3 Quick Take-Aways From Texas Tech’s 41-31 Loss To #7 Oklahoma State. Texas Tech Still On Track Year One Of Joey-Lytics, Remember These Dates – History Repeats, Let’s Get Defensive.

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A few more layers of the onion got peeled off of this Red Raider football Saturday…

1. Even with the loss, this Texas Tech team is right on track to do exactly what they need to do this year. Show no regression in year one of Joey McGuire, show progress in any and all areas you can do this with the roster you’ve got to work with and make a bowl game. Obviously, Texas Tech made a bowl game last season in a year the school fired Matt Wells during the season. The talent level is similar and the league, while solid in the middle, isn’t quite as tough overall this season; so making a bowl game is minimum-level expectation. Always. Saturday, Texas Tech again showed an ability to adapt to some game situations, keep battling and make a a good team work hard to beat them. Texas Tech didn’t lose Saturday. Oklahoma State won. You want to be able to say that after each loss you have. Texas Tech hasn’t dropped a game to an inferior opponent this year and quite possible has a win against a team that is better than they are in Texas. That’s a decent way to get to 3-3 going into the bye-week.
2. Remember these dates:
   September 23, 1978.
   November 9, 1985
   November 20, 1999.
   It’s entirely possible that Texas Tech fans years from now will equate those dates with October 8, 2022.
   There’s no way of knowing whether RS FR QB Behren Morton is the QB of the future for Texas Tech or whether he is the QB of the now. In two weeks it could, and probably will, be Tyler Shough coming out to take back over the offense now that he’s healed up. That said, Texas Tech fans are gonna remember the first time they saw Morton get a start and sling it around.
   Oh, those dates?
   The first is when Fr. Ron Reeves came off the bench in Lubbock against Arizona with the Red Raiders trailing 14-0. Texas Tech would go on to win 41-26 and Reeves, who started the season as 3rd string QB was off to a four-year stellar career. The second is the overcast day in 1985 when Billy Joe Tolliver got his first start under Jerry Moore in a frustrating season. Tolliver would re-write the Texas Tech record book that day throwing for 422 yards and 5 TDs.. Tolliver went on to author nearly every passing record prior to 2000. The third was a day a little known QB named Kliff Kingsbury got the start in Spike Dykes final game as Head Coach at Texas Tech. Kingbury would lead a 38-26 win over Oklahoma, while next year’s head coach Mike Leach watched from the east sidelines. Will Morton end up having careers like those three? Who knows. Will fans remember how he burst on the scene though? Probably so. History has a way of repeating…
3. Upon Further Review.
   This Texas Tech defense is good.
   It’s not great. It’s not very good. It’s not really good. It’s good. And sometimes good is good enough.
   Texas Tech’s defense is still giving up some chunk plays, going great for a stretch then getting burned. It is still getting put into horrible spots at times by Joey-Lytics, yet still responding, so when we look at PPG allowed, it’s as much on the offense and the decision making as it is the defense. The fact Texas Tech’s defense is limiting some of these short fields to FGs instead of TDs is good to see. The front continues to impress me with how they’re, if not dominating the line-of-scrimmage, at least holding their own. The pass rush generated without a ton of blitzes is encouraging as well. It’s still a work in progress though. The take-a-ways are lacking to this point and for this team to live through some of the 4th and What-The-Hell Moments, it’s going to have to make up for some possessions and short-fields. But, it is a good defense. It’s sad that the bar has been so lowered around Texas Tech over the decades, but it has. Is ”good enough” good enough to find three more wins and make a bowl? Magic 8 Ball says: Yes.

Look forward to y’all adding your thoughts and comments today as well as sharing this with your friends out there on all your Social Media channels! Be sure and hang-out with me and Rob Breaux from 11-1 Monday on Talk 103.9 FM in Lubbock and ESPN 960 in San Angelo. Want great radio where you live? Just ask. We deliver. Great way to grow your business and Texas Tech all at once!

Hyatt