Texas Tech football: What the Red Raiders must do to beat Oregon

Texas Tech must be the more disciplined team

When the Red Raiders lost to Wyoming last week, discipline was a huge factor.  That was surprising because playing smart and under control were hallmarks of Joey McGuire’s first Red Raider team last season.  Also, this is an experienced and veteran team that should not be making as many careless and preventable mistakes as it did against the Cowboys.

First of all, the game-changing penalties can’t pop up again.  Last week, Tech was flagged for three personal fouls and while the late hit on Wyoming’s QB near the sidelines was a bogus call, there is simply no room for Tech to put itself in positions where the officials even have the opportunity to make judgment calls of that nature.

The first personal foul, a hands-to-the-face call, erased an INT by Bralyn Lux that would have given Tech the ball at the Wyoming 34 with 1:30 remaining in the first half and Tech leading 17-10.  Earlier in the game, a late hit on the sliding Wyoming QB by Jessiah Pierre helped put the home team in range for their first field goal of the game.  Later, the aforementioned late hit set Wyoming up for the FG that would give them their first, 20-17.

Tech has to be better in that regard against Oregon.  Those are mistakes that can and should be easily avoided.

Also, discipline must be exercised by playing within the system.  McGuire and defensive coordinator Tim DeRyuter both talked this week about how their defensive players were frequently out of position against Wyoming.

Whether it was not maintaining their assigned pass rush lanes, not keying on the right offensive players, or trying to cover more ground in the secondary than they were assigned, the Red Raider defenders put themselves in a position to be exploited by a pedestrian Wyoming offense by not being where the defensive call asked them to be.  That’s something that should be fixable this week.

When playing a team as good as Oregon, the Red Raiders must be disciplined both in regard to penalties and when it comes to each player’s individual assignment.  If they can simply play a clean mental game, they will give themselves a shot at coming out on top.