Alright, here we go...
*As always, we'll start on offense. And here's your three pronged problem: Your offensive line is flat out not pass protecting well on a consistent basis. They let guys get by on a three man rush, which is just unacceptable. But in addition to that, you have a quarterback that loves to flush out into the flats anyway, so when you aren't blocking well, he's going to have an extra itchy trigger to do it. As a result, Mahomes doesn't stay in the pocket anywhere near long enough when he does get stretches of good protection. And it also doesn't help that Malik Jefferson is the guy spying your quarterback, essentially nullifying his ability to run for any chunks of positive yardage or have time to throw when he flushes.
*So the cure is to run the ball, right? So, in the second half, the Red Raiders either ran the ball, threw a screen, or threw a short dumpoff pass on 12 of 14 first down plays. Kliff adjusted his play calling, for sure. When Texas started backing off and put seven or eight in coverage, he started running it, running curls, running comebacks, stick, drags, screens, etc.. The problem is 2nd and 3rd down, however, and we come back to the problem of the O-line isn't blocking well enough or Mahomes is trying to do too much by himself.
*Which now, let's talk about Mahomes' day. Honestly, just like against TCU, he didn't have as bad of a game as I initially thought. Now yes, he is definitely taking too many risks. He made two throws to end the game that a junior absolutely knows he cannot make. He made several others downfield like that earlier on, too, trying to force the issue. That and he air mailed several open throws he has to complete. The problem is two fold here now: First, he still doesn't have quite his full arm strength and he's not driving the ball with good footwork as he gets deeper into games. And because he isn't driving the ball, he air mails passes because the velocity isn't keeping his throws down. But a lot of that has to do with that when he is fully healthy and has all his arm strength, he has such freakish strength that his arm does the driving for him, which about 95 percent of other quarterbacks in existence can't get away with. Right now, he starts out great and has good footwork, and he drives the ball, but as the game goes on he gets sloppy. It's a big reason why his numbers and accuracy drop off in the second half and the offense stalls. Until he gets fully healthy, he has to do two things: Hang in the pocket longer with patience, and drive the ball with footwork. And he knows it. He has to stop trying to score the 14 point touchdown, even if that means you do punt the ball a few times. You have to trust your playmakers to make plays after the catch at the skill posiitons.
*Dylan Cantrell was about 6 inches away from having the best day an outside receiver has had for the Red Raiders since Eric Ward. He missed the potential game-tying TD with his foot out of bounds, and his hands were about two inches away from coming down with a huge catch at the 10 on that deep throw down the right side. He's so reliable, and he's making big plays for this offense, hurt hand and all.
*DaLeon Ward just continues to impress me every week. He gets better with every rep. He's going to be your next staple tailback as long as there are no snags along the way. I love how hard he plays and how he fights so hard for extra yards. And speaking of, I'd love to see Kliff call more stretch plays for him in the run game. He has elite speed that he just hasn't had a real chance to show off yet, but he could hit a hole and get a big gainer for you on stretches where he can get out in space a bit better and make one cut and go.
*One final note on the offense: The reason they came out to such a hot start was the man coverage from Texas. Rub routes, slants, etc. really gave them fits early on and Tech took advantage. Not until they switched up strategies and started dropping seven or eight into soft zones did Mahomes and the offense start having issues. It's the same thing that's been the problem against TCU and West Virginia. For this offense to keep rolling when defenses do that, thee O-line simply has to run block better, hold up in pass pro longer, and Mahomes has to be willing to stand tall in the pocket and have patience unless he gets flushed hard from one side. That's what has to happen.Play within the system.
*Defensively, it's pretty simple: It wasn't pretty at all, but when they had to get stops or make plays, they did. This team had a bad, bad mismatch in the off-tackle run game with Foreman and the UT O-line, and despite giving up some big plays because of that mismatch, they were able to grit their teeth and find a way. That's been the most encouraging thing about this defense the last two weeks: They find a way. Is it okay for them to give up 45? No, of course, not, but they got enough stops for Tech to win this game, specifically in the fourth quarter where they stripped the ball, got two punts, and got a fourth and one stop. They got four straight stops to end the game, and the offense was only able to capitalize once.
