Texas Tech football: Hidden moments in heartbreaking loss to Oregon

Shough sacked at Oregon 20 to force Texas Tech to settle for three points

Our final hidden moment is one that prevented the Red Raiders from continuing another drive that had moved deep into Oregon territory.  In the end, Tech would have to settle for a FG and that would be important in a game that was a one-point affair when the decisive play happened.

Trailing 28-27, Shough and the offense had driven to the Oregon 20 with 6:36 to play.  Facing a manageable 2nd-and-8, Shough dropped back to pass and was sacked for a crippling 7-yard loss.

A play later, needing 15 yards to keep the drive going, Shough would again face pressure and would throw the ball away while on the run to avoid another loss of yardage.  That forced Gino Garcia to kick a 45-yard FG to put Tech in the lead.

This was Tech’s chance to wind the clock down and score a TD to really put the Ducks behind the clock.  Remember that the new NCAA rules keep the clock rolling after first downs until the final two minutes of each half meaning that Tech could have drained most of the clock dry on that possession by picking up another couple of first downs.

Instead, Tech had to settle for just a two-point lead while giving Oregon more than enough time to answer.

On the play, Shough wasn’t at fault.

In fact, he was in the process of delivering the football when he saw Oregon DT Popo Aumavae bearing down on him after absolutely abusing Red Raider center Rusty Staats.  While Shough could have let the ball fly in the face of the pressure, Aumavae might have been able to deflect the pass which could have led to an untimely interception so it’s tough to blame Shough.

Staats has not been as advertised in his first two games as a Red Raider after transferring in from Western Kentucky this offseason.  Numerous low snaps in Wyoming caused problems for Shough and this play in week two also put his QB in an awful spot. Tech needs better from him.

Because of this sack, Oregon would get the ball back with 5:13 to play and that would be more than enough time for Nix to drive his team to the eventual game-winning FG.  It’s a shame that Tech couldn’t drain more time off of the clock but plays like this and the others on this list are what separates a close loss from a close win.