In six years as head coach at Utah State, one of the toughest locales in college football, Matt Wells missed just one bowl game. Between critical injuries, tough scheduling and plain bad luck, the Red Raiders dropped to 4-8 for the first time since 2014.
That burgeoning culture showed flashes throughout the 2019 season. After an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma, the Red Raiders rallied to beat Oklahoma State. They took Big 12 finalist Baylor to double-overtime in Waco. Tech generated late comebacks against TCU and Kansas State. But ultimately, the Red Raiders still finished 0-4 in one-score ball games.