LUBBOCK, Texas — Quinten Joyner scored on his first carry as a Red Raider, a 14-yard run with 12:14 left in the first quarter that opened the scoring in Texas Tech’s 33-10 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday.
Joyner tore an ACL in the preseason of 2025 and missed the year after transferring from USC. His last touchdown before Saturday came Oct. 12, 2024, for the Trojans against Penn State. He carried 10 times for 43 yards, matching a career high in attempts.
Saturday was Joyner’s first game action in a year.
“I had a few tears before the game,” Joyner said. “Like, it’s been a whole year since I’ve been on the field again. But it felt good, though. It felt good to be back with the guys and having fun again.”
Quinten Joyner Returns From A Torn ACL
Joyner’s touchdown run capped a seven-play, 75-yard opening drive. In his last season at USC in 2024, he carried 63 times for 478 yards and three touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 89 yards and a score, according to FOX Sports.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire told the team afterward that watching Joyner play a football game for the Red Raiders was the fun part of the night, and said it was the first time Joyner had been in a game for the program.
Joyner said the backfield’s next step is running between the tackles.
“It’s just running between the tackles, just punishing people, just running with anger,” Joyner explained. “But I feel like we did great today. We got a lot to improve in. And we’re going to do better, and we’re going to get better.”
Texas Tech Splits Carries Among Three Running Backs
Texas Tech rushed for 173 yards. J’Koby Williams finished the second drive with a 5-yard touchdown run and led the Red Raiders with 71 rushing yards, and Cameron Dickey caught a checkdown on one of the four drives that ended in field goals.
Williams set a career high with 8 receptions and totaled 141 all-purpose yards, adding 13 kickoff return yards. The last Texas Tech running back with more catches in a game was Tahj Brooks, who had nine on Nov. 23, 2024, against West Virginia.
McGuire said the negative runs came when Abilene Christian blitzed into the outside zone concepts and caught the play from behind, and that he would expect more than 173 rushing yards.
Texas Tech plays at Oregon State on Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore., at 6:30 p.m. CT on CBS.
