute mark in the fourth quarter.
Oregon 16, TTU 0
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks were punting the ball away but a dumb offside penalty gave them a fresh set of downs, so now they can bleed more time off the clock.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s another turnover for Texas Tech and it’s Oregon’s Brandon Finney coming down with a pick AGAIN!
That’s the freshman’s third takeaway of the game.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Red Raiders are on the move and inside the 10 after a long completion from Behren Morton to Terrance Carter Jr.
That’s the end of the third quarter and Oregon is still up 13-0.
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Nick Bromberg
Not pretty
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Red Raiders have some life! Ben Roberts just sunk into coverage and Oregon’s Dante Moore didn’t see him when throwing over the middle.
Texas Tech will have it back at midfield.
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Nick Bromberg
Texas Tech’s most promising drive of the day still took a lot of effort and ended up with no points. Something has to flip quickly for the Red Raider offense.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Red Raiders were facing a fourth-and-1 and opted for a shotgun snap to 5-10, 180-pound J’Koby Williams and the Ducks stopped him cold.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Red Raiders have finally found something positive offensively and are now over midfield after a couple first downs.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks have finally found the end zone on a short run by Jordon Davison! It’s only a two-possession game, but with the way Texas Tech is playing, that feels like a dagger early in the third quarter.
Oregon 13, TTU 0
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks may have just made the play of the game. Matayo Uiagalelei just stripped Behren Morton in the backfield and returned it all the way down to the TTU 5-yard line.
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Nick Bromberg
The Ducks simply do not have many advantages over the Texas Tech defense. This game could be 20-0 or worse … instead, Texas Tech can still take the lead with a TD.
Of course, the offense would have to move the ball for that to happen.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Ducks went for it on fourth-and-2 again and Dante Moore tried to scramble for the first down but came up just short of the line to gain.
That’s another turnover on downs in scoring range for Oregon.
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Yahoo Sports Staff
The Red Raiders didn’t move anywhere on the opening possession and gave it over to Oregon, and Malik Benson returned the punt over midfield.
The Ducks are almost in scoring range again.
