On Broadway: Don't panic. It's all good.
Well, that wasn't how I thought the game against Baylor was gonna go.
For the first time in 2015, Texas Tech imploded against the Bears, self-inflicting wounds through turnovers and penalties reminiscent of 2014. Four turnovers in the first half, false starts, dropped passes, missed assignments, and more aided Baylor's efforts to go full on hyperspace offensively. Once it was pretty clear that the Red Raiders just weren't going to be able to get over the hump offensively, both teams went into full on get-the-hell-out-of-Dodge mode for the majority of the second half.
It wasn't pretty, but you have to admit: Baylor is one heck of a football team. They're big, fast, and physical across the board. They have the lateral speed defensively to contain your best YAC weapons on offense, they have the speed at receiver to hit home run after home run, and they have a physical ground game that can run right at you and march down the field. That's the best team in the Big 12 by my estimation, and there's a big canyon between them and the likes of Oklahoma, TCU, and West Virginia. And that's why I don't think Red Raider fans need to panic.
Regardless of what happened on at Jerry's Football Palace, I still think the Red Raiders have a seven or eight win football team. That starts with Pat Mahomes, as it has all year. Sure, he threw two jackpot interceptions, one of which was an arm punt on fourth down and the other a bad decision trying to do too much, but other than that, you still saw that same magic from him that there was through the first four games of the season. It's often hard to keep in perspective that he's also still a true sophomore, meaning he's just going to make mistakes at times. Graham Harrell and Kliff Kingsbury both did, and even at times to the boos and chagrin of Red Raider fans.
On top of that, Tech still has a veteran offensive line than simply had a bad day against the Bears, but it was also against the best defensive line they're going to see all season. They should've certainly played better, but it also has something to do with the opposition.
Defensively, I mean, what do you do? Every defense in the conference is going to have trouble limiting them to under 45 to 55 points. Even West Virginia. They can hurt you in so many ways, and they have the best collection of offensive weapons I've seen since maybe Oklahoma or Florida in 2008.
What I'm trying to say here is simply this: It was a bad matchup, and Tech had a bad day. Simple as that, and that's the result you're handed. I firmly believe that the body of work offensively tells me that was simply an off day and not a trend to worry about. The four straight games to start the year tell you that.
Creeping fears and doubts that scream 2014 start to seep in, and I can understand why. But it's going to be okay. This team is much different than it was a year ago, and the guys coaching them will, to a man, tell you that.
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Power Rankings: Most overrated players on Tech's schedule
Every year, there are a handful of players in college football that become media darlings for whatever reason, and they're vastly overrated as a result. Today, i pick my five most overrated players on Tech's schedule. I'm probably going to ruffle some feathers and get some hardy disagreements, but that's what we're here for, right?
5. Texas CB Duke Thomas - I think Thomas is a really solid corner, and he's done some really good things at times, but he's not a lockdown DB. I think the whole "DBU" thing at Texas from the past decade or so lends towards him getting propped up quite a bit. Texas Tech would obviously certainly love to have him, but I still just don't think he's an all-conference guy.
4. Arkansas OT Dan Skipper - I think Skipper has been impressive at times, but the move from left tackle to right tackle heading into this season told me all I needed to know. He gets a ton of love simply because of how big he is, and it has nothing to do with his performance on the field.
3. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard - Again, like several guys on this list, I think Shepard is a really good player. He's not an elite freak playmaker at wide receiver, however, and he's never had a 1000 yard season at OU. Again, he's a good receiver that I'd love to have on my team, but he's not as good as the other top pass catchers in the conference.
2. OSU QB Mason Rudolph - Okay, I know Level, AD, myself, and others were already calling him overrated before the season, and this was one of the biggest headscratchers. His numbers weren't anything to write home about, but for some reason, everyone thought he was the next coming in the Big 12. Welp, now he's splitting time with JW Walsh. Yuuup.
1. Baylor DE Shawn Oakman - BUT HE's A PHYSICAL FREAK JUST LOOK AT HIM. If I hear that phrase again, I'm going to puke. Oakman's on-field performance so far in his career simply hasn't matched his output. He has all the tools, but he's routinely handled by the best tackles he faces, including Le'Raven Clark.
Off The Reservation: Why Fall is by far the best season of the year
It's not even close by estimation. Fall is the best season of the year if you live somewhere that has a true Fall. The weather is crisp, and it's never usually too warm or too cold. You can layer up with hoodies or jackets, or you can go without. This also may have to do with my internal food calendar, as I believe that food gets proportionately better as we gravitate nearer to Thanksgiving.
On top of that, we have MLB Playoffs, the NBA season beginning, and football on.
There's my argument, and I'm sticking to it.
