Texas Tech 48, Texas 45: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_20891" align="alignright" width="227"]Photo by Ashley Wirz Photo by Ashley Wirz[/caption] Texas Tech is the least confusing/most confusing FBS team in Texas.  When the offense is clicking on all cylinders, Texas Tech can look like the only rival to Baylor’s relentless offensive machine. There’s speed and big play ability at every position. Patrick Mahomes can look like the best QB in the state at times (all due respect to that Boykin guy and his cape). When it isn’t working, blerg, and don't even get started on the defense. It feels like these Red Raiders should be better, and yet, when you look at the schedule, you feel differently.  Texas Tech beat an Arkansas team that suddenly looks like it may finish 5-3 in SEC play, and was a miracle away from beating TCU. It lost a game against a West Virginia team it should have beaten on the strength of its offense alone, and if you ignore how close the Kansas game was (I know, it's not easy), this is probably how a Texas Tech season should look this year. Losses to TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State: Well, that seems about right. It's a group that's 7-5, should have finished 8-4, and was within a few points of finishing 9-3. The question for Tech fans that I cannot answer: Did this meet or exceed expectations? It's a hard season to assess, all things considered. Chris Warren had himself a night. The question, of course, is whether it was a breakout performance from an overlooked Longhorn, or the product of coming up against a terrible run defense. It cannot be overstated how bad the Red Raiders run defense is: Texas Tech is 123rd in the nation in run defense. Ahead of NMSU, SMU, KU, Idaho and Eastern Michigan. Behind UNT, Texas State and Hawaii. That out of the way, Warren’s numbers were staggering, and a high note in the midst of a brutal nadir for the Longhorns this season. He finished his incredible night with 276 yards on 25 carries and scored four times. It was the greatest freshmen performance by a running back since Cedric Benson ran for 213 yards in 2001 against Kansas. It was awesome. A huge night. Hats off to Warren. But maybe hold off on declaring him the diamond that Charlie Strong and staff ignored until he goes up against even an average defense. Jakeem Grant became Texas Tech’s all-time receiving yardage leader on a great catch. The Big 12 is loaded at receiver, so it’s a little too easy to overlook Grant, who’s used to being overlooked because of his height. It’s unfair that Grant has to compete with Josh Doctson, Corey Coleman, KD Cannon, Sterling Shepard, Allen Lazard, or heck, even Devin Lauderdale on his own team, because he should truly be appreciated for the consistent game breaker he can be. It was sort of appropriate that the two plays that really put the game away for Tech came from Grant, one coming through the air and the other on a misdirection FAKE KNEEL where he showed off the afterburners.