Texas Tech football: Under the radar stats from Red Raiders’ win over TCU

Gino Garcia comes up clutch again for Texas Tech

Don’t overlook the importance of the two field goals that Gino Garcia made for Tech on Thursday.  In a seven-point win, those two kicks proved to be massive.

Texas Tech got a 27-yard FG from Garcia in the second quarter to go up 10-7 but it was his second make of the night that was eye-opening.  At the end of the first half, the senior nailed a 55-yard kick to put his team in front 20-7 at the half.

That kick was massive for two reasons.  First, it obviously extended the Red Raider lead.

Second, though, it also prevented TCU from having an opportunity to score right before halftime.  Had Garcia missed, TCU would have taken over at their own 37 with almost a minute left to play needing to only pick up about 30 yards to try their own FG.

The way the Frogs were able to throw the ball on Thursday, that might not have been too big of a task.  Instead, Garcia gave his team a two-score lead after 30 minutes of play.

The former transfer from Houston Baptist is in a groove right now.  He’s made his last seven field goals dating back to a 2-2 performance against Tarleton State in week three.

It was a shaky start to 2023 for Garcia though.  In the first two weeks, he was just 3-7 combined and in the Wyoming and Oregon games, his misses played huge roles in Red Raider losses.

He’s now rebounded and is 10-14 on the season and it is clear that McGuire trusts him.  That was evident when Garcia was sent out to try the 55-yard kick against TCU.  He nailed it with plenty of leg to spare and that proved to be a sneaky-important moment in the Red Raider win.