Texas Tech football: What we can learn from previous upsets of Longhorns

Turnovers are crucial

Almost any time an upset takes place, turnovers play a large component.  That’s been true in all four of Tech’s wins over the Longhorns during the “Air Raid” era.

In 2002, when the Red Raiders took down No. 4 Texas in Lubbock 42-38 in Kliff Kingsbury’s last home game, it was an interception by safety Ryan Aycock with 5:21 to play that helped seal the win.

In 2008, safety Dylan Charbonnet had a pick-six in the second half to help the Red Raiders upset the No. 1 Longhorns.  That was one of two turnovers Tech had on the night but the second was immaterial as it came as a result of the Longhorns trying to lateral the football in desperation on the game’s final kickoff return.

Meanwhile, in 2017’s improbable 27-23 Tech win in Austin, two key takeaways in the fourth quarter proved to turn the tide.  In fact, it was Sam Ehlinger, the current UT quarterback, who was picked off on consecutive series, one setting Tech up for the winning score and one sealing the Red Raider win.

It appears that turnovers will be critical to Tech’s hopes this year as well.  That’s because the defense we saw in week one showed no indication of being able to slow down a Big 12 offense and the improvements required to do so don’t seem likely to come about in just two week’s time.

The problem for the Red Raiders is that Ehlinger is extremely careful with the football.  Only five times in his career has he been picked off more than once in a game and only once has he been picked off more than twice.

Perhaps the debut of Arizona transfer LB Colin Schooler will help in that regard as he has four career INTs and three career forced fumbles.  But whoever leads the charge, it seems imperative that Tech figures out a way to take the ball away from the Horns multiple times if an upset is to be in the cards.