The Texas Tech football program nearly upset Texas on Saturday and had these hidden moments turned out differently, we would likely be talking about a Red Raider victory instead of a gut-wrenching loss.
In a game like we saw Texas Tech and Texas play this past Saturday, there are going to be plenty of memorable moments that fans are certain to discuss for years to come. But sometimes, it is the hidden moments, ones that are often forgotten about, that prove to be where the game turns, even if no one knows it at the time they happen.
So let’s take a look at five such moments from Saturday’s wild 63-56 shootout at the Jones. As we do, consider just how critical these seemingly innocuous plays proved to be.
No. 1: Tech jumps offsides early
Our first hidden moment came on the first possession of the game. After Texas took the opening kickoff and drove to the doorstep of the endzone, the Horns faced a 4th-and-2 at the Red Raider 2-yard line.
At the line, UT’s senior QB Sam Ehlinger showed his savvy by using a hard count to draw Red Raider defensive lineman Eli Howard offsides. The penalty yardage was enough to give Texas a new set of downs and one play later, Ehlinger would score on a two-yard TD run.
This play was important because it robbed Tech of an opportunity to come up with a critical red zone stop. As we discuss quite a bit during football season, red-zone possessions are almost always what tells the tale of Big 12 games being as it is next to impossible to shut down offenses in this league for four-straight quarters.
Indeed, timely stops inside the 20 are what most Big 12 defensive coordinators live and die by. And this was a chance for Tech to come up with an early play to keep UT off of the scoreboard.
Howard is Tech’s most experienced defensive player. He simply has to know better than to jump offsides in such a crucial situation.
In his defense, he’s a player who relies on maximum effort to be effective and he was likely amped up at the thought of making the game’s first huge play. His passion and effort are why Red Raider fans love his game but those traits were used against him in this crucial moment.
We don’t know if Texas would have converted that 4th-and-2 or not and given how well they ran the ball on Saturday, some may assume that they would have. But by jumping offsides, Tech robbed itself of the opportunity to make a key red-zone play and instead set UT up for their first seven points of the game.