Texas Tech football: Hidden moments from win over Baylor

Baylor throws the ball on 3rd-and-5 on their final drive

The second questionable Baylor decision came on their final possession of the game when they were trying to run out the clock.  In fact, it was one that may have cost them the game.

Facing a 3rd-and-5 at the Tech 44, the Bears got extremely aggressive.  Hindsight shows that they got too aggressive for their own good.

Instead of running the ball to force Tech to take their final timeout of the game, Baylor threw it.  And they didn’t just throw a safe pass like a swing pass or a screen, they tried to hit a route that was 15 yards downfield.

The play was made by Tech corner Zech McPhearson, who undercut the route and broke up the play.  But Baylor never should have thrown the ball, to begin with.

For the game, Baylor averaged 4.3 yards per game and on that drive, they ran it four times for an average of 4.8 yards prior to going to the air on 3rd down.   Thus, it would have made sense to try to pick up the first down on the ground, which is also where fewer bad things happen.

But instead, they gave Tech extra time on the clock and allowed Wells to keep his last timeout, which he used just prior to the game-winning kick.  Think about how much more hurried that FG would have been had the Red Raiders not have that time timeout to use.  And think about how stupid it was for Baylor to throw the ball on this critical 3rd-down play.