... Texas Tech's once-promising, feel-good season has instead turned into a situation where the absolute best-case scenario - and Texas Tech and best-case aren't exactly on speaking terms right now - is a unfulfilling 7-5 record punctuated by yet another disappointing home loss. That's the position that the Red Raiders put themselves in with tonight's performance.
... Jett Duffey was tremendous for the first 12 minutes of the game, completing 12 of his first 13 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He threw a terrible, awful interception - Bailey Smith's bad snap on that play will get overlooked but shouldn't be - on his 14th pass attempt and was pretty much abysmal for the next two quarters. By the time that Duffey got right, he had already committed three redzone turnovers and the damage was done.
... Texas Tech can win the next two if it gets first and fourth-quarter Duffey. It will lose the next two if it gets second and third-quarter Duffey.
... I still don't understand the ultra-conservative game management at the end of the first half. Texas Tech could have had one or two shots at the endzone with 12 seconds left, but the Red Raiders instead kicked a FG. Why not throw it up to one of the team's two 6-foot-4 outside wide receivers? I find this even more puzzling considering how aggressive Kliff Kingsbury had been earlier in the game by going for it twice on 4th down.
... Speaking of 6-foot-4 receivers, chalk up another stellar performance from Antoine Wesley. He's about the only thing you can seemingly count on from a production standpoint with this Red Raider offense.
... Scratch that. Clayton Hatfield also deserves to be put in that category. He has been outstanding for the Red Raiders this season. He was stellar tonight in his last appearance at this stadium. Hatfield's on-side kick execution could not have been better.
... Texas Tech's run game is still missing in action and a gigantic reason why the team is 5-5 at this point. Red Raider running backs accounted for 55 yards on just 14 carries. It sure would be a lot easier to navigate Alan Bowman's absence if the team could lean on the run game a bit. In Texas Tech's three-game losing streak, the team has had just one rushing score from a running back (Da'Leon Ward against Oklahoma).
... Defensively, that unit couldn't get off the field on third-down (Texas was 8-of-15), committed way too many penalties and wasn't able to force any turnovers.
... I was surprised at how much pressure Texas Tech's defense was able to put on Sam Ehlinger, at least in the first half. That was one of tonight's few pleasant surprises from a Red Raider standpoint.
... Jett Duffey was tremendous for the first 12 minutes of the game, completing 12 of his first 13 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. He threw a terrible, awful interception - Bailey Smith's bad snap on that play will get overlooked but shouldn't be - on his 14th pass attempt and was pretty much abysmal for the next two quarters. By the time that Duffey got right, he had already committed three redzone turnovers and the damage was done.
... Texas Tech can win the next two if it gets first and fourth-quarter Duffey. It will lose the next two if it gets second and third-quarter Duffey.
... I still don't understand the ultra-conservative game management at the end of the first half. Texas Tech could have had one or two shots at the endzone with 12 seconds left, but the Red Raiders instead kicked a FG. Why not throw it up to one of the team's two 6-foot-4 outside wide receivers? I find this even more puzzling considering how aggressive Kliff Kingsbury had been earlier in the game by going for it twice on 4th down.
... Speaking of 6-foot-4 receivers, chalk up another stellar performance from Antoine Wesley. He's about the only thing you can seemingly count on from a production standpoint with this Red Raider offense.
... Scratch that. Clayton Hatfield also deserves to be put in that category. He has been outstanding for the Red Raiders this season. He was stellar tonight in his last appearance at this stadium. Hatfield's on-side kick execution could not have been better.
... Texas Tech's run game is still missing in action and a gigantic reason why the team is 5-5 at this point. Red Raider running backs accounted for 55 yards on just 14 carries. It sure would be a lot easier to navigate Alan Bowman's absence if the team could lean on the run game a bit. In Texas Tech's three-game losing streak, the team has had just one rushing score from a running back (Da'Leon Ward against Oklahoma).
... Defensively, that unit couldn't get off the field on third-down (Texas was 8-of-15), committed way too many penalties and wasn't able to force any turnovers.
... I was surprised at how much pressure Texas Tech's defense was able to put on Sam Ehlinger, at least in the first half. That was one of tonight's few pleasant surprises from a Red Raider standpoint.
