Texas Tech football early leader for Big 12's most disappointing team | Williams
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Neal Brown's as nice a guy as there is shaping young men in the Big 12, maybe all of college football. The closest I've seen him come to bluster was at Big 12 media days in June when the West Virginia coach started his time on stage by declaring the Mountaineers would not finish last in the conference, the way the media predicted.
Being judged 14th out of 14 teams seemed, to me, a little harsh at the time. Still does. On Saturday, West Virginia beat the Texas Tech football team 20-13 in a conference opener at Milan Puskar Stadium.
I doubt the Mountaineers end the season as the Big 12's worst team, but if the Red Raiders don't get a move on, Joey McGuire's second edition could well be the conference's most disappointing team. They own the distinction at the moment.
Being forecast for fourth place out of 14 teams would be cataclysmic at places such as Alabama or Ohio State. At Texas Tech, it was reason to puff out chests, a sign that the sportswriters and sportscasters who cover the conference took note of how the Red Raiders finished the 2022 season and believed it was the beginning of something good.
McGuire did nothing to temper the expectations. Not that he should have necessarily. With so many experienced pieces back from that 8-5 Texas Bowl winner, much should be expected in 2023.
Instead, Texas Tech is 1-3 and back-to-back eight-win seasons are going to be hard to come by. The Red Raiders' best showing came in a 38-30 loss to Oregon. Considering the Ducks clobbered Colorado 42-6 Saturday, the Joey McGuire program construction seems further along than the Deion Sanders' handiwork that's gotten all the attention.
Not that it really matters. Joey's team was supposed to be better than Deion's.
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The first month has exposed the Red Raiders' issues, though. The defense can't get stops with games on the line. The sum of the parts on offense should be adding up to more — more than 13 points, for sure.
The offense gets all the blame around here — the result of high bars set in the past by Leach, Kingsbury, Symons, Mahomes, etc. — but the defense has broken late in all three losses. On Saturday, after Tech moved within 13-10 early in the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers drove 79 yards for a touchdown that opened it back up to 20-10.
Not that the offense isn't culpable, because it is. For a unit with a lot of useful parts and guys who have played a lot, the Red Raiders lack a dynamic playmaker, that guy everyone knows is going to get the football. Tahj Brooks has done his part the past two weeks, running 19 times for 158 yards against Tarleton State and 25 for 149 against WVU.
The Red Raiders need more juice from the passing game, though, in part by fewer drops. Too many of those at key times. Those who felt sure Behren Morton is the answer to most of offense's problems and will cover up for the rest received no affirmation Saturday. Coming in to replace the injured Tyler Shough, Morton completed only 13 of 37.
Now the McGuire mantra of having "the toughest, hardest-working, most competitive team" is being used sarcastically against him. So is this year's new catchphrase, "60 minutes of us." That's supposed to involve everyone connected to the Red Raiders, coaches, players and fans alike.
The fans are doing their part, selling out each of the first four home games. Now the Red Raiders need to hold up their end of the deal.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football team in lead as Big 12's biggest letdown | Williams
