Texas Tech football: Red Raiders a no-show in Provo
Texas Tech plays another sloppy game
It has to be said…this is not a well-coached team. In fact, this team is getting sloppier and less disciplined as the season goes on.
Sure, the officiating was questionable on Saturday night, especially on the critical third-down spot that put Tahj Brooks short of a first down just one play prior to Tech’s ill-fated 4th-down attempt on its first drive of the game.
However, Tech was guilty of a number of back-breaking penalties such as a holding by Tahj Brooks to erase a big punt return by Myles Price in the first half or the second-half holding penalty by center Rusty Staats to wipe out a long run by Brooks.
In all, Tech was flagged nine times for 80 yards while BYU incurred only four flags for 24 yards. That, of course, included the ejection of tight end Jayden York, who the officials allege spat on a BYU defensive player in the first half.
When you combine the penalties and the turnovers that we are seeing from this team on a weekly basis now, it is fair to question the coaching that is taking place. The discipline of a team is a direct reflection of its leadership and that falls squarely at McGuire’s feet.
This team is getting worse as the season progresses, not better in what feels like a script straight out of the Kliff Kingsbury era. That’s the opposite of what happened last year when Tech won its last four games.
How much of that is due to injuries such as those at QB, linebacker, and other spots? Some, for sure. But last year, Tech also had to start three different players at QB and overcome various injuries elsewhere, and yet never did it look like the 2022 Red Raiders were poorly coached (except against Baylor).
This year, Tech has looked ill-prepared against Wyoming, West Virginia, KSU, and now BYU. That’s on the coaching staff. How many times this year has it appeared that the Tech game plan was foolish or inexplicable, especially on offense? Likewise, how many times this year has Tech looked like the more flustered, unintelligent, and sloppy team? Far too often.
This coaching staff was very brash in the offseason and that started with the head coach. They aren’t ready for “60 minutes of us” or “this team would beat last year’s team by 14 points” were two of his famous offseason quotes and now, those braggadocious statements are being used to mock McGuire and his coaching staff.
If McGuire wasn’t recruiting as well as he is and if players like 2024 5-star wide receiver Micah Hudson and 4-star QB Will Hammond weren’t set to arrive next semester, McGuire would be seeing comparisons to Matt Wells. After 21 games, McGuire is just 11-10 overall and while that’s better than Wells was after his first 21 games, it isn’t what Tech fans expect.
What’s more, he has a losing record (9-10) against FBS teams. That’s not going to get it done. Right now, the only things keeping McGuire’s seat cool are his recruiting results and his likeability.