Joey McGuire recaps Texas Tech football’s first practice game
Joey McGuire recaps the Texas Tech football team’s first practice game of preseason camp for the 2024 season.
The Texas Tech football team held its first preseason practice game at Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday.
After the closed scrimmage, which included practicing the new sound system in its own way, head coach Joey McGuire had a long list of standout players. Many of those names came from the defensive end, but McGuire had to single out cornerback Maurion Horn for his performance.
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“I thought Mo got off to a really good start,” McGuire said, “but he took it to a new level. Even if the ball gets caught, he’s right there and fights to knock it out. … As a cornerback, he’s really physical and did a good job attacking the ball today.”
Horn, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound redshirt sophomore, spent his first two years with the Red Raiders behind veteran cornerbacks Malik Dunlap and Rayshad Williams. He made 116 appearances in 10 games last season, playing in both the secondary and special teams. Bralyn Lux is considered Texas Tech’s best cornerback this season, while Horn also makes the case for the starting lineup.
McGuire named linebacker Ben Roberts, receiver Drae McCray, defensive edge player Harvey Dyson and linebacker Justin Horne as other standout individuals from the scrimmage.
Offensive line needs some work
Throughout the first few weeks of training camp, McGuire has highlighted the play and depth of the Red Raiders’ defensive linemen, and he did so again on Saturday, but he also highlighted a weakness the team is currently facing.
Tech had to reshuffle its offensive line during the first week of practice because of injuries to prospective left tackle Sterling Porcher and Davion Carter, who is battling for playing time at center and right guard. During the practice game, McGuire said, the unit as a whole was pushed around by its defensive counterparts.
McGuire said it was difficult to find space when the No. 1 offensive line faced Tech’s six-man defensive rotation.
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“They’ve held onto their lead well,” McGuire said. “They’ve had some setbacks, so we’ve got to get better. The O-line will be all about continuing to train at the pad level.”
Dalton Merryman and Porcher both played left tackle in the first unit. Ty Buchanan played right tackle, as did Caleb Rogers, who slipped to the outside whenever Carter played right guard. Vinny Sciury seems to be the only player who has secured a starting spot, as the Toledo transfer mans the left guard position.
“We want to make sure we have a good mix of all the players playing together,” McGuire said, “so we can find the best five. The good thing is we have good depth.”
McGuire also noted that senior Jaxson Hughes will be fully fit starting Monday, so the Red Raiders will have a full complement of linemen.
The competition is more exciting than some think
Gino Garcia waited his turn as place kicker for Texas Tech after a rough start to the 2023 season. Garcia finished the season strong, converting nine of his 10 field goal attempts in Big 12 play.
But that doesn’t mean Garcia has secured the 2024 spot. At least not yet. McGuire said Garcia won the fight in Saturday’s practice match, but Reese Burkhardt prevailed in the competition.
“I think Reese had a little bit of an edge early in the game,” McGuire said. “I think Gino won out in the end. … Reese has earned the right to compete with Gino, and we want to make sure we have the best kicker out there.”
