Last one of the season, folks. Appreciate you guys reading this simpleton's thoughts on a little football...
*Well, I'd be lying to you if I said I saw that coming, and I think you can say that's the case for anyone outside of the Texas Tech football program. The Red Raiders were truly prolific on offense for the first time since the Oklahoma game, the defense did their part with turnovers and some huge stops, and and Tech never truly let Baylor regain the momentum after getting up 34-7. It was as close to a complete game that Tech has played in years. And dare I say it: It was FUN to watch Tech football again.
*So, let's dive a little deeper on offense. The biggest reason Tech was able to go scorched earth, particularly in the first half, against Baylor was because the receivers absolutely dominated their one-on-one matchups with Baylor DBs. Outside the numbers, down the hashes, over the middle, in the endzone, you name it. Even on plays where guys didn't catch balls downfield or in the endzone they were open and probably should have. That was the biggest landslide performance I've seen from a group of Tech pass catchers against an opponent with a pulse since either the 2013 Arizona State game or the 2011 Oklahoma game. Cantrell, Giles, Coutee, Brown, Shorts, Batson all made a defender look really bad at least once in the game. So, I will give a standing O to that group. Well done.
*While the offensive line has been a mess all year and once again wasn't exactly great at run blocking, they did have arguably their best pass protection afternoon of the season, only giving up one true sack that was their fault and only one quarterback hurry. Add to that fact how many deep balls Pat completed, and they get a pat on the back for their effort in the season finale. It helped some too that they were sliding protection at times, something I hadn't noticed Tech doing a whole lot before the BU game this fall. This group still has a long way to go before they're good, but there is some talent for sure.
*What can you say about Mahomes, man? If that was his career finale in red and black, it was a damn good one. At one point in the first half, he was 15-18 for 395 yards and four touchdowns. That's flat out outrageous. Pat's best passing performance of the season hands down in my eyes.
*KeKe Coutee, Jonathan Giles, and Dylan Cantrell have the potential to be one of the most deadly receiving trios in college football next fall. When Giles is on, he runs great routes, is extremely reliable, and he runs like a deer in the open field. Coutee is the space playmaker that can take one to the house any time he touches it because of his quicks and speed. Cantrell is a physical workhorse that wins way more one-on-ones than he loses. Those three will be a ton of fun to keep watching in 2017.
When you see Baylor scored 35, you automatically think bad defense, right? Well, consider this: Baylor went 5-16 scoring on their drives and Tech went 9 for 17. That means Tech held BU to 31 percent scoring on the night, while Tech went 53 percent. That should be the Red Raiders' formula for winning football games right now. Get turnovers and red zone stops and capitalize with your elite offense.
*Baylor went for a whopping 9 times on fourth down and converted only four times. They went for it 17 times on 3rd down and only converted on five. That's winning defense for the Red Raiders, and it was the big difference from other games where both teams were moving the ball this season. Sure, Baylor got a lot of yards, but Tech bowed up a ton with either turnovers or stops. It was the best Tech's defense has played since the TCU game, and it may actually have been a better performance overall considering the skill players the Bears have.
*Tip your cap to tduo of Jordyn Brooks and Luke Stice. For the first time this season, I saw Tech's linebackers be aggressive, shed blocks, shoot gaps, and come with physicality and decisiveness. It was like you flipped a switch. With Brooks, I think he's really starting to figure things out and is on pace to become a very special player for the Red Raiders. With Stice, he gave incredible effort in what he knew would be his final game of football. Those two guys are the biggest reason why the Red Raiders were able to find as much defensive success as they did.
*Hey there JahShawn Johnson! The redshirt sophomore had his best game of the season in the last game of the season. I saw what I expected to see out of him the rest of the year in Arlington. He had 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a TFL, and a pick, showing off his skills as a versatile player you let roam all over the field with confidence. We didn't that a ton this season, but we certainly got it against Baylor.
*Outside of the 53 yarder on 4th down to KD Cannon on the opening drive, Zach Smith never completed another home run ball in the contest and really only threw up a few more, which very much surprised me. It's a staple of what Baylor does, and they really got away from it. I think some of that has to do with their success running the ball, but I also think it has to do with that Tech decided to back off their coverage to protect from the deep ball the rest of the game once the offense got rolling and got Tech up big.
*Once again, Off-tackle run game was an issue, but Baylor only ended up breaking off a couple of long gainers. Tech did about as well as they could've done against a big mismatch on the ground like Terence Williams, who will likely become Baylor's next big time player on offense next season as the starting running back.
*Overall, effort and aggression were the reasons I saw Tech play so much better defensively. They need to use this game as a learning tool to show that, hey, you can actually get some big stops and really play defense! Effort and aggression. Need more of it.
