Texas Tech football 2023 rewatch: What went wrong in Wyoming?
Each summer, the urge to watch football kicks in but unless you are a fan of the UFL, there's no great way to scratch that itch. Of course, the return of EA Sports NCAA Football video game franchise will help many fans fill the time until real football returns but even that doesn't come close to the real experience.
One of the ways that we can get through the summer months is by looking back at last season's games one by one. Though it may be tough at times (as we will see today), rewatching 2023's games can be a useful exercise now that we have the full benefit of hindsight.
So let's begin by taking a close look at the disaster that took place in Laramie, Wyoming to open last season. That was a day that started so well with Tech jumping out to a 17-0 lead only to eventually fall 35-33 in double-overtime.
It was a truly unfathomable outcome for a team that began the season with so much hype. Remember that the Red Raiders were supposed to be a dark horse Big 12 title contender with some around the country predicting that Joey McGuire's team could do what TCU did in 2022 and make a run to the college football playoff despite starting the year unranked.
Of course, all of that went off the rails in just one game as the Red Raiders were upset by the Cowboys on a wild and maddening night in the Rockies, one that featured a lengthy lightning delay to start the game and a field storming by the home fans to end it. So just how did this game get away from Tech and what does our rewatch teach us? Let's take a look.
How Texas Tech's loss to Wyoming unfolded
This game was unusual in that the heavily favored road team jumped out to an early three-score lead in the first quarter only to blow that advantage. Usually, when a major-conference team loses to a Group-of-5 school on the road, it is the home team that jumps out early in an ambush and then holds on as the more talented team fights back.
However, Tech landed some early haymakers with Myles Price and Jayden York hauling in Tyler Shough TD passes on Tech's first two drives (the second set up by a Wyoming fumble). Tack on a Gino Garcia field goal and all was looking well for Tech.
However, Wyoming would slowly crawl back into the game and even take a 20-17 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. Tech would hit a field goal with 41 seconds to play to send the game to OT where the teams would trade TDs in the first OT session.
In the second OT, Tech would take a 33-27 lead after a Jerand Bradley TD catch. However, the two-point conversion was unsuccessful leaving Wyoming with an opportunity.
On the ensuing possession, the Cowboys actually faced a 4th-and-seven from the Tech 11 but they converted in the form of an 11-yard TD pass in the face of a Red Raider blitz. Then, a simple draw play right through the heart of the Tech defense on the two-point conversion would win the game for Wyoming.