There was no shortage of entertainment from the scene on Big Noon Kickoff to inside Jones AT&T Stadium. It even included the Red Raiders getting the ball back with one minute left in the game down a touchdown. However, the game was ultimately controlled by Colorado after the first quarter. Texas Tech wasted an electric crowd as well as chances Colorado tried to give them. As a result, the Red Raiders lost 41-27
Tahj Time Frozen In The Record Books
Coming into the game, running back Tahj Brooks was only 122 yards away from becoming the all-time leading rusher in Texas Tech history. The game plan Last Word suggested was to let Brooks carry this team and play keep away from Colorado’s high-powered offense. Brooks did carry the ball 31 times. It was in the fourth quarter that Brooks broke a 25-yard run to officially surpass Byron Hanspard as the new Red Raider career rushing leader. In what should have been a celebratory moment, it came at a time when Texas Tech was down 14 points in the fourth quarter. Struggles by both sides of the ball contributed to a Texas Tech wasted moment in history.
Red Raider Defense Couldn’t Hold Up
The opening quarter for Texas Tech was a perfect start defensively. Deion Sanders saw his offense rattled and stymied by the home team’s defense. Tim DeRuyter’s unit was feeding off the crowd energy as they only yielded 26 yards of offense in the first quarter. But Shedeur Sanders and company did not panic. The Buffalos would go on to move the ball for 325 yards in the final three quarters.
Colorado’s team speed at the skill position was on display on multiple wide receiver screens that went for big yards. Sanders also made plenty of plays with his legs to extend drives. The biggest difference was Colorado protected the football. Texas Tech was able to register three sacks and eight tackles for loss. It’s clear this unit has made improvement from the start of the season. But Colorado had too much team speed for the defense to match for four quarters.
Colorado’s Defensive Line Was Difference Maker
However, the absolute difference maker in this game was the Colorado defensive line manhandling the Texas Tech offensive line. They logged six sacks and ten tackles for a loss. In addition, they kept Brooks from being a difference-maker. In the first half, Texas Tech only ran for 32 yards as a team. Brooks’ final rushing total did get to 137 when the game ended. But he only averaged 4.4 yards a carry. If that 25-yard record-breaking run is removed, his average drops to 3.73 yards per carry. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley tried to stick with Brooks as long as he could.
However, Brooks never strung together enough quality runs to set up the passing attack for success. As a result, the passing offense (like it has for many games this season) looked like it had to grind out any completions. There were very few times the passing attack had any rhythm and consistent flow that would stress Colorado’s defense. The pressure from the Colorado defensive front also created three Red Raider turnovers. Even with all of the troubles by both sides of the ball, Colorado let Texas Tech hang around.
Officiating was Abysmal
This is the part of the story where the reader needs to know the officiating in this game was horrendous. Texas Tech fans will say it was extremely one-sided with two calls specifically in mind. One was a roughing the passing call on Sanders (which was not roughing the passer) that kept a drive alive. Colorado would score a touchdown on that ensuing drive. Another one was a fourth down for the Red Raiders where Morton was very clearly grabbed by the face mask on a sack and the referees missed it. In total, there were a combined 25 accepted penalties for 186 yards between the teams. The game was very chippy throughout and the refs seemed to lose control of the game with lots of extra pushing and shoving by both sides.
Texas Tech Wasted Too Many Opportunities
But the fact is, even with the calls that went against the Red Raiders, they did not play well enough to deserve a win in this game. The story of this game (and what will likely be the season) will be the number of times Texas Tech wasted a chance to seize this game. It started in the first quarter having to settle for field goals on their second and third drives when they had Colorado on the ropes. Instead of a potential 21-0 lead, it was only 13-0 before Colorado woke up and made it 13-7. After the second field goal went through, there was an uneasiness felt in the crowd. Turns out those gut instincts were correct.
Another pivotal moment in the game was after Colorado took a 24-20 lead with 4:17 left in the third quarter. The Red Raiders called three straight wide receiver screens that went nowhere. The wide receivers blocked as well as the offensive line did all night. So on their 31-yard line, Joey McGuire called for a fake punt that fell incomplete. While Texas Tech was struggling to stop Colorado at this point in the game, the dice roll seemed very forced. Colorado would score a touchdown with the short field.
Bye Week Spent Wondering What If
The final Texas Tech wasted their final opportunity when they had the ball first and goal from the Colorado seven with five minutes remaining in the game trailing 34-20. Brooks did not touch the ball on the first three downs. But on fourth and goal from the one, the predictable inside zone run to Brooks never stood a chance as the offensive line was blown backward for a loss of two. With the Iowa State loss today, if Texas Tech would have won this game and its last two, they would have just needed Kansas State to lose one more time this season to play for a Big 12 title. Instead, their second bye week is now here and must spend the time wondering “what if” at another wasted chance to step up into the top tier of the Big 12.
