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Texas Tech football: Disappointing losses haven’t always spelled doom for Red Raiders

By Matthew Conner

Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie celebrates 45-31 victory over Cal in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004. Cumbie was 39 of 60 for a career-high 520 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 23 Red Raiders to an upset of No. 4 Cal. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie celebrates 45-31 victory over Cal in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004. Cumbie was 39 of 60 for a career-high 520 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 23 Red Raiders to an upset of No. 4 Cal. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Helmets sit along the sideline before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Helmets sit along the sideline before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

1999: Texas Tech Lost to North Texas but beat No. 5 A&M in the next game

Maybe the one season that today’s Texas Tech football fan has turned to most for hope is 1999.  That year, Tech opened the year in disastrous fashion with a loss at Arizona State that also saw Heisman Trophy hopeful Ricky Williams blow out his knee leaving the offense without its star running back.

After a 38-17 win in Lubbock over Louisiana-Lafayette, the Red Raiders would again wet their pants at home against North Texas, 21-14.  That left the fans with two weeks to worry about a visit from No. 5 Texas A&M after an off week.

That night, Tech stunned the nation with a 21-19 win over the Aggies thanks to a heroic performance by running back Sammy Morris and a spectacular defensive showing. On a night when Morris ran for 170 yards and Tech would score all three of its touchdowns in the second quarter, the defense would hold the Aggies to just one TD.

Can the Red Raiders in 2023 follow this script and upset No. 13 Oregon at home one game after an awful showing against a lower-tier program?  Hopefully so.

1999 would be an up-and-down year for Tech as it became apparent that Dykes’ days were numbered as the game seemed to be passing the legendary head coach by.  Yet another 6-5 overall record and 5-3 Big 12 record was in store for the program but the last win of the year proved to be truly memorable.

In a game that would be a symbolic passing of the torch to the new era of Texas Tech football, redshirt freshman QB Kliff Kingsbury would make his first collegiate start in the season finale at home against Bob Stoops and Oklahoma.

After Dykes told the team at halftime that it would be his final game, the Red Raiders rallied in the second half behind some Kingsbury magic to earn a 38-28 win.  After the game, Dykes was carried off the field on the shoulders of his players in a moment no Red Raider fan who witnessed that game will soon forget.

Tech didn’t accept a bowl invite that year due to Dykes’ retirement.  Still, that season was one that is looked upon favorably due to the upset of A&M and the way the Dykes era ended.  However, after the loss to North Texas and Williams’ injury, that September no one gave that season much of a chance to be memorable.

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