... If this was Kliff Kingsbury's final Big 12 home game as Texas Tech's coach, it served as a stark contrast to his first. Ironically, the opponent in each instance was TCU. In September 2013, behind the raucous support of a Thursday-night crowd, the Red Raiders earned a hard-fought 20-10 win over a ranked Horned Frogs team. Today, in front of a small and sleepy crowd, and after pulling out all the stops to get a decent crowd to the game, the Red Raiders failed to give Texas Tech fans - those that showed up and those that didn't - a compelling reason to believe that Kingsbury should return for a sixth season.
... The fans' sentiments were made loud and clear in the fourth quarter, following Nic Shimonek's fumble with 13:50 left in a two score game, as they massed in the aisles and exits and left the stadium. Following five seasons of listless home results - and Kingsbury's 1-26 mark when trailing at the half - it's hard to blame the fans for their lack of faith in the team's ability to mount a comeback.
... No one should have expected Texas Tech's offense, based on its body of work in conference play, to have put up 30 or 35 points on a very stout TCU defense. But even compared to very realistic expectations entering the game, the Red Raiders' offensive showing today was extremely disappointing.
... After starting the game with seven-straight completions, Shimonek finished with just 10 more all game. His woeful performance at home today against a tough TCU defense doesn't exactly bode well for Friday night's matchup against a tough Texas group that just helped engineer a win in Morgantown. I'm far from any sort of Xs and Os expert, but for the life of me I don't understand why Kingsbury didn't give McLane Carter some run in this game when the margin was still manageable.
... The only offensive player who deserves any sort of positive recognition in my mind is Justin Stockton. Considering the opponent, he had a really, really nice game.
... Texas Tech's defense had a very nice game against a banged-up, but still talented, TCU offense. David Gibbs' group more than held up their end of things.
... Eli Howard (personal foul penalty) and Justus Parker (mishandled kickoff return) weren't perfect, but they made several plays today defensively and always seemed to be around the ball.
... It's not why the team lost, but the Red Raiders' production from its placekicker position continues to be a massive tire fire.
... Texas Tech basketball earned a nice win today over Boston College. If you live in Lubbock, they definitely deserve your support at the USA.
... The fans' sentiments were made loud and clear in the fourth quarter, following Nic Shimonek's fumble with 13:50 left in a two score game, as they massed in the aisles and exits and left the stadium. Following five seasons of listless home results - and Kingsbury's 1-26 mark when trailing at the half - it's hard to blame the fans for their lack of faith in the team's ability to mount a comeback.
... No one should have expected Texas Tech's offense, based on its body of work in conference play, to have put up 30 or 35 points on a very stout TCU defense. But even compared to very realistic expectations entering the game, the Red Raiders' offensive showing today was extremely disappointing.
... After starting the game with seven-straight completions, Shimonek finished with just 10 more all game. His woeful performance at home today against a tough TCU defense doesn't exactly bode well for Friday night's matchup against a tough Texas group that just helped engineer a win in Morgantown. I'm far from any sort of Xs and Os expert, but for the life of me I don't understand why Kingsbury didn't give McLane Carter some run in this game when the margin was still manageable.
... The only offensive player who deserves any sort of positive recognition in my mind is Justin Stockton. Considering the opponent, he had a really, really nice game.
... Texas Tech's defense had a very nice game against a banged-up, but still talented, TCU offense. David Gibbs' group more than held up their end of things.
... Eli Howard (personal foul penalty) and Justus Parker (mishandled kickoff return) weren't perfect, but they made several plays today defensively and always seemed to be around the ball.
... It's not why the team lost, but the Red Raiders' production from its placekicker position continues to be a massive tire fire.
... Texas Tech basketball earned a nice win today over Boston College. If you live in Lubbock, they definitely deserve your support at the USA.
