Texas Tech football: 5 areas where Red Raiders must be better in 2021

Red zone offense

In addition to special teams, close games are often decided in the red zone.  The difference between seven points and three points is often the difference in victory and defeat.

Unfortunately, in 2020, Tech was unable to capitalize often enough on its forays inside the opponent’s 20.  In fact, the Red Raiders were just 105th in the nation and last in the Big 12 when it came to turning red zone trips into points.  Scoring on just 75.8% of those opportunities, Tech left a ton of points on the field.

On 33 red-zone possessions, the Red Raiders found the endzone just 20 times.  What’s more, Tech made only five red-zone field goals all season.

Looking back, it is easy to find games where red zone miscues cost the Red Raiders a win.  Against Texas, Tech started a second-quarter drive at the Longhorn 17 but an Alan Bowman pickoff would squash that momentum.

Against Kansas State, Tech missed two red-zone FGs that could have easily changed the tone of what eventually was a 10-point loss.  And though it wasn’t technically a red-zone drive, Tech also got to the KSU 28 late in the game before Henry Colombi threw an INT in the endzone.

In the loss to TCU in Fort Worth, Tech was stopped on 4th-down at the Horned Frog seven-yard line.  And of course, the ill-fated second-down FG attempt in the 4th quarter was a red-zone failure as the ball was snapped from the TCU 19 on that play.

This year, the Red Raiders must come up with a way to find the endzone more often when they broach the opponent’s red zone.  This roster is not talented enough to simply leave points off the scoreboard and expect to win Big 12 games.  But if Tech can become more efficient inside the 20, it could be the driving force behind the program’s resurgence in 2021.