*Well, I'd be lying to you if I said I saw that coming, and I think you can say that's the case for anyone outside of the Texas Tech football program. The Red Raiders were truly prolific on offense for the first time since the Oklahoma game, the defense did their part with turnovers and some huge stops, and and Tech never truly let Baylor regain the momentum after getting up 34-7. It was as close to a complete game that Tech has played in years. And dare I say it: It was FUN to watch Tech football again.
*So, let's dive a little deeper on offense. The biggest reason Tech was able to go scorched earth, particularly in the first half, against Baylor was because the receivers absolutely dominated their one-on-one matchups with Baylor DBs. Outside the numbers, down the hashes, over the middle, in the endzone, you name it. Even on plays where guys didn't catch balls downfield or in the endzone they were open and probably should have. That was the biggest landslide performance I've seen from a group of Tech pass catchers against an opponent with a pulse since either the 2013 Arizona State game or the 2011 Oklahoma game. Cantrell, Giles, Coutee, Brown, Shorts, Batson all made a defender look really bad at least once in the game. So, I will give a standing O to that group. Well done.
*While the offensive line has been a mess all year and once again wasn't exactly great at run blocking, they did have arguably their best pass protection afternoon of the season, only giving up one true sack that was their fault and only one quarterback hurry. Add to that fact how many deep balls Pat completed, and they get a pat on the back for their effort in the season finale. It helped some too that they were sliding protection at times, something I hadn't noticed Tech doing a whole lot before the BU game this fall. This group still has a long way to go before they're good, but there is some talent for sure.
*What can you say about Mahomes, man? If that was his career finale in red and black, it was a damn good one. At one point in the first half, he was 15-18 for 395 yards and four touchdowns. That's flat out outrageous. Pat's best passing performance of the season hands down in my eyes.
*KeKe Coutee, Jonathan Giles, and Dylan Cantrell have the potential to be one of the most deadly receiving trios in college football next fall. When Giles is on, he runs great routes, is extremely reliable, and he runs like a deer in the open field. Coutee is the space playmaker that can take one to the house any time he touches it because of his quicks and speed. Cantrell is a physical workhorse that wins way more one-on-ones than he loses. Those three will be a ton of fun to keep watching in 2017.
When you see Baylor scored 35, you automatically think bad defense, right? Well, consider this: Baylor went 5-16 scoring on their drives and Tech went 9 for 17. That means Tech held BU to 31 percent scoring on the night, while Tech went 53 percent. That should be the Red Raiders' formula for winning football games right now. Get turnovers and red zone stops and capitalize with your elite offense.
*Baylor went for a whopping 9 times on fourth down and converted only four times. They went for it 17 times on 3rd down and only converted on five. That's winning defense for the Red Raiders, and it was the big difference from other games where both teams were moving the ball this season. Sure, Baylor got a lot of yards, but Tech bowed up a ton with either turnovers or stops. It was the best Tech's defense has played since the TCU game, and it may actually have been a better performance overall considering the skill players the Bears have.
*Tip your cap to tduo of Jordyn Brooks and Luke Stice. For the first time this season, I saw Tech's linebackers be aggressive, shed blocks, shoot gaps, and come with physicality and decisiveness. It was like you flipped a switch. With Brooks, I think he's really starting to figure things out and is on pace to become a very special player for the Red Raiders. With Stice, he gave incredible effort in what he knew would be his final game of football. Those two guys are the biggest reason why the Red Raiders were able to find as much defensive success as they did.
*Hey there JahShawn Johnson! The redshirt sophomore had his best game of the season in the last game of the season. I saw what I expected to see out of him the rest of the year in Arlington. He had 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a TFL, and a pick, showing off his skills as a versatile player you let roam all over the field with confidence. We didn't that a ton this season, but we certainly got it against Baylor.
*Outside of the 53 yarder on 4th down to KD Cannon on the opening drive, Zach Smith never completed another home run ball in the contest and really only threw up a few more, which very much surprised me. It's a staple of what Baylor does, and they really got away from it. I think some of that has to do with their success running the ball, but I also think it has to do with that Tech decided to back off their coverage to protect from the deep ball the rest of the game once the offense got rolling and got Tech up big.
*Once again, Off-tackle run game was an issue, but Baylor only ended up breaking off a couple of long gainers. Tech did about as well as they could've done against a big mismatch on the ground like Terence Williams, who will likely become Baylor's next big time player on offense next season as the starting running back.
*Overall, effort and aggression were the reasons I saw Tech play so much better defensively. They need to use this game as a learning tool to show that, hey, you can actually get some big stops and really play defense! Effort and aggression. Need more of it.
