10 Things: Texas Tech 16, Kansas 13

1. Game Links:

2. Just Like I Planned It. Before the game, I thought that Texas Tech could be in this game, that they’d win, and that with a healthy Behren Morton, Texas Tech will get a win. The method of this win was not at all like I thought. Texas Tech was to have a significant advantage in the passing game, but the offense was run-based (we’ll get into that in a second), held a 5 minute time of possession lead in the first half and in the 3rd quarter alone, had a 8 minute time of possession lead. Kansas would eventually make their move after a stagnant Texas Tech offense, Kansas would have 204 yards of offense in the 4th quarter alone, 127 on the ground.

But Texas Tech survived and won, and all wins are good and fun, especially against ranked teams. I know, it’s Kansas, but having that type of attitude isn’t fair. Kansas has been a spectacularly explosive offense for almost the entire season and they weren’t. I know they were playing with a backup quarterback, but as Texas Tech fans, we haven’t been allowed similar excuses.

3. Fantastic Defense. Aside from the 4th quarter, which is a really big aside, the defense held so many times. The defense allowed a single run that resulted in a touchdown, aside from that run, the defense held Kansas to 3.3 yards a rush (it was 4.6 if that run is included, which shows how big of a deal it made). Holding Kansas on 4th down in the first half was HUGE and I think that Dadrion Taylor-Demerson’s interception isn’t an interception in most instances, really a terrific play. And the sacks inside the 20 were also huge, each and every one of them put Kansas back.

4. What’s the Offense. I love the can’t win aspect of the Texas Tech offense. It can be something to behold. Before I get to that, I know that the cries from the top rope are upset at Zack Kittley, another uninspired offensive performance, only 312 yards of total offense and almost no downfield plays. Of course, when Kittley was squarely in charge of an offense at Western Kentucky that offense had a run:pass split of 34:66 and the running game had 1,435 yards for the year, that’s in 14 games, and the passing offense was over 6,000 yards with 63 touchdowns. Kittley changed his offense completely and if you don’t know why, then maybe ask who he works for. I think that without a doubt, McGuire wants an offense that’s ground-game driven, hence the 48:52 run:pass split, and the run offense has 1,690 yards through 10 games thus far. This isn’t to say that Kittley is without blame, but this is the offense that a lot of you wanted, the Run The Damn Ball offense, and win close games, which is exactly what happened last year and yesterday. And Kittley knew this, signing an extension last year to be here 3 more years. If you ever wanted to know how much he loves being at Texas Tech, enough to totally revamp his offense and play a style that’s not how he learned how to coach. Again, Kittley isn’t without blame, he knows he doesn’t call games perfectly because no one does, but this is the directive he signed up for.

5. Bradford & Hutchings Were Dominant. Maybe the best games of their long careers. Jaylon Hutchings had 8 tackles, 6 of them solo, with half a sack and a pass break-up, while Tony Bradford had 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. I don’t know that you win this game without these two, they were so good at keeping Kansas in check for most of the game and they controlled the line of scrimmage. I don’t know that I ever just highlight the play of a player or two in these 10 things, but I think they deserve it here.

6. 3rd Down Stuff. The biggest issue with the offense, was 3rd downs, where Texas Tech was just 4 of 14. I wonder if there’s a direct correlation between 3rd downs and Coy Eakin only catching 3 of 7 passes thrown his way? I really don’t know, but of those 3rd downs, Texas Tech passed 4 of 6 times for 25 yards, so at least 2 of those were incompletes and I know that Eakin had one that he probably/maybe should have caught in the 4th quarter. I also know there were some 3rd and short that were given to Brooks and blame it on the line or whatever, but couldn’t muster the yards to get that 1st down. In fact, Texas Tech was uncharacteristically just 3 of 7 on 3rd and shorts. It should also be noted that the average 3rd down distance was way too big, 7.4, which is really high and not manageable.

7. Stats Stuff.

Texas Tech did a great job on 1st down, 30 first down plays and averaged 5.1 per play, move effective passing the ball, 7.8 yards per attempt, to 4.1 yards rushing per attempt.
Behren Morton’s lone mistake, was a 1st down interception into triple coverage.
Only 29% of Texas Tech’s downs were rated as passing downs, meaning 2nd down with 8 yards to go or 3rd/4th downs with 5+ to go. The game sort of dictated a run-based approach.
Texas Tech had 6 big plays, plays over 15+ yards and 2 of them happened in the last 26 seconds.
Tahj Brooks’ longest run was just 11 yards and was a workhorse, 33 carries for 133 yards.
Behren Morton completed 76% of his passes and averaged 7 yards per attempt.

8. Idle Thoughts.

Austin McNamara continues to be a hero, averaged 46.4 yards per punt and pinned 2 inside the 20.
Gerald Garcia has been so good this year, and although he missed a 48-yarder that could have put the game away sooner, he nailed that game-winner. Garcia is 13 of 18 thus far this year and his misses were painful, 3 against Wyoming and 1 against Oregon. He’s been nails since then and I am guessing that to have second cracks at those Wyoming field goals could have changed the trajectory of the entire season.
C.J. Baskerville had 11 tackles on the day.
Braylyn Lux had 2 huge tackles for a loss.
Teeter didn’t need to hold on that touchdown and I’d like to take that one back as well.
There have been, I think, no snap issues, since Dennis Wilburn moved back to center.
Eakin’s 43% catch rate was the lowest and Texas Tech has had a tough time figuring out that left-side receiver. Other than Drae McCray who caught 2 of 4, every other receiver caught what was thrown their way, Price was 5 of 6, Bradley was 4 of 4, and Sparkman, Cupp, Brooks, White, and Brown were all 1 of 1.

9. Coach Comments. Via Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams:

“I thought minus a couple of plays, we played one of our better games against a really tough team (to defend) offensively,” McGuire said. “We got it going early running the football, and their defense did a great job stopping that late, and we found a way to win. I think that’s what it’s all about in November, just finding ways to win. Get you another one. That was huge today.”

Tech is now 5-1 under McGuire in games played in November, a promising sign. The Red Raiders went into the final month last season 4-4 and this one 3-5.

McGuire says they’ve rallied because the players keep believing.

“When you go through the injuries we’ve gone through this year,” he said, “when you go through the losses we’ve gone through this year, there’s a lot of locker rooms around the country that start splintering and pointing fingers and pulling apart.

“It says a lot about the care factor our guys have, the belief they have in each other, and whenever you can keep that locker room together and keep fighting, the more you do it, good things are going to happen.”

10. Tortilla Tossin’ Players of the Game.

Jerand Bradley’s late-game heroics, 4 catches for 91 yards and Behren Morton going 60 yards in 19 seconds was pretty great.

Fitting that Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford share these two tortillas.

The final 3 tortillas go to Tahj Brooks, Gerald Garcia and Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Just too many important players this week.