Another bowl win sets up another off-season looking for more | Williams

SHREVEPORT, La. — Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire treated his players like men on their first night in Shreveport, in a city known for its casino gaming and tourism, giving them a 2:30 a.m. curfew and trusting them to be responsible.

"I think they got all 2:30 of it," McGuire said, "but they were ready to practice the next day. That's one thing about it: They enjoyed themselves, and I'm glad they did."

The Red Raiders finished up a short week just the other side of the Louisiana border with more fun Saturday night, putting away California 34-14 in the 47th Independence Bowl. Not a lot of people showed up on a chilly night — in a stadium that sits next to Interstate 20, announced attendance was 33,071 — but the Red Raiders did what they set out to do here.

Yeah, they fumbled the opening kickoff. Yeah, they gave up a touchdown on the first play — to the brother of a Red Raider. And yeah, they trailed 14-7 early. Then Tech settled in and tossed around the guys from the Bay Area like teddy bears. Cal's first three possessions: 16 plays, eight first downs, 178 yards, two touchdowns. Cal's last nine possessions: 48 plays, seven first downs, 175 yards, no points.

This season finished in the same way as the previous two. Tech mostly dominated an opponent from a power-five conference, the way the Red Raiders did to Mississippi State two years ago at the Liberty Bowl and the way they did to Ole Miss last year at the Texas Bowl.

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Against Cal, Tech scored the game's last 27 points, the defense turning the Cal offense into a quivering mess. As the Golden Bears slipped off into the night, the way the Bulldogs had, the way the Rebels had, the Red Raiders again were the ones climbing the post-game stage at midfield. Behren Morton and Jacob Rodriguez lifted the trophies as the game's outstanding players.

That's now three straight winning seasons — two 7-6s sandwiched around last year's 8-5 — and lying ahead, Tech's ever-present yearning for more.

More was supposed to happen this year, but we all know that didn't happen.

A question hangs over this program: How do the Red Raiders make these late-season surges matter more by not flubbing the first month or two? Do you have a plan for that?

McGuire began to answer it without it even being asked.

"It's been a really frustrating year, just the expectations that we have as a team, but with a coaching staff," he said. "We've got January coming up, where we'll be on the road, but February's going to be a real look in the mirror and how we can get better as a staff. ... I felt like we left some games out there that, staff-wise, we have to become a better staff, and that starts with me.

"That's going to be a lot of digging in and evaluating ourselves so we put these guys in the best situation to win games next year."

On that front, there have been positive developments lately. At the top of the list is Tahj Brooks saying he's going to stick around for a fifth year. The bull of a running back ran 21 times for 99 yards and a touchdown Saturday, giving him 1,542 rushing yards and 10 TDs for the season.

A new standout perhaps emerged Saturday with freshman defensive end Amier Washington wreaking havoc with four tackles for loss, including three sacks, and a forced fumble. For one game, at least, even better than what Isaac Smith did out of nowhere to end last season. Poor kid. Now people are going to expect that every game.

While the Red Raiders were prepping this week in Shreveport, Tech's list of transfer-portal pledges swelled to nine players. Rivals ranks the group fifth most promising in the country.

For a team that's going to be young in some places — defensive tackle, void of Jaylon Hutchings and Tony Bradford — Kirby Hocutt maybe bought some time this week by swapping out a road trip to Oregon next September for a road trip to Washington State. The Cougars, 5-7 this season, ought to be more beatable. Now the Red Raiders don't play the Ducks until 2033, and that still might be sooner than they play Texas or Oklahoma.

The road, then, should be more manageable. Can the Raiders navigate it more successfully? Because until they get the early part of the schedule right, the season-ending stages won't be as grand as the ones they want.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Another bowl win sets up another off-season looking for more | Williams