*Gibbs played a ton of off coverage with the DBs throughout the game, and it was so UT wouldn't hit a home run over the top. And I get that, and they didn't through the air all game. The only problem was that they allowed Buechele and his receivers to comeback and curl you to death a few times. With your defense, it's a game of where you're willing to take the jabs at this point, and I get it. I liked it better when they mixed in some press here. They can't do it all the time, but I think it helped cut down on Buechele's accuracy in the second half.
*You kind of kick yourself just a bit, too, because UT's receivers essentially made two fantastic toe tap catches in the corners of the endzone to score on third and goals twice. You get field goals there instead of TDs and the Red Raiders likely win. It's just tough and a hair of difference sometimes.
*Doug Coleman is going to be a superstar at corner for Texas Tech. He's extremely gifted athletically, has a natural feel for how to play corner, and there isn't any quit in him. He made the biggest defensive plays for Tech on Saturday, and he's going to be a staple on this defense for years.
*Malik Jenkins, while he gave up a few plays, had another really solid outing again. He and Jordyn Brooks are the sole reasons Tech had a chance to tie at the end of the game, as they came up and stonewalled Swoopes on the 4th and 1 play. My hope is that Tech can find a way to win a few games here down the stretch so that kid can really shine in four more games as a Red Raider.
*Once again, as it's been most of the year, run defense up the middle wasn't the issue against Texas. I think Breiden Fehoko, Ondre Pipkens, and Broderick Washington are playing great on the interior for you, and that was the case again. The problem is, and again, that you can't get a consistent end or young LB/S to set the edge for you in the run game, and teams gash you there because of it.
*The most frustrating thing this year, and especially on Saturday against Texas, is despite your flaws and issues, Tech has lost three games by one possession. They're so close to playing good enough football to win close games in this conference, and they've taken steps forward as the year goes on defensively and in discipline to have those chances to win, specifically in the last two weeks. You simply have to figure something out on offense to avoid these lulls they fall into.
*As always, we'll start on offense. And here's your three pronged problem: Your offensive line is flat out not pass protecting well on a consistent basis. They let guys get by on a three man rush, which is just unacceptable. But in addition to that, you have a quarterback that loves to flush out into the flats anyway, so when you aren't blocking well, he's going to have an extra itchy trigger to do it. As a result, Mahomes doesn't stay in the pocket anywhere near long enough when he does get stretches of good protection. And it also doesn't help that Malik Jefferson is the guy spying your quarterback, essentially nullifying his ability to run for any chunks of positive yardage or have time to throw when he flushes.
*So the cure is to run the ball, right? So, in the second half, the Red Raiders either ran the ball, threw a screen, or threw a short dumpoff pass on 12 of 14 first down plays. Kliff adjusted his play calling, for sure. When Texas started backing off and put seven or eight in coverage, he started running it, running curls, running comebacks, stick, drags, screens, etc.. The problem is 2nd and 3rd down, however, and we come back to the problem of the O-line isn't blocking well enough or Mahomes is trying to do too much by himself.
*Which now, let's talk about Mahomes' day. Honestly, just like against TCU, he didn't have as bad of a game as I initially thought. Now yes, he is definitely taking too many risks. He made two throws to end the game that a junior absolutely knows he cannot make. He made several others downfield like that earlier on, too, trying to force the issue. That and he air mailed several open throws he has to complete. The problem is two fold here now: First, he still doesn't have quite his full arm strength and he's not driving the ball with good footwork as he gets deeper into games. And because he isn't driving the ball, he air mails passes because the velocity isn't keeping his throws down. But a lot of that has to do with that when he is fully healthy and has all his arm strength, he has such freakish strength that his arm does the driving for him, which about 95 percent of other quarterbacks in existence can't get away with. Right now, he starts out great and has good footwork, and he drives the ball, but as the game goes on he gets sloppy. It's a big reason why his numbers and accuracy drop off in the second half and the offense stalls. Until he gets fully healthy, he has to do two things: Hang in the pocket longer with patience, and drive the ball with footwork. And he knows it. He has to stop trying to score the 14 point touchdown, even if that means you do punt the ball a few times. You have to trust your playmakers to make plays after the catch at the skill posiitons.
