Texas Tech football: Four scenarios that could derail the 2021 season

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Nov 9, 2019; Morgantown, WV, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Matt Wells argues a call during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

Wells’ in-game blunders cause more problems

There’s no denying that Matt Wells has done quite a bit this offseason to repair his image with much of the Texas Tech football fandom. While no one is claiming that he’s the second coming of Bear Bryant, most seem impressed with the way he’s used the transfer portal to rebuild and strengthen his roster.

But no matter how much talent he has playing for him, he and his team will not be successful if he continues to make hair-brained in-game coaching decisions as he has during his two years in charge on the South Plains. That’s because his team’s margin for error is still razor-thin meaning that one coaching blunder could top the scales of a game.

Think about how last year’s onside kick against Oklahoma State turned the course of that contest. With Tech up 24-21 early in the third quarter, he tried a sneak attack onside but it backfired on him as the kick was returned for a TD and OSU would go on to score 21 of the game’s next 28 points en route to a 50-44 win.

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Of course, his second-down field goal attempt late in the loss to TCU was also gutting. Putting the game on the foot of an unreliable kicker who had made just one kick all season, Wells gambled and lost before it was absolutely necessary to take such drastic measures.

And who can forget his ill-fated “sky kick” against Texas? With Tech up 15 points late in the fourth quarter and seemingly in control, he ordered his kicker to pop the ball up high rather than to try to kick it out of the back of the endzone.

The result was that UT would get the ball at their own 41 setting them up for an easy 4-play TD drive that took on 34 seconds off the clock. That would spark a UT comeback win in overtime and leave many wondering what Wells was thinking on the “sky kick”.

Unfortunately, there are so many more instances of a Matt Wells gamble not paying off. In fact, his reputation for gambling and losing predates Tech and goes all the way back to his time at Utah State.

This year, if he believes he has the type of roster to compete on a weekly basis, he needs to play most games straight only gambling when it is absolutely necessary. No more early-down field goal attempts, no more fake punts on the wrong side of the 50, no more onside kicks when your team is leading and has the momentum.

But some coaches seem to take pride in being the so-called riverboat gambler. They chalk it up to being aggressive but often, their risks are just stupid and that’s been the case far too often for Wells. If he doesn’t stop making in-game blunders, he could single-handedly derail a game which could then derail an entire season. So here’s hoping he tones it down a bit on the risk-taking side of things this year.

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