Texas Tech played a really bad game against Arizona State. A really bad game. We’re talking about how Texas Tech had just 276 yards of total offense and really struggled to sustain a drive against the Sun Devils sort of bad. I mean, Texas Tech just looked flat for so much of this game on offense and then ran out of steam late on defense.
There’s no way the Red Raider defense wasn’t totally exhausted by the time this game ended. The Red Raiders had the ball for nearly a full quarter less than what Arizona State did, the Sun Devils managed to sustain drives and score on them, and the Red Raiders had no real answer for what ASU was doing through the air.
Yes, Texas Tech nearly found a way to steal this game, but they were outplayed for basically the entirety of this matchup.
And here are some stats that show just that.
Third quarter time of possession: 1:46 for Texas Tech vs. 13:14 for Arizona State
I’m not someone who really all that often buys into time of possession being a stat that showcases why one team was able to get a win over another, but it is incredibly concerning that the Red Raiders weren’t able to have the ball for even two minutes of the third quarter.
There’s no way that didn’t contribute to Texas Tech’s defense getting tired by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. There’s no way this shouldn’t be incredibly alarming.
Yes, we have to consider how Arizona State only scored a touchdown in the third quarter, but we also have to point out that Texas Tech effectively lost the opportunity to do anything on offense for 25 percent of this game.
And in a game that Texas Tech lost by just four points, that matters. The lack of possessions there matters. The lack of opportunity to do anything matters. The Red Raiders ran seven plays total in this quarter. Arizona State was able to run 27.
THAT’S NOT GOOD!
Red zone efficiency: 67 percent for Texas Tech vs. 100 percent for Arizona State
Now, something to keep in mind here is that the percentage isn’t the really big deal here, though it is alarming. When you add in the context of Texas Tech only scored on two of three trips to the red zone while Arizona State was able to get into the red zone five times and scored all five times, well, things get really concerning.
The Red Raiders, time and time again, had issues trying to even remotely put an end to an Arizona State drive. The Sun Devils were able to sustain drives, continue into the red zone, and score. And then you can go ahead and place that efficiency percentage right back on top of everything and it just makes it feel all that much worse.
Arizona State got past Texas Tech’s 20-yard line on five different occasions. They scored on all five. The Red Raiders got past Arizona State’s 20-yard line just three times. They scored twice. That’s not good enough to win games like this against good teams, even if the opponent has flaws.
Passing yards: 167 for Texas Tech vs. 319 for Arizona State
It’s very, very concerning that Texas Tech wasn’t able to halt what Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt wanted to do in this game. The Red Raiders couldn’t throw him off balance. He just completed pass after pass after pass and managed to connect with Jordyn Tyson enough to torch the Texas Tech secondary.
That’s not good.
Texas Tech was picked apart through the air. I mean, it’s worth remembering how the Red Raiders did a good enough job to slow the rushing attack enough, but Leavitt had no issues finding Tyson on a regular basis.
That duo exhausted Texas Tech’s secondary and it’s frustrating because the Red Raiders did manage to sack Leavitt a total of four times. This isn’t a pass rush issue. Or at least not entirely. That’s concerning to me. Adding in that extra context worries me for what Texas Tech will be able to do down the stretch of this season.