Baylor

I couldn't find a picture for the game. Instead, here is a picture of my new bike.

Texas Tech vs. #5 Baylor - 11/16/13

ARLINGTON, TEXAS-

Same Old Song

Mistakes damned Texas Tech to fighting from behind for the second half of the game. A lack of depth and inexperience prevented them from being able to come back into it. I could truly go into a philosophical rant/diatribe about why Tech is in the position its in and why expecting an immediate turn around is delusional. I already have to some extent but to me at least the reasons are extraordinarily obvious. 

My "10 takeaways" from last night:

1. Littles things add up- Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes...whether it be horrible special teams play, missed XP's, INT's, or fumbles Tech just seems to put themselves into really bad situations when the margin for error is so small to begin with. It's hard for me to pinpoint what causes the snowball effect and I don't really think it is just one thing but it sure doesn't help their situation. 
2. Speed- Tech started off great and jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter. The offense looked fast and aggressive while the defense seemed to be holding their own.  Come Turkey Day the Red Raiders will need to start off the same if they hope to knock off Texas in Austin. Maintaining that speed is possible but it's harder due to a lack of...
3. Depth- Broken record I know, but what a lot of people don't seem to understand is that Tech "wears down" or becomes less effective because they simply lack quality depth. It's not a quantitative measure but rather qualitative; Texas Tech is a very young team on both sides of the ball...and this leads me to another point...
4. Connect the dots- Want to know why Texas Tech football struggles to remain competitive against the top half of the league? Because, to some extent, they've been left behind. The Big XII is an arms race, with winning programs all sharing the same blueprint: consistency. What has Tech had none of since 2009? consistency. With consistency comes success with recruiting, with recruiting comes quality depth, with depth comes the ability to 'weather the storm' and not be forced to have to play three true freshman in an already weakened defensive secondary. The hiring of Kingsbury is a start, but any alum or fan that thinks the ship can be righted sooner rather than later is delusional. This is going to take time...
5. The future- What I saw tonight was a lot of effort and promise against a program that is probably the most complete Big XII team top to bottom. Losing sucks but I noticed some big play ability from Nelson, Jacobson, and Crawford. 
6. Quarterback- Webb, Brewer, Mayfield. Next year Patrick Mahomes arrives on campus. A lot of talent in this group but someone will transfer, no idea who but I enjoyed seeing Brewer get some playing time. Also, Kingsbury mentioned that practice reps will be split evenly between all three QB's during the bye week. 
7. Baylor- I hate them. I hate every other team from Texas and Oklahoma. That being said Bryce Petty doesn't seem to possess the level of douchebaggery their last two quarterbacks did. 
8. Ward- This dude always seems to make some crazy catches in big games. Props. He will be sorely missed.
9. Regroup- I'm assuming the coaching staff really appreciates the upcoming bye week right about now, and honestly its probably for the best both from a mental and physical point of view. More time to rest and to regroup and also more time to game plan for a reeling Texas team. Texas Tech started off strong against Baylor with a week to prepare. Will Tech do the same against an also rested Texas team on Thanksgiving?
10. Perspective- As disappointing as this season has become for some Red Raiders I believe a little perspective is in order. At this point in this season four of the ten teams in the league have failed to qualify for post-season play. Tech was largely picked to be a member of that group. 8-9 wins is still possible for a team full of young players and a first time coaching staff. Listen people, things could be worse. At least we didn't just get our asses kicked at home by a Kansas team that had a winless conference streak dating back two years. 

Random thoughts: 

1. If Baylor wins against Oklahoma State they go undefeated this year. Go Pokes!

2. Mack Brown is done at Texas. Expectations, along with resources, are much higher in Austin. There is no reason why they shouldn't be at the top of the league and for the last few years they haven't been. The burnt orange faithful already suffered their worst home loss to Oklahoma State.

...a loss to Texas Tech?

Hmmm...