Early on in the olden days of Texas Tech football, the Red Raiders really didn’t have much fun when leaving Lubbock to go compete in a bowl game. Seriously, we’re talking about multiple decades and multiple coaches and still zero wins in a bowl game as we get to the 1949 Raisin Bowl.
I mean, the Raisin Bowl should make a comeback. Let’s get some sponsors on that one in a hurry. Bring back the Raisin Bowl ASAP, please.
Anyways, it’s also not great to lose a game that’s named after a dehydrated grape. I, for one, think it would have been better had the Red Raiders found a way to get a win in Fresno, California on December 31, 1949. However, this is yet another instance of yet another close and frustrating bowl game loss for Texas Tech.
And because of it, for the third time ever, Dell Morgan suffered a bowl loss as the head coach of the Red Raiders. And for the third time, Morgan and the Red Raiders lost in a bowl game in a closely contested matchup.
Texas Tech football history: The Red Raiders couldn’t win the Raisin Bowl in 1949, stretching their bowl losing streak to five games
There are levels to this heartbreak.
And to be completely honest, this is (objectively speaking) a ton of fun. In this instance, Texas Tech fell behind after claiming an early lead and was simply unable to go score for score with the San Jose State Spartans on the last day of the 1940’s.
And yes, I know we’re talking about another close loss. In this instance, Texas Tech fell short and lost 20-13 in a game that the Red Raiders probably could have won if TTU could have limited its mistakes against San Jose State.
But there’s nothing we can really do about it at this point. We can sit back, scroll through the Texas Tech record book, and find more interesting moments in Texas Tech football history. Soon enough, we’ll get the delightful opportunity to talk about a bowl win.
For now, enjoy the tidbit of historical knowledge that Dell Morgan went and took Texas Tech to three bowl games in his tenure. And, uh, well. Three losses. I know that's not actually enjoyable, but it is a little interesting.