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Texas Tech football: Matt Wells has exactly the type of debut he needed

By Matthew Conner

STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 25: The Texas Tech Red Raiders flag flies outside the stadium before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys September 25, 2014 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Red Raiders 45-35. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - SEPTEMBER 25: The Texas Tech Red Raiders flag flies outside the stadium before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys September 25, 2014 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Cowboys defeated the Red Raiders 45-35. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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The Red Raiders had an entertaining offensive showing

Most astute Texas Tech football fans were well aware of offensive coordinator David Yost’s reputation as an innovator.  Thus, Saturday’s 45-point, 691-yard outburst was not surprising to them.

However, the majority of the fans at Jones Stadium each week are far more casual in their knowledge of the program.  Unlike many of us, they don’t obsess over recruiting, assistant coaching hires, and other aspects of Red Raider football that don’t make major headlines.

Thus, a huge swath of the fandom was not certain if the program would retain the high-powered offensive identity that has become what most fans expect to see on display each week.  And because the casual fan comprises as much as 65% or more of the crowd that shows up each week, it was important for those on hand Saturday to see the Red Raiders have an explosive offensive showing in Wells’ debut.

In the season-opener, Tech surpassed its total yardage total from all but one game in 2018.  The Red Raiders eclipsed the 700-yard mark in week-three last year in a 63-49 win over Houston in Lubbock.

There were enough huge plays that excited the stadium, which is not surprising given the fact that last year at Utah State, Yost’s offense was among the nation’s leaders in touchdown drives of less than one minute.  Of course, senior running back Armand Shyne’s 69-yard TD gallop was the day’s biggest play.

It came just two plays after the Bobcats scored their only touchdown of the game to cut Tech’s lead to 14-7.  It was longer than any play from scrimmage the Red Raiders had a year ago.

The two biggest pass plays came via Lubbock Monterey’s Xavier White, who was playing his first game as a Red Raider after walking on this summer following a season in the JUCO ranks.  In the second quarter, he caught a 35-yard pass but fumbled the ball at the 2-yard-line while trying to struggle out of a tackle.  In the 4th, he caught a 45-yard TD pass down the seam, a great moment for the long-shot local kid.

The reality facing Matt Wells is that he still has to win over and win back a significant portion of the fandom that has emotionally checked out during the last decade’s run of mediocrity.  Though most fans will say that all we want is winning football, the truth is that high-octane offense has almost come to be considered a birthright by many fans in Lubbock. That’s why it was ideal that Wells’ team provided plenty of fireworks in his debut.

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