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Texas Tech Football Needs Better From QB’s In 4th Quarter

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 21: Nic Shimonek #16 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to deliver a pass while under pressure from Jamahl Johnson #92 of the Iowa State Cyclones during the game on October 21, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 31-13. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 21: Nic Shimonek #16 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to deliver a pass while under pressure from Jamahl Johnson #92 of the Iowa State Cyclones during the game on October 21, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Iowa State defeated Texas Tech 31-13. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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Last season, poor quarterback play in the 4th quarter cost Texas Tech on more than one occasion and that is a problem Kliff Kingsbury must remedy in 2018.

Despite the fact that college football games normally take four hours to unfold with twists and turns throughout, important games are often decided in the final 15 minutes of play.  Red Raider fans have certainly seen their share of clutch 4th quarter performances throughout the years.  That’s why they know that though the 2018 quarterback competition will not be settled for months, one thing is for certain, the Texas Tech football team will need better play in the 4th quarter this year, regardless of who takes the snaps.

Last season, starting quarterback Nic Shimonek had a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality during games. At first glance, his overall numbers were solid.  In his one year at the helm, the fifth-year senior threw for 3,547 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.5% of his passes.

The problem was that when it came to crunch time, Shimonek came up short far more often than he came through.  In the fourth quarter last season, Shimonek’s completion percentage dropped to a sub-par 51.4% and as a result, he passed for just 582 yards.  In other words, just 14.6% of Shimonek’s passing output came in the final quarter of games.

Even worse was his propensity for turning the ball over late.  Shimonek committed five 4th quarter turnovers (four interceptions and one fumble) with two of his interceptions being returned for back-breaking touchdowns (against Iowa State and TCU).

During the regular season, Shimonek threw as many interceptions in the final quarter of games as touchdowns (four each).  40% of his interceptions came in the most critical quarter of the game while just 15% of his touchdown passes came in that same time frame.

And these struggles cost Texas Tech at least three Big 12 wins.

The first time Shimonek fell apart in a 4th quarter came in week four when Texas Tech hosted Oklahoma State.  The senior was just 4-7 passing for 74 yards and a crucial interception to end a drive that began with an on-side kick recovery.

That pick in the red zone allowed OSU to maintain a 7-point lead and killed the momentum Texas Tech had built.  But it was during Texas Tech’s final drive that Shimonek was at his worst.

After moving Tech to mid-field with 1:25 to play and needing a touchdown to tie the game, Shimonek went 0-4 on the final four plays of the drive.  What’s worse, on three of those plays, he had an opportunity to pick up significant yardage by running the ball but he became flustered and  his indecisiveness caused each play to break down at the most costly of moments.

Then, against West Virginia, Shimonek ended the game with a woeful 3-9 4th quarter for just 16 yards and a game-clinching interception as Tech blew a 13-point second half lead.  Tech failed to score on its final four drives of the game as a change in the West Virginia defensive attack, from a soft zone coverage scheme to a blitzing attack, once again caused Shimonek to look out of sorts.

The third 4th quarter collapse came in perhaps the season’s most crushing loss, an OT defeat at the hands of Kansas State  in which Texas Tech led by 8 points and was lining up for a 31-yard FG attempt with just over 3:40 to play.

The FG was missed and KSU scored to tie the game.  In OT, with Tech needing a TD to tie, Shimonek went 1-4 passing for just 4 yards in a goal-to-go situation from the 10-yard-line,  including throwing the ball out of the end zone and coming closer to hitting the Kansas St. mascot than a receiver with the game’s final pass.

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Granted, Shimonek did have his career-defining moment in the 4th quarter of the Texas game throwing two TD passes after coming off the bench.  Plus, he was good in the 4th quarter of the bowl game loss to Southern Florida going 9-16 for 117 yards and a TD.

But the overall drop-off in his effectiveness when the pressure was at its greatest and the game was in the balance was a huge reason Tech limped to a 6-7 record leading to another season of uncertainty surrounding the program.

Now, as Kingsbury makes the most important decision of his coaching career, who will replace Shimonek at QB, finding a player capable of performing in the 4th quarter will be critical.  Given that Texas Tech is banking on a veteran defense to be the backbone of the team, there could be even more games this fall that come down to the final drive.

Unfortunately, none of the three QB options, Jett Duffey, Alan Bowman or McLane Carter have any experience in such situations.  Carter saw 4th quarter garbage time action in four games last season but those opportunities were not a valid barometer of his ability to execute in the clutch.

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Ultimately, there is no way to know how a player will respond to the pressure of an intense 4th quarter drive until he must do so with an actual game on the line.  Still, Kingsbury must do his best to find the player he trusts most down the stretch and he must do everything he can to put that player in a better position to succeed.  If he can, the 2018 season could have a much different narrative than many expect.

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