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Texas Tech football: Turning points in Red Raiders’ loss to Iowa State

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Running back SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs with the ball during the first half of the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Running back SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs with the ball during the first half of the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

McLane Mannix drops a third-down pass to kill Tech’s first drive

Though the story of this game is the awful start by the Red Raiders, during the first two drives of the Tech had an opportunity to seize the momentum.  After Iowa State missed a 41-yard field goal on the first possession of the contest, Jett Duffey and the Red Raider offense put together a promising drive to get to the ISU 41-yard-line.

Facing a 3rd-and-3, Duffey looked for inside receiver McLane Mannix over the middle but the junior transfer from Nevada dropped a catchable pass.  The ball was thrown a tad low but at knee-level, it should have been caught.

Though it is hard to imagine the less than accurate Duffey putting the ball low on purpose, given that an ISU linebacker was draped all over Mannix back, the placement of the pass was as good as could be asked for.  If it had been put on on Mannix’s numbers, the LB likely would have swatted it away.

This is a catch that Mannix has to make to keep the drive going.  And it is one that a player on the preseason Biltenikoff Award watchlist should be expected to haul in.  Had he come up with this grab, Tech would have had a new set of downs inside the ISU 40 and would have had the Cyclone defense on its heels.

That would have changed the entire tenor of the drive because it would have put Tech on the edge of field goal range and in a spot that would have been logical 4-down territory.  But instead, Wells elected to punt.

Austin McNamara did a great job with his punt, which was high and bounced at the ISU two-yard-line.  But though he was in position to down the ball, receiver Mylar Royals could not keep the ball from bounding into the endzone for a touchback.  Thus, Tech gained just 20 yards of field position on that exchange.

On the ensuing drive, ISU scored to take a 7-0 lead and seize the momentum.  It is fair to wonder if Tech had been able to keep its first drive going, would the home team have been able to claim the early momentum advantage and make this a much different game in the first half?

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