A rarity: Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire praises referees despite loss to Oregon in CFP quarterfinals
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire watches his team warmup ahead of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Oregon, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Rebecca Blackwell
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Texas Tech's Joey McGuire did something on Thursday that he doesn't think he ever previously did after a game.
He thanked the referee crew.
After a loss, no less.
The Atlantic Coast Conference's crew that worked the College Football Playoff at the Orange Bowl called nine penalties — six on Texas Tech, three on Oregon — during the Ducks' 23-0 victory, and no flags that came out during the game seemed to have any pronounced effect on the outcome.
“A lot of people don't say it and I don't know if I've ever said it in a press conference, but I thought the officiating was as good as I've been a part of in college football,” McGuire said. “So, hats off to that ACC crew today. They did a good job.”
Oregon's three penalties all came in the first half, costing the Ducks 25 yards. Texas Tech was called for three penalties in the third quarter and three more in the fourth for a total of 36 yards — 15 of them coming on an unsportsmanlike conduct flag thrown late in the game with the outcome already decided.
