Late in the first half against Cincinnati, No. 8 Texas Tech faced a vital moment. The Red Raiders allowed a touchdown to go down 11 points, but had a prime opportunity to erase the lead in an instant. The Red Raiders faced a two-minute drill and would start the second half with the ball.
Quarterback Will Hammond dropped back and made a horrendous read, throwing only two yards downfield toward his checkdown, nearly throwing an interception. After two successful run plays that ran the clock down to 31 seconds, Hammond launched a floating jump ball, calmly intercepted by Cincinnati safety MJ Cannon, setting up a touchdown to end the half that made it a three-score game. Cincinnati had this game circled on the calendar after the dramatic Brendan Sorsby saga over the offseason.
In a 37-18 loss, a miserable performance for Hammond, the Red Raiders revealed just how much they miss the portal quarterback, who was forced to step away amidst a gambling probe. To turn back the clock, Sorsby played two seasons at Cincinnati, compiling 5,600 yards before entering the transfer portal. Cincinnati sued him over an alleged unpaid buyout.
Then he admitted to placing thousands of dollars in bets, resulting in permanent ineligibility from the NCAA. After a dramatic court ruling restored Sorsby's eligibility, outside pressure forced him to step away. Without Sorsby, Texas Tech's staff expressed great confidence in Hammond, who is only now one year removed from a torn ACL.
But in the miserable loss to Cincinnati, all of the greatest concerns about Hammond came to fruition. Hammond threw for only 227 yards on 37 pass attempts with both an interception and a fumble to boot. The Bearcats scored off both turnovers to build an 18-point halftime lead.
During a game-deciding second quarter, Hammond was 2 of 6 for 12 yards with the pick. Cincinnati went on a 21-0 run over the same period. Hammond's inconsistency in the red zone proved especially damaging.
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