Week one of the college football season saw Texas Tech get torched through the air by Abilene Christian. Week two featured a ground game barrage from Washington State. Week three, however, resembled nothing like what the Red Raider defense had put on the field before.

Tech dominated North Texas, 66-21, with the contest effectively out of reach by halftime when the new Double T scoreboard illuminated the line of 52-7.

“I think it was really just going back to the basics,” boundary safety CJ Baskerville said following the win. “We really honed in on our skills with eyes and communication and that was a lot better this week. That showed on the times when they were trying to do things to us. As long as we communicate and be on the same page, then we’re going to get the result we want. I thought that was the biggest difference from last week. Also the “want” to get to the ball, like guys were flying around this week. It was getting better as each week went on but today was by far the best I’ve seen the guys fly around the field.”

It was a spirited performance and the team as a whole brought more juice to today’s contest than, like Baskerville alluded to, might not have been there in the week’s prior.

North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris was under duress the entire game and he rarely had clean pockets to throw in. The Red Raiders forced Morris into three interceptions, the first of which was taken back for six by Bralyn Lux.

The super-senior did not feature in the season opener against ACU, but his impact is undeniable when he is on the field.

“Lux is a big part of our defense and as skillful as he is, he’s also extremely smart,” Baskerville said of the cornerback. “He’s always in the film room and he’s always talking about things we can do as the back end to go against different concepts. That pick was just the result of how much he’s been in the film room. He was all over that pick-six on that comeback (route). Just having him there as an older guy, he’s the oldest guy in the room, he’s very mature and knows how to talk to every guy in our room.”

The non-conference slate was a whirlwind for the defense with the variety of ways they have been attacked. Quite a wake-up call for the youthful presence on that side of the ball, who have had to grow up in a hurry in an effort to keep up.

This holds especially true for Chapman Lewis, who was on the receiving end of the last of Morris’ interception trifecta. It was Lewis’ second pick of the season, his first coming a week ago in Pullman. In that same game, the Burleson Centennial grad was also thrown out for targeting.

A roller coaster start to the season, to say the least.

“Every game is not gonna go exactly how you want it,” Lewis said. “It’s all about just keeping your head on straight, leaning on your teammates to help you out. I know I got knocked out of the game last week, my job became encouraging my teammates from the sideline. I think that’s all that matters, just leaning on your teammates to get the job done… it’s all about leaning back on my preparation throughout the week. My teammates are also helping me out, everybody being in the right spot and forcing the QB to make a dangerous throw so we can make a play on it.”

The job does not get any easier from here with Arizona State coming to town to open up conference play a week from now. Featuring dynamic running back Cam Skattebo, the Sun Devils are an unexpected 3-0 heading into their first crack at the Big 12 gauntlet.

“Absolutely, I definitely think it will,” Baskerville said on carrying the defense’s momentum into the weeks to come. “But also you have to kind of be grounded and understand your mistakes. Like I said last week, understand what you didn’t do well and learn from it and what you did do well, do even better. This is definitely a real feelgood win going into league play. That’s a big deal going in on the right side of the win column. The momentum, I do believe it’s going to carry over because I feel like we did need that swagger back. In fall camp we had a bunch of swagger and then first game out, get almost 50 points dropped on you, it doesn’t feel good to the heart. To be able to go out there today and fly around, have fun and win on all phases of the ball, definitely has some swagger back in our program.”