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Texas Tech football: Five worst losses of Matt Wells’ time at Utah State

By Matthew Conner

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 24: Head Coach Matt Wells of the Utah State Aggies walks off the field at the conclusion of second half action against the Boise State Broncos on November 24, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 33-24. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Losing to a 4-7 Air Force team in 2017

In about half of Utah State’s games, you could make the case that they should have a talent deficit against their opponent, especially when playing the likes of USC, Wisconsin, or Boise St.  But one of the teams that the Aggies should usually have better personnel than is the Air Force Falcons.

The strict entrance standards of the Academy make it tough for the Falcons to bring in players that are good enough to compete at the top levels of even the Mountain West.  So the Falcons have long done what Tech did in the 2000s, utilized a scheme that helps them get the most out of their roster.

But unlike Mike Leach and the “Air Raid”, ironically the team whose players are learning to spend their lives in the air plays a brand of football that keeps the ball on the ground and the clock running.  And in 2017, the Falcons’ triple-option attack racked up 407 yards in a 38-35 win over Matt Wells and the Aggies in Colorado Springs.

Entering the game just 4-7 on the season, the Falcons had lost their three previous games by a combined 60 points.  What’s more, they were starting their third-string QB Isaiah Sanders, who was making his first collegiate start and appearing in only his third game ever.

That’s why it had to be frustrating for Wells to see Sanders gash his team for 196 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, the final of which gave the Cadets the lead for good with 1:38 to play.  Complementing Sanders (who set a school record with 44 caries), running back Jacob Stafford tallied 112 yards on the ground as the Falcons attempted just twelve passes in the game (completing only four for 33 yards).

Wells has repeatedly said that his first priority is to stop the run.   But against one of the most run-heavy teams in the nation, his Aggies did not accomplish that goal.

Stopping the triple-option requires a defense to play disciplined assignment football.  With few variations in the playbook, triple-option teams bank on the notion that their opponents will not have the discipline to take away all three options to run the ball on a consistent basis and when there is a breakdown, teams like Air Force are ready to exploit it.

It’s a perfect system for a program of players that live their life learning the value of consistency and structure.  That’s why two of the nation’s three service academies, Air Force and Navy, utilize this scheme, which most other programs in the game believe is antiquated.

Wells is supposed to bring a renewed sense of discipline to Texas Tech both on and off the field.  He talks about doing things the right way and not deviating from his standards.

So it had to drive him crazy in 2017 when his players let him down in that regard.  Facing a team that was not very good and which did not have the type of talent that his did, Wells’ USU squad ended the 2017 regular season with a thud when they were Air-Raided on the ground.

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