Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Questionable coaching decisions costly in loss to Bears

By Matthew Conner

WACO, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Head coaches Matt Rhule of the Baylor Bears and Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shake hands before the game on October 12, 2019 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
WACO, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Head coaches Matt Rhule of the Baylor Bears and Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shake hands before the game on October 12, 2019 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Wells does not go for the win in the first OT

The least convicted I am about the three decisions we will examine here is the call Wells made to kick the extra point to send the game to the second OT rather than go for the win.  I can see both sides of the equation.

Some believe that you don’t put the game on the line until it is absolutely necessary.  In other words, when you have an opportunity to extend the game, that’s what you do in the hopes that the opposition will make a critical error.

Others believe that when you are the underdog and you have an opportunity to win the game with one play, you take that chance.  That’s what we saw North Carolina head coach Mack Brown do two weeks ago when he went for two against No. 1 Clemson instead of kicking a late extra point to send the game to OT.

Brown’s gamble didn’t pay off but it was the right call.  His team wasn’t supposed to be that close so he was correct in trying to steal the win with one play.

Though Wells’ team was nowhere near as heavy of an underdog, he should have taken a page from Brown.  That’s because at that juncture of the game Baylor had all the momentum.

Tech’s defense played well for three quarters but by the time the 4th quarter and OT arrived, Patterson’s unit was gassed.   We saw the same in the 4th quarter of the Arizona game when Tech couldn’t get a stop after playing a fine game for three quarters.

Years of poor recruiting on defense and some key injuries have left this team with little depth on that side of the ball.  That’s why the Bears scored on their final three drives and four of eight possessions in the second half.  What’s more, one other BU drive got all the way to the Red Raider 4 before a Ja’Marcus Ingram INT turned them away.

Next. Mistakes costly in loss to Baylor. dark

After putting up just 117 total yards in the first half, Baylor ran up 408 in the second as the Tech defense wore down.  That’s why I would have like to see Wells go for the win after his team scored to pull within one in the first OT.  We knew there was no way the defense was coming up with a stop in the second OT so it would have been better to put this game on the shoulders of the offense.

Home/Texas Tech Football