Iowa State

Iowa State vs. #20 Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, TEXAS-

The Cyclones

It seemed that the entire week leading into the game against Iowa State all I heard about was how bad the Cyclones got jobbed against the Longhorns and how pissed off they were going to be coming into Lubbock.

...well.

I guess?

In my opinion the final score wasn't truly indicative of how close (or not close) the game really was.

If you take into account the points Iowa State scored off of the kick return (7), the botched Tech punt return (7) and Webb's INT (7) the game really should have been 31-7 at the half. This would also presume Bustin had made his FG and Marquez had not made an uncharacteristic fumble in the red zone. The reason Iowa State hung around for the majority of the game was because Texas Tech essentially gift-wrapped  points off of disastrous special teams play, an area where Tech had been playing fairly solid up to this past Saturday. The Tech defense once again did it's job and any worries that come with the musical-chair quarterback situation we have going should be set aside. Neither Webb nor Mayfield seem to have been wide-eyed or overwhelmed at any point this season. As such, Texas Tech racked up 666 yards of total offense; over double the amount of yardage Iowa State produced. Also, concerns over the ability of Tech to consistently run the ball should be lessened with the 251 rushing yards that came Saturday. That (the amount) was something Texas Tech had not replicated since 1999, against Iowa State. 

Go figure.

My "10 takeaways" from last night:

1. Officiating- Overall I have no qualms in regards to the referees from Saturday. However, the non-call "incompletion" by the ISU quarterback really bugged me. After I got over it not being a fumble I still didn't understand how it wasn't called as intentional grounding. An incompletion? Really? Who was he throwing to? The Fox? Jeez...
2. Special Teams- A few oddball gaffes and non-plays kept the box score from showing what otherwise "felt" like a blowout win for Tech but the concerns are still there. I don't want to rag on Foster as the dude is absolute money in Kingsbury's scheme, but it never quite seems like he catches the ball cleanly.  Whether he swats it down or drops it altogether I always have to have a "dear lord baby Jesus" moment before he catches the ball.
3. Tech Defense- The defense is nasty and seems to play with a speed and aggression that hasn't been here for a few years. 
4. Quarterbacks- Webb was name Big XII offensive player of the week while Mayfield recuperated and Brewer waited in the wings. I have to think that at some point this season he will get significant playing time. 
5. Underrated- Old lady cheerleaders and the crowd that showed up for an 11AM kickoff. Also: Baylor and people rooting for a Manizel injury. Love him or hate him, either way he's still a twenty-something year old athlete with a bright future ahead. Don't be "that guy".
6. Overrated- Bulletin board material. Whether it be Iowa State or West Virginia this coming Saturday, using revenge or anger as motivation only works when you actually show up and play. Iowa State probably should have won against Texas, but against Texas Tech did they ever seem threatening? Not in my opinion. As for West Virginia...apparently Dana Holgorsen has been making his team watch the 2012 beatdown they received. The transitive property almost never works in college football. Besides, I seem to think Kingsbury and Co.'s #TYFR works a bit better.
7. Eric Ward- I think there has been a lot of unwarranted grief directed towards No. 18, the guy decided to come back for his senior season and has really broken through with the last three games. Also, not sure if I was the only one that saw it but two plays before Tech's second TD Ward got absolutely cheap-shotted. The next play after is when he drew the 15-yard penalty for shoving the dude that hit him. Kingsbury called Ward over, said something and then bam Ward hauled in the touchdown. 
8. Branden Jackson- Good story.
9. The Run Game- The Texas Tech rushing attack got the job done exceptionally well on Saturday with the trio of Williams, Washington, and Foster all having explosive plays.
10. Jakeem Grant- Props to the little dude for being a matchup nightmare for every defense we've faced thus far. He took some hard hits on Saturday but stayed in the game. The combination of speed and shiftiness he has is unreal.