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Texas Tech football: Hidden moments in Saturday’s win over the Mountaineers

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals after picking up a first down during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals after picking up a first down during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Helmets sit along the sideline before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Helmets sit along the sideline before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

In Saturday’s 34-27 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers, these hidden moments proved to be huge turning points for the Texas Tech football team.

To say that the latest win for the Texas Tech football team was unusual might be an understatement.  In fact, Saturday’s 34-27 triumph over West Virginia followed a rather unusual script.

First of all, the Red Raiders passed for just 169 yards.  That was 152.7 fewer than they had been averaging over the first four games of the year.

What’s more, this was the first time since the 2000 season that Tech won a game when failing to throw for 200 yards.  It was also just the 11th time since the start of that season that Tech had thrown for less than 200 yards.

Also making this game a rarity for the Red Raiders was the fact that the running game was the predominant means of moving the football.  Rushing for 179 yards on the evening, it was the first time that Tech won a Big 12 game in which the ground game outpaced the passing game since a win over Kansas in 2017.

As with any game, there were plays that played a role in the final outcome but which we didn’t know would be critical at the time.  So let’s take a look at how the following hidden moments proved to be key in Texas Tech’s first Big 12 win of 2020.

WVU misses a huge early opportunity

Opening any game with a score on the first possession sends a huge message and often sets a tone for the team that scores.  That’s exactly what West Virginia had an opportunity to do on Saturday until a season-long problem reared its ugly head once again.

Facing a 3rd-and-3 on their own 32, WVU had an opportunity for a quick-strike TD when QB Jarrett Doege fired a strike to receiver Sean Ryan, who had beaten Zech McPhearson down the seam.  However, Ryan did not make the catch and his team was forced to punt.

On this play, Ryan had a couple of steps on McPhearson and he could have taken the ball to the endzone as there was no one in between him and the goal line.  But instead, this was a missed opportunity for the visiting team to strike first.

For the year, West Virginia receivers have now dropped 16 passes in five games.  What’s more, they had seven drops against the Red Raiders.  And this key early miscue proved to be crucial because it robbed the Mountaineers of a possible TD in a game they would eventually lose by just seven points.

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