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Texas Tech football: Important storylines ahead of UT game

By Matthew Conner

AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Brennan Eagles #13 of the Texas Longhorns gives a stiff arm to Adam Beck #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after a reception in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - NOVEMBER 29: Brennan Eagles #13 of the Texas Longhorns gives a stiff arm to Adam Beck #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders after a reception in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the second half of the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the second half of the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Wells with a chance for defining win

In year two of his tenure as head coach, Matt Wells needs to start collecting some defining victories.  Beating the No. 8 Longhorns would certainly qualify as such.

Thus far, the only win of any significance for Wells is last October’s 45-35 upset of Oklahoma State in Lubbock.  But being as the Cowboys were ranked just No. 21 at the time, that victory didn’t quite move the needle among the fan base the way a win over Texas this weekend would.

There’s no question that the tide continues to turn against Wells.  Fans have seen no reason yet to believe that he’s the man to get this program back to where it was in the 2000s and with each passing loss or lethargic win (as was the case against HBU), the portion of the constituency that is anti-Wells only grows.

The honeymoon, if there ever was one for the wildly unpopular hire, has been over for quite some time and if there was indeed any grace being extended to Wells, it was lost when his team was outplayed by Houston Baptist.

What’s more, this is now fully his program.  There’s no more talk of a transition year and the excuse that Kliff Kingsbury left the cupboard barren now holds no water.

Wells’ fingerprints are all over Texas Tech football and thus, it is his responsibility to start securing meaningful wins.  The problem is that the Big 12 looks to be so mediocre this year that there are only two opportunities for defining wins on the 2020 schedule, OU and Texas.  So if Wells has any hope of trying to win back the ever-growing cynical side of the Red Raider populace, he needs to find a way to secure wins in games like the one he has in front of him on Saturday.

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