Texas Tech 69, UTEP 20: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18547" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Ashley Wirz Photo by Ashley Wirz[/caption] Texas Tech took down in-state rival UTEP on Saturday. What did we learn about the Red Raiders and the Miners? DCTF's Christian Clark breaks it down. There weren’t any secrets as to what approach Texas Tech and UTEP would take offensively Saturday. The Red Raiders would try to zip their way down the field with Patrick Mahomes under center. The Miners, on the other hand, would feed stud running back Aaron Jones at every opportunity and attempt to plod. For most of the first half, the game followed that script. Texas Tech ran plays at the speed of light. Mahomes worked his magic, evading Miner defenders to extend plays, spread the ball around and put up video-game numbers. In the first half alone, he threw for 297 yards, ran for 50 more and accounted for five scores. Jones might have been just as impressive, though. The Miners’ running back took snaps from the Wildcat, gashed the Texas Tech defense from the “I” and caught a couple passes, touching the ball 20 times through the first 30 minutes. His 91-yard TD run — the longest in UTEP school history — cut the Tech lead to 17-14 early in the second quarter. But with just under 2 minutes remaining in the half, any hope UTEP had of competing against Texas Tech evaporated when Jones went down with an ankle injury. He had to be helped off the field and wouldn’t return. There would be no adding to his 164-yard, 2-TD totals. Quickly thereafter, a comfortable Texas Tech lead turned into an insurmountable one. Mahomes directed another TD drive, the Red Raiders went ahead 38-17, and the rout was on. Texas Tech (2-0) would go on to beat UTEP (0-2) 69-20. It was another master’s class in offense from the Red Raiders. They racked up 670 total yards and scored nine TDs in just 19 minutes and 45 seconds of possession. Reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Mahomes looked like a guy who might win the award for a second straight week. Six different Tech receivers had 45-plus receiving yards. From here on out, the Red Raiders will have to do it against the heavyweights. They play Arkansas, TCU and Baylor in the next three weeks. The offense, even judging by Texas Tech standards, looks lethal. The defense, despite a strong second half Saturday, remains a question mark. In the coming weeks, both units will find out what they’re really made of. For UTEP, getting a healthy Jones back is paramount. The Miners looked lost without him.