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Texas Tech football: 4 games Red Raiders must win in 2021

By Matthew Conner

Oct 31, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Matt Wells leads the team onto the field before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Matt Wells leads the team onto the field before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Miles Kendrick #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks is tackled by linebacker Thomas Leggett #16 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the college football game at Jones AT&T Stadium on December 05, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Miles Kendrick #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks is tackled by linebacker Thomas Leggett #16 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the college football game at Jones AT&T Stadium on December 05, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

@ Kansas

Perhaps the greatest sin Matt Wells has committed as Texas Tech head coach has been the fact that he’s been unable to dominate Big 12 door mat Kansas.  In fact, in going 1-1 against the worst FBS program in the nation, his team has played KU even on the scoreboard by losing to the Jayhawks by three points in 2019 and beating them by three points in 2020.  That’s simply unacceptable.

In fact, his team’s listless and uninspired performance against KU in last year’s 16-13 win to end the season put Wells directly on the offseason hot seat and nearly cost him his job.  Many believe that had KU pulled out that game, there would be a different man leading the Red Raiders this season and if Wells wants to remain the man in charge for 2022, he had better come out of Lawrence with a win this fall.

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Kansas went winless last season losing all nine of its games and being within a touchdown of victory only once…agaisnt Tech.  And over the course of the offseason, Lance Leipold was hired to replace the fired Les Miles who saw his tenure derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct with women while he was head coach at LSU.

So KU is not only a program that is the laughing stock of the nation but it is also one in transition, which makes this a game Tech must win, even if it is on the road.  What’s more, this game comes in the second week of a six-game span that will also see the Red Raiders face TCU, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State.  Thus, this game had better end up in the win column or Tech could be looking at a potential losing streak in the middle of the season.

Tech has only lost to Kansas twice in the history of the series.  But last year, Wells’ team nearly dropped its second-straight game to the Jayhawks and that almost changed the course of Texas Tech football forever.  In 2021, Wells needs to finally put a beating on the Big 12’s version of a punching bag and if he can do so, it will be an important step towards getting the Red Raiders back to a bowl game.

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