Tommy Castellanos started at quarterback for Texas Tech vs. No. 22 Houston on Friday night, but coach Joey McGuire confirmed after the game that Will Hammond will be QB1 going forward.
Hammond entered the game after Castellanos, the former Florida State and Boston College quarterback, was intercepted on the Red Raiders' opening drive while trying to throw the ball away while under pressure.
After the interception, he didn't take another snap until his 3-yard TD run with 3:39 left in the first half.
Hammond was 17-of-27 passing for 257 yards and a touchdown in the 28-26 victory for the No. 13 Red Raiders (3-0, 1-0), who were down 10-0 and had only one offensive snap 9½ minutes into their first Friday home game since 1941.
"Will Hammond is our starting quarterback. We have packages for Tommy and those packages will continue to grow," McGuire said. "We had two plays we're going to run right there. If we don't get pressure, then I think we have a huge play starting right off the bat. ... The plan was two plays and Will come into the game."
Hammond had been expected to be the starter this year before an ACL injury last October. There was also the offseason saga surrounding departed transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who would have started but was declared ineligible after an NCAA gambling investigation. Hammond, meanwhile, had no setbacks in his recovery and was ready for the start of this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
