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

Duffey misses a wide-open Armand Shyne on Tech’s second possession

Following Iowa State’s first TD, the Red Raider offense responded with another promising drive.  Moving from their own 25 to their 43, the Red Raiders picked up two quick first downs and looked to be in rhythm.

But on 3rd-and-5, Duffey showed why he just hasn’t been able to win a job as a full-time starter as a collegiate.  On a play that was a mess from the start, Duffey could have hit Armand Shyne who was wide open in the flat for an easy first down but he seemed to have a brain cramp that ruined the play.

Facing a 3-man pass rush, Duffey went through his progressions and found no one open.  So he did what his instincts always tell him to do.  He started to run.  But realizing that there was an ISU spy in the lane he wanted to run through, he stopped and tried to get the ball to Shyne about two seconds too late.

It was too late because the offensive line looked like a bunch of grizzly bears playing patty cake.  While left tackle Travis Bruffy was being bull-rushed into the pocket, left guard Madison Akamnonu was blocking…well…no one.  It was the man over him that was playing the role of the spy and who eventually rushed right past where the Tech left guard should have been.

On the other side of the line, right tackle Terence Steele and right guard Weston Wright let the Cyclone end beat their double team by slicing right through them.  How does that happen?  That end eventually put a hit on Duffey that might have impacted his throw.

But regardless of the chaos in front of him, Duffey should have gotten rid of that ball to Shyne before ever stepping up into the pocket.  Once he did step up, the bull-rushed Bruffy was right in his lap impacting his ability to get the ball to his wide-open RB in the flats.  .

Had the ball actually made its way to Shyne, he not only would have picked up the first down, but he would also have easily taken the ball across the 50 and put Tech in position to score.  But because of yet another awful excuse for third-down execution from this offense, their second drive ended in a punt, just like the first possession.

Again, McNamara punted the ball into the end zone to prevent Tech from at least pinning ISU deep in its own end of the field.  Eleven plays and 80 yards later, Tech was down 14-0 and the writing was on the wall.