Texas Tech football: Counting down Matt Wells’ worst in-game decisions

Passing up the late FG against Houston Baptist

It was rather sad that Texas Tech was in a one-score game with FCS foe Houston Baptist in this year’s season opener.  Thus, the fact that Wells had to make a game-defining call that week was unacceptable.

But he did have to make that call and the one he made was the wrong call.  Imagine that.

With Tech ahead 35-27 with just 5:40 to play, the Red Raiders had the ball at the HBU 4-yard line.  In that instance, the wise and only logical choice for Wells was to kick the short FG and take an 11-point lead.

However, he kept the offense on the field and asked injury-prone QB Alan Bowman to execute a quarterback sneak.  Though Bowman was not injured on the play (as is always a concern when he carries the football), he did not pick up the first down and the ball went back to the upset-minded visitors.

That stop sparked some belief in the Huskies who promptly took the ball 96 yards for a TD to cut Tech’s lead to just 35-33.  Fortunately for Wells, the subsequent 2-point conversion would fail and his team was able to run out the clock to secure the win.

This call on Wells part defies logic.  After all, the risk was not worth the reward.

Tech was already ahead by eight points so any extra scoring would have made the game a two-possession game.   However, a touchdown would not have extended the lead beyond two possessions making the payoff of seven points useless unless Wells was trying to make the final score look more respectable.

Again, it was a shame that Tech allowed the Huskies stay that close so late into the game but of course, that’s also an indictment on Wells.  Still, that was the reality of the situation and that’s when Wells made an indefensible decision and one that everyone with half of a football brain knew he should not have made.