After a tough opening weekend, the Big 12 Conference needed to bounce back and Week 2 provided plenty of opportunities to make a statement. One of those statement games was in Pullman as Texas Tech went on the road to battle Washington State. After a lackluster performance against Abilene Christian in Week 1, the Red Raiders needed a big win. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as they fell 37-16 to Washington State. Here are my three takeaways on the game.
Too Many Mistakes
One thing about playing on the road is that you can’t beat yourself. That is exactly what Texas Tech did on Saturday night between the turnovers and penalties. Quarterback Behren Morton threw two interceptions and then Tech fumbled twice to make it four turnovers. As bad as that was, the ten penalties may have been even worse.
How many teams can win on the road with four turnovers and ten penalties? Very few and that may be pushing it. The Red Raiders did a decent job moving the ball, but they just couldn’t get out of their own way at times. Last week this offense put up a fifty burger and on Saturday they could barely score two touchdowns against a defense that is not that good.
Tech’s Defense Couldn’t Stop the Run
Last week this defense gave up over 500 passing yards against Abilene Christian and now they gave up over 300 rushing yards against Washington State. Cougars quarterback John Mateer ran all over the Red Raiders defense as he racked up 197 yards on 21 carries. Washington State only threw for 115 yards but when you are having this much success on the ground, I didn’t blame them one bit for running the football. It’s clear that this defense has some series issues, and the schedule is only going to get tougher from here.
This Weekend Was About Mike Leach
While every game is important, this was not just another game because this weekend Mike Leach was inducted into the Washington State Hall of Fame. Mike was at Texas Tech from 2000-2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history. After that, he went to Washington State from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history. Washington State couldn’t have picked a better weekend to do it if you ask me.
Mike was a coach who changed the game in so many ways with his offensive genius. Last year he was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame and is now in the Washington State Hall of Fame. The only thing missing? It’s the college football Hall of Fame. It’s an absolute crime that he isn’t in there already.
