After the type of loss that the Texas Tech football team suffered in week one, there are bound to be plenty of surprises. Of course, the problem is that almost all will be negative.
Honestly, there just were not many positives to take away from the 35-33 loss to Wyoming in Laramie. In fact, it is hard to pick out one Red Raider who was a true difference-maker or who performed exceptionally.
Perhaps inside linebacker, Jacob Rodriguez was on his way to being one such player until a foot injury forced him out of the game in the first quarter. Now set to miss 4-6 weeks with a sprained foot, he had two tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in only four Wyoming possessions.
The only other Red Raider that stood out was the one guy Texas Tech fans don’t want to see on the field, Austin McNamara. Taking advantage of the thin air in Wyoming, the senior who is one of the best punters in the nation averaged 49.8 yards per punt on four kicks.
It was a nice start to the season for the NFL hopeful after a bit of a down season in 2022. Last fall he averaged a career-low 44.3 yards per punt on 50 kicks, a surprise given how effective he had been throughout his career.
Other than that, Tech simply didn’t have enough players play up to their offseason hype. Neither did any particular position groups as a whole, which was shocking given how much depth we all thought this roster possessed.
Maybe, one could argue that the defensive backs were as advertised. No Wyoming receiver had more than five receptions or 37 yards for the game. Of course, few people expected the Cowboy passing game to be lethal given the style of play that head coach Craig Bohl prefers to play.
It might sound harsh but it is fair to say that the rest of the roster was a collective disappointment. So, as painful as it might be, let’s take one last look at the week one flop to see what the biggest (and most painful) surprises were.