Texas Tech might have an edge in Red Zone offense
Often, games between evenly matched teams come down to what happens in the red zone. That could be good news for Texas Tech in this one.
One of the biggest mismatches between the Red Raiders and Bears is their success in the red zone. Hopefully, that proves to be where Tech separates on Saturday night.
Statistically, the Bears have the second-worst red zone offense in the Big 12. Scoring on just 18 of their 25 trips, they are converting at just a 72% clip.
Meanwhile, Tech is in the top half of the conference by getting points on 17 of 19 red-zone trips (89.4%) That’s good for 6th overall.
Of course, there’s a huge difference in scoring TDs vs. kicking field goals in the red zone as well. Again, that’s where Tech has a statistical edge over Baylor.
This year, the Red Raiders have found the endzone on 13 of their 19 red-zone opportunities (68.4%). Baylor, though, has done so only 10 times on 25 possessions (40%).
This is another area where QB play could be massive. When the field gets smaller and the passing windows are tighter, will one of the two QBs in this game find a way to make plays that lead to seven points instead of three? If so, that will likely be the team that prevails.