*Dylan Cantrell was about 6 inches away from having the best day an outside receiver has had for the Red Raiders since Eric Ward. He missed the potential game-tying TD with his foot out of bounds, and his hands were about two inches away from coming down with a huge catch at the 10 on that deep throw down the right side. He's so reliable, and he's making big plays for this offense, hurt hand and all.
*DaLeon Ward just continues to impress me every week. He gets better with every rep. He's going to be your next staple tailback as long as there are no snags along the way. I love how hard he plays and how he fights so hard for extra yards. And speaking of, I'd love to see Kliff call more stretch plays for him in the run game. He has elite speed that he just hasn't had a real chance to show off yet, but he could hit a hole and get a big gainer for you on stretches where he can get out in space a bit better and make one cut and go.
*One final note on the offense: The reason they came out to such a hot start was the man coverage from Texas. Rub routes, slants, etc. really gave them fits early on and Tech took advantage. Not until they switched up strategies and started dropping seven or eight into soft zones did Mahomes and the offense start having issues. It's the same thing that's been the problem against TCU and West Virginia. For this offense to keep rolling when defenses do that, thee O-line simply has to run block better, hold up in pass pro longer, and Mahomes has to be willing to stand tall in the pocket and have patience unless he gets flushed hard from one side. That's what has to happen.Play within the system.
*Defensively, it's pretty simple: It wasn't pretty at all, but when they had to get stops or make plays, they did. This team had a bad, bad mismatch in the off-tackle run game with Foreman and the UT O-line, and despite giving up some big plays because of that mismatch, they were able to grit their teeth and find a way. That's been the most encouraging thing about this defense the last two weeks: They find a way. Is it okay for them to give up 45? No, of course, not, but they got enough stops for Tech to win this game, specifically in the fourth quarter where they stripped the ball, got two punts, and got a fourth and one stop. They got four straight stops to end the game, and the offense was only able to capitalize once.
*Gibbs played a ton of off coverage with the DBs throughout the game, and it was so UT wouldn't hit a home run over the top. And I get that, and they didn't through the air all game. The only problem was that they allowed Buechele and his receivers to comeback and curl you to death a few times. With your defense, it's a game of where you're willing to take the jabs at this point, and I get it. I liked it better when they mixed in some press here. They can't do it all the time, but I think it helped cut down on Buechele's accuracy in the second half.
*You kind of kick yourself just a bit, too, because UT's receivers essentially made two fantastic toe tap catches in the corners of the endzone to score on third and goals twice. You get field goals there instead of TDs and the Red Raiders likely win. It's just tough and a hair of difference sometimes.
*Doug Coleman is going to be a superstar at corner for Texas Tech. He's extremely gifted athletically, has a natural feel for how to play corner, and there isn't any quit in him. He made the biggest defensive plays for Tech on Saturday, and he's going to be a staple on this defense for years.
*Malik Jenkins, while he gave up a few plays, had another really solid outing again. He and Jordyn Brooks are the sole reasons Tech had a chance to tie at the end of the game, as they came up and stonewalled Swoopes on the 4th and 1 play. My hope is that Tech can find a way to win a few games here down the stretch so that kid can really shine in four more games as a Red Raider.
*Once again, as it's been most of the year, run defense up the middle wasn't the issue against Texas. I think Breiden Fehoko, Ondre Pipkens, and Broderick Washington are playing great on the interior for you, and that was the case again. The problem is, and again, that you can't get a consistent end or young LB/S to set the edge for you in the run game, and teams gash you there because of it.
*The most frustrating thing this year, and especially on Saturday against Texas, is despite your flaws and issues, Tech has lost three games by one possession. They're so close to playing good enough football to win close games in this conference, and they've taken steps forward as the year goes on defensively and in discipline to have those chances to win, specifically in the last two weeks. You simply have to figure something out on offense to avoid these lulls they fall into.
