Joey McGuire shows how much he loves Texas Tech in emotional postgame interview

There's no denying that Texas Tech's 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona on Saturday was important. Coming off one of the worst losses in head coach Joey McGuire's tenure, the Red Raiders needed to get back on track to stay in the Big 12 title race.

However, for McGuire, the win seemed to be about more than just the standings. After seeing him become emotional in his postgame television interview when talking about his team and Texas Tech as a whole, there should be no doubt that he is the right man to lead the most important program at our university.

After initially discussing the play of QB Thomas Castellanos, McGuire was asked about the performance of his defense. That's when he became choked up.

"Well, you know, Coach Wood and his group have a lot of pride," he said. "Those linebackers, they've been playing a lot of football, and I'm proud of our guys, really proud of our guys today."

Then, McGuire was asked why he was so emotional talking about his team. What he said next should warm the heart of any Red Raider.

"Well, I love this university," he said as his voice quivered. "I love these fans, our alumni, you know, and I disappointed them last week, and I don't want to do that. I believe in what we do. They've had our backs, and man, we came through today."

There is no question that McGuire is the right fit for Texas Tech

It is hard to believe, but there is a pocket of Texas Tech fans who don't think McGuire is capable of leading this program to the top of the mountain. Those fans were especially vocal over the past week, despite the fact that the Cincinnati debacle was just the third loss in the last 21 games under McGuire.

It would come as no shock if we somehow found out that McGuire was aware of all of the criticism he received, both locally and nationally, after last week's defeat. He likely took that to heart as well.

McGuire knows how much his program's success means to the fans. He also understands what it means to the overall health of the university. Therefore, he has to feel some pressure to win.

More importantly, though, McGuire absolutely loves Texas Tech. At his introductory press conference, he said he would "die a Red Raider". He's poured his entire heart and soul into Texas Tech, Lubbock, West Texas, and all of Raiderland.

How can you not love him for that? After all, most fans still remember the days of the Tommy Tuberville era when the Texas Tech head football coach openly complained about the fans, the facilities, and the weather in Lubbock as often as he said anything positive.

What's more, we are just a few years removed from the disastrous Matt Wells era. Wells was so detached from the spirit of Raiderland that when asked on his weekly radio show what he liked most about Lubbock, he couldn't come up with a coherent reply.

McGuire is all-in. This isn't just a multi-million-dollar job to him. This isn't a stepping-stone opportunity for him. This isn't a retirement plan for him.

Rather, his university means as much to him as it does to anyone else who bleeds scarlet and black. McGuire desperately wants to bring success, joy, and glory to Texas Tech, and he wants to do so for all the right reasons.

Say what you want about McGuire's Saturday afternoon decisions each week. Feel free to debate whether or not his team performs as well as we think it should, or whether he is handling all aspects of his job effectively. He knows that comes with the territory.

However, there is no logical way to critique whether or not McGuire is pouring everything he has into building a championship program at Texas Tech. He's all-in, and Texas Tech is branded on his soul. That's why he's the perfect person to lead the program.

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