It appeared Texas Tech had successfully moved on from the disastrous homecoming performance against Baylor. At one point, the Red Raiders scored 28 unanswered points against TCU. They held a 31-14 lead with 6:53 left in the third quarter. The TCU fans were emptying from Amon G Carter Stadium. But those who stayed got to witness a horrific Texas Tech collapse. The Texas Tech coaches can only point the finger at themselves as the Red Raiders lose a very winnable game 35-34.
Defense Did 75% of Its Job
After zero sacks and tackles for loss last week, Tim DeRuyter knew his defense had to make some negative plays if the Red Raiders were going to win. They responded emphatically in this area. The Red Raiders registered three sacks and seven tackles for loss. As a result, the defensive pressure forced TCU into some costly turnovers, three of them to be exact. That’s the good news.
The bad news was when the defense wasn’t making life difficult for Sonny Dykes’ offense, the unit was non-existent. Texas Tech coaches watched helplessly as their defense surrendered touchdowns of 35, 75, and 84 yards in this game. The longest touchdown of the game came at the most inexcusable point in the game. Clinging to a six-point lead, TCU wide receiver Eric McAlister was easily able to defeat man coverage outside. Poor tackling was then on display as he scampered down the field for the eventual game-winning touchdown.
Offensive Play Calling Left Plenty to be Desired
Early in the second quarter, Texas Tech executed a fake field goal to perfection for its first touchdown of the day. As great as it was, it was the result of bad offensive execution from inside the TCU five-yard line. The playcalling seemed to never find a consistent answer for TCU’s defense. Tahj Brooks was clearly the focal point of the Horned Frogs’ defense, selling out to stop the run. Brooks was limited to four yards per carry on the day. There was only one drive in the first half when quarterback Behren Morton and the offense looked in sync and free-flowing. Most positive plays still felt like unlubricated gears grinding.
In the second half, true freshman Will Hammond had to take over due to Morton suffering a shoulder injury. Hammond looked impressive on the first two drives. He was on time with throws. He was making plays with his legs, including a touchdown run. However, the offense stalled out on its next drive. But the most confusing play-calling sequence came late when Texas Tech was trying to win the game. With 1:48 left in the game, the Red Raiders had the ball on TCU’s 30. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley opted for inside run calls to Brooks.
The first two calls suggested that this team was playing for the field goal and forcing TCU to use all of its timeouts. While uber-conservative, it set up for them to call Brooks’ number again on third down. If he didn’t gain one yard, it would have been a 44-yard attempt. Again, while seemingly going against their analytical aggressive nature, having to play the second half with a true freshman at quarterback there is reason to want to just trust kicker Gino Garcia. After all, he hasn’t missed all season. But on third down, Kittley put the ball in the hands of said freshman quarterback. He was sacked and fumbled with a TCU recovery. It was the final action of a team that did everything possible to snatch a defeat from the jaws of victory.
Texas Tech Coaches Only Have Themselves To Blame
It is time for Joey McGuire to do some real self-reflection. McGuire’s energy has been contagious since day one. His “Brand” has been promoted anywhere possible. The key word in his brand has been “the toughest” which is not hitting. This team blew a 17-point second-half lead. The Texas Tech coaches can’t blame the freshman quarterback either because he was playing well. It appeared that this team was trying not to lose the game instead of going to win it. That is not the characteristic of “the toughest” team in the Big 12. Most notably, this team kicked a field goal in the fourth quarter that made a two-score game (10-point lead) to a…two-score game (13-point lead).
McGuire, who made waves for his aggressive style of football early in his tenure, looked at a fourth and two on TCU’s seven-yard line with 11 minutes in the game and decided to play safe. That is not the decision-making of “the toughest” team in the Big 12. Texas Tech still controlled its Big 12 destiny coming into this game. If they had won out, they would have played for the Big 12 title, a place this team claims they want to be. Instead, it is time for these Texas Tech coaches to answer for this team’s inability to seize opportunities that the best teams in the conference grab and not mask it with a smile and a catchy winning phrase.
