During the Mike Leach era at Texas Tech, night games in Lubbock brought on some electric environments that produced wild games. But that juice had been missing from Jones AT&T Stadium for three different coaches. But it appears that Joey McGuire is bringing the Jones back to life. In a Big 12 game that typically was found under Leach’s watch, Texas Tech survived against Cincinnati 44-41. With the win, Joey McGuire’s record at home now is 14-3.
Texas Tech Offense Was Humming
When a shootout breaks out, frequently it comes down to the turnover battle and which team converts possessions into touchdowns. Coming into this game, the Red Raiders knew that the Bearcats had been very hard to score on in the red zone. In fact, Last Word called for “this is the exact time to have (Tahj) Brooks carry the ball 30-35 times and finish off red zone possessions with touchdowns.” Well, offensive coordinator Zach Kittley must be reading Last Word’s work because Brooks finished the game with 32 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
With Brooks cooking, the passing game opened up plenty for quarterback Behren Morton. Morton looked crisp all game going 19-for-29 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The Red Raider offense finished the game with 482 yards of total offense. They only punted one time in the game. Texas Tech scored four touchdowns in their five trips into the red zone, but this unit wasn’t perfect. The one red zone possession with a field goal had a first-and-goal from the six-yard line. Brooks had carried the load on the drive with little Bearcat resistance. And yet, Kittley called three straight plays without Brooks touching the ball. There were still procedure penalties that could have been drive-killers. But the offense ultimately overcame those mental error penalties.
Mixed Bag By Red Raider Defense
Texas Tech survived a night in which they allowed Cincinnati to move the ball all night. The Bearcats finished with 555 yards of total offense despite not having their starting running back. The Bearcats lost their starting running back Corey Kiner on the first Cincinnati drive of the game. Then, later, Cincinnati lost their second-string running back Evan Pryor early in the second half. So with the game on the shoulders of quarterback Brendan Sorsby, he did not flinch in the moment. Sorsby was 31-for-45 passing for 426 yards and one touchdown. Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter watched all night his defense line get stoned in pass protection. Multiple times Sorsby was throwing from pocket so uncontested, he was freely bouncing around reading both sides of the fields multiple times.
However, the first time, a blitz got home and disrupted him, resulting in his first interceptions in 149 Pass attempts. In addition, Aj McCarty took that interception 51 yards for a touchdown. That was the second turnover the Red Raider defense forced in the second half. But this defense couldn’t close the door when it mattered. There was a dropped interception with six minutes left in the game that would have essentially sealed the game for Texas Tech. But instead, Cinnacinti continued to march on to cut the game down to a three-point lead. So while the Red Raiders yielded a ton of yards, they did force some big turnovers. And thanks to two missed field goal attempts by the Bearcats, Texas Tech survived and moved to 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013.
Texas Tech Survived A Second Scare; New Norm In 2024?
This isn’t the first time this season the Red Raiders had to fight to the bitter end to secure a victory. But in the previous 14 seasons, Texas Tech has found ways to lose these types of games. And while the Red Raiders had not exactly seized the moment when the game was on the line, not beating themselves in critical moments is the biggest sign of growth in this program. Through five games, it appears this offense will need to do heavy lifting and the defense will need timely turnovers to keep earning Big 12 victories. They will have another great opportunity to show they can do this away from Lubbock next week with a late-night kickoff in Tuscon, Arizona when they take on the Wildcats before their first bye week.
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