UTEP went toe-to-toe with Texas Tech until early this morning in El Paso and the Miners would have walked off with a big win were it not for another lights out performance from another true freshman.
Let’s rewind our bold predictions from Friday.
Over/under, Texas Tech commits 10 penalties?
"Robert: Over. Discipline issues don’t get fixed in a week.Weston: Under. The reason why I say this is its been drilled into their heads all week long (or at least it should be). If its an over, that’s a terrible sign.Shelby: Under. I think this topic was (figuratively) beat into their brains this week. Or at least I hope so. So I think they’ll be a little more under control.Austin: Under. I’m sure after last week they put a huge emphasis on not having dumb penalties.Louis: Over. It’s been a problem for more than a year now and don’t see it changing on the road.Yasmin: Over. I don’t think their penalty problem is something they fixed in a weeks time.Kate: Under.David: Under."
Texas Tech committed exactly 10 penalties for 90 yards, most unnecessary and most giving UTEP second chances.
True or false, Tech gives up over 180 yards rushing?
"Robert: True. You’d be a fool to not run the ball on Tech right now and it’s what UTEP does best.Weston: True. UTEP’s Aaron Jones is talented and Texas Tech’s linebackers looked lost last week. I expect the run game to bow up a little, but the Miners like to run the ball a lot.Shelby: True. I think it’ll be around 200. I think it’ll take a little bit of time for the defense to get their feet under them and stop the run.Austin: True. But much like last week, if you can keep them to an average of around 3 yards per rush you are going to be in a good position to win the game.Louis: True. UTEP is a much better running team than Central Arkansas and will focus on its ground game against Tech.Yasmin: True. The defense is so young and inexperienced. Also, UTEP rushed over 300 yards last week. I think they’ll stick with their run game.Kate: True.David: True."
Aaron Jones and UTEP pounded Texas Tech’s defense for 277 yards and it could’ve been worse had they not inexplicably abandoned the run on several drives.
Who leads the team in receiving this week?
"Robert: Even last week when Marquez led the team in everything, Webb still wanted to go to Grant to make big plays. Marquez will draw double teams this week and Grant will finally get his catches.Weston: Jakeem Grant. I don’t think UTEP has the athletes on the defense to keep up to speed with Grant, and I think he wants to have a huge game after a slightly disappointing showing against UCA.Shelby: Bradley Marquez. He showed last week that he hasn’t skipped a beat. It’ll continue.Austin: After Bradley’s performance last week you expect UTEP to concentrate on him. I see Jakeem having a big week this week to make up for it.Louis: Bradley Marquez. He’s got the best hands of the group and will continue to show his reliability this week.Yasmin: Bradley Marquez, no question. He stepped up and made big plays happen last week and he will do the same this week.Kate: Bradley Marquez.David: Bradley Marquez."
Marquez caught three passes for three touchdowns in three huge situations, but Jakeem led the Red Raiders with eight catches and a career-high 150 yards.
Final score
"Robert: 24-13 Tech. The late kickoff combined with the bad weather will make both offenses relatively inept and Tech will outlast an overmatched Miner team.Weston: 55-24 Tech. I think UTEP gets their rushing yards, and scores three touchdowns but I think Tech comes out ready to play and is angry about last week. I could see this being somewhat close until the fourth quarter and the Red Raiders score a few more TD’s to make it a comfortable win.Shelby: 42-17. It won’t be a massive runaway, but it’ll be a better game than last weekend. I think Tech will come out hungry. I think UTEP’s run game will be successful, but not as successful as some pissed off Red Raider.Austin: Tech wins 49-28. UTEP will try and milk the clock when they have the ball so it’s important for the offense to capitalize when they have the opportunity. This UTEP team is terrible and will put up a fight in the first half just by feeding off the largest crowd they’ll probably have all year.Louis: Tech wins 38-24. UTEP will work hard to keep Tech’s offense off the field by running the ball, but the Red Raider’s ability to strike quickly when they will be enough to escape with a win.Yasmin: Tech wins 34-24. I see Tech improving from last week but I also see UTEP fighting to stay in the game.Kate: 48-24, Tech.David: 48-20, Tech."
Once again, it looked like Tech was set to pull away in the second half after a lackluster first, but dumb penalties and needless mistakes gave UTEP several chances to make it a game late, which they capitalized on with 5:00 minutes left, forcing Webb and the offense to win the game on their last drive.
Really, Texas Tech deserved to lose this game after committing 10 penalties and missing twice as many tackles in run defense, and were it not for Justin Stockton’s brilliance, we’d be talking about a bad loss today instead of a bad win.