Texas Tech football: Why the Red Raiders lost to TCU

The offensive line was dominated by TCU

We entered this year believing that this offensive line could be a strength of the team with three solid returners manning the interior positions.  But that hasn’t been the case as the line has struggled across the board all year and that continued against TCU.

The Red Raiders were absolutely dominated by the TCU defensive front on Saturday.  It was a continuation of a concerning trend that has seen this unit get progressively worse as the season has unfolded.

Tech allowed TCU to register five sacks, nine tackles for loss, and four quarterback pressures.  What’s more, the line couldn’t open up any holes in the ground game as the Red Raiders averaged just 3.0 per carry on the afternoon.

It was apparent right from the start that the o-line was in for a long day.  Colombi was sacked three times on his first five drop-backs as Tech could not get out of its own way in the first quarter.

This poor performance comes one week after Tech was dominated in a similar fashion by the Oklahoma Sooners.  In that game, OU had two sacks and nine tackles for loss of their own while also recording four QB pressures.

What’s more concerning is that players such as center Dawson Deaton and guards Jack Anderson and Weston Wright have played below the level we expected them to reach this year.  While the struggles of tackles Josh Burger and Ethan Carde have been more noticeable, they were also more expected.

But the veterans on the line have taken a step backward this year and that’s an indictment of offensive line coach Steve Farmer.  And against TCU on Saturday, his group was thoroughly dominated.