Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders lost to Kansas State

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Oct 3, 2020; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Skylar Thompson (10) is chased by Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Zech McPhearson (8) during a game at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Thompson would leave the game in the first half due to injury. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

The defense was awful on third down

Third down had been perhaps the greatest flaw for the Kansas State offense prior to Saturday. Entering the game, the Wildcats had converted on just 3 of 22 attempts this season (just under 14%).

So of course, as most teams tend to do against the Texas Tech defense, K-State got right on Saturday. Converting 6 times on 12 opportunities, the Wildcat offense had its best day of the season thus far when it comes to the game’s most important down.

What’s more, a number of those conversions came on 3rd-and-long situations. On 3rd-and-9 in the second quarter, Tech allowed Skylar Thompson to scramble for 12 yards to keep a drive alive. Later on that same possession, Tech let KSU running back Deuce Vaughn rush for 20 yards on 3rd-and-10. One play later, Vaugh would find the endzone from 18 yards out.

In the third quarter, on a drive that would end with a KSU field goal, Will Howard would find Vaughn for an 8-yard reception on 3rd-and-8. And of course, the game-clinching 70-yard TD catch by Vaughn late in the fourth quarter came on 3rd-and-5.

Prior to this game, Tech had allowed opponents to convert on 38.7% of their third downs, which wasn’t great but was competitive enough. But when facing a team that was one of the worst in the nation in that area and which had to rely on a true freshman backup QB, the Red Raiders wilted and allowed the Wildcats to have success on every-other 3rd down and that was a huge reason for the season’s second loss.

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