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Texas Tech football: Matt Wells’ best games as Utah State head coach

By Matthew Conner

PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies looks at a replay during their game against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images )
PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies looks at a replay during their game against the Brigham Young Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 3, 2014 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images ) /
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Taking Michigan St. to the brink in 2018

Last year, Wells took his team to East Lansing, Michigan to take on perennial Big 10 power Michigan State and the Aggies nearly pulled off the upset.  Michigan State had to score a touchdown with just two minutes to play to keep from being upset in a 38-31 win.

In the season-opener for both teams, USU led 14-13 late in the second quarter and 31-30 until the Spartan’s final touchdown.  The Aggies had one final chance to tie or win the game but a Jordan Love interception at midfield ended the comeback attempt.

Love threw for a career-high 319 yards but was picked off twice.  In all, USU managed just 344 total yards against the rugged MSU defense.

But the Aggie defense kept them in the game.  Picking off the Spartans twice and holding them to two field goals on drives that saw MSU reach the 6-yard-line, the Aggie defense was able to give his team a chance to pull off what would have been the biggest win in program history.

Beating ranked teams is something that Wells is going to have to figure out a way to accomplish at Tech.  The Red Raiders have beaten only one top-25 team since upsetting No. 14 Arizona State in the 2013 Holiday Bowl.  That was No. 15 Oklahoma State, which the Red Raiders took down last year.

Tech lost three games last fall to ranked teams by a combined 20 points.  What’s more, in each of the losses to Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia, Tech had either tied the game or had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead in the 4th quarter.

But just like Utah State in East Lansing, Tech was unable to finish off those upsets, any of which would have likely saved Kingsbury’s job.  If Wells can figure out how to put Tech over the top against ranked foes, the Red Raiders will be back to being one of the most feared teams in the Big 12 because everyone knows that crazy things happen in Lubbock.

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