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Counting Down The Best Wins Of The Kliff Kingsbury Era

By Matthew Conner

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gets the Gatorade dump after his teams' 37-23 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils during their National University Holiday Bowl Game on December 30, 2013 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 30: Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gets the Gatorade dump after his teams' 37-23 win over the Arizona State Sun Devils during their National University Holiday Bowl Game on December 30, 2013 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 24: T.J. Vasher #9 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders catches a pass for a touchdown defended by Davante Davis #18 of the Texas Longhorns in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 24, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 24: T.J. Vasher #9 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders catches a pass for a touchdown defended by Davante Davis #18 of the Texas Longhorns in the fourth quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 24, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

No. 2: 2017 Texas

An argument could be made that no win in Kingsbury’s tenure was more signifiant to him on a personal level than his 27-23 win at Texas in 2017.  That is because that game likely saved his job.

Kirby Hocutt has since said that Kingsbury’s job was safe regardless of the outcome of that game but given the fact that Tech was facing a second-consecutive losing regular-season with a loss, it is hard to fathom that changes would not have been made.

But Kingsbury pulled out one of the most important wins of his career by doing something many accuse him of not being particularly adept at; making an in-game adjustment.  After giving backup QB McLane Carter his first career start, Kingsbury inserted Nic Shimonek into the game in the 4th quarter with Texas Tech trailing 23-13.

Shimonek would engineer two 4th quarter scoring drives tossing TD passes to T.J. Vasher and Cam Batson to give Tech the win.  It was an unprecedented moment for Kingsbury who has been stubborn to a fault with his personnel and strategic decisions.

Aside from potentially saving his job, Kingsbury equalled his mentor Mike Leach with two wins against Texas.  What’s more impressive is that both of Kingsbury’s wins came in Austin where Tech has won only seven times since 1928.   It also marked the first time Tech has won back-to-back road games against the Horns.

The win was improbable at best.  Tech entered playing its worst football of the season losing five of the previous six games.  Coming on the heels of a lifeless 27-3 home loss to T.C.U. in which Shimonek was benched after going 17/33 for 137 yards, the move to McLane Carter felt like a desperate move by a coach pulling out all the stops to try and save his job.

But going back to Shimonek proved to be the best in-game move Kingsbury has made.  He trusted his senior QB to save the season and he was rewarded with one of the best wins of his career.

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