Story by
One bad day exposes Texas Tech football's vulnerabilities | Don Williams
- Story by
- One bad day exposes Texas Tech football's vulnerabilities | Don Williams
On the Big 12 schedule planner the conference released last November, the Texas Tech football team doesn't host Baylor again until 2027. One of the travesties of this unwieldy 16-team conference is the Tech-Baylor series, played annually since 1956, will go on hiatus next year before the two teams play in Waco in 2026 and again in Lubbock the year after.
Bad for those of us who still appreciate the Southwest Conference. Even worse for Dave Aranda.
Advertisement
If Baylor decides to make a coaching change later this fall — a distinct possibility with the Bears tracking toward a fourth losing season in five years — Aranda won't have his old colleague Joey McGuire to blame for his demise.
For Aranda, trips to Lubbock are like doubling up on blueberry muffins at the 50 Yard Line, another old Southwest Conference institution.
Baylor beat Texas Tech 59-35 on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium, spoiling Tech homecoming and knocking the Red Raiders down a peg after they started the season 5-1 and conference play 3-0. It was Tech's worst home loss since ... the Baylor game in 2022. Both times, Tech was favored. Both times, it was a no-contest, the Bears winning two years ago 45-17 on the night of Patrick Mahomes 's Tech Ring of Honor ceremony.
Related: Texas Tech football report card: Dissecting a blowout home loss to Baylor
Advertisement
Related: Why Texas Tech football DBs are on the spot in season's second half | Don Williams
Texas Tech football 's homecoming exposed the Red Raiders
What unfolded this particular October Saturday was similarly unexpected. Former Coronado quarterback Sawyer Robertson threw a career-high five touchdown passes, three to Josh Cameron , a former walk-on who set up another score with a 73-yard punt return.
Nothing about the game was good from a Tech standpoint, and the Bears exposed what perhaps should've been feared during the open week last week. Namely, that the Red Raiders were vulnerable to some regression. In the first half of the season, Tech hung on for dear life to beat Abilene Christian and Cincinnati, was a shade better than Arizona State and a little bit better against Arizona.
Advertisement
None were above-average opponents, and Arizona — a 34-7 loser Saturday at home to Colorado — is in the running for most disappointing team in a Big 12 full of disappointing teams.
Hey, coming from where the Tech program's been for more than a decade, no one should be complaining about winning.
It made for a nice storyline a couple of weeks ago, when Tech was the only FBS team that had won four one-possession games and had gone undefeated in those games. Well, the Red Raiders are still undefeated in one-possession games, but the people who pull for them might feel a little less bullish about their chances. Cue Jim Mora. Playoffs!? College Football Playoffs!?
Richard Reese #29 of the Baylor Bears runs the ball during the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Lubbock, Texas.
A dreadful day for Texas Tech special teams
Tech probably needs to win the Big 12 championship now to make that happen.
Advertisement
And the Red Raiders didn't look on Saturday like a team that's going to run the table from here on out.
Related: Special-teams letdowns set stage for Texas Tech football loss to Baylor
Among the troubling aspects, aside from an uncharacteristic dreadful day by the special teams, Tech's now been burned for more than 50 points three times in its past nine games, dating to the 2023 regular-season finale at Texas. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark was on hand Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium, just as he was for the 57-7 debacle last Thanksgiving weekend in Austin.
Also in the house Saturday was Efren Ramirez. The actor who played Pedro of "Vote for Pedro" renown in the movie Napoleon Dynamite sported a T-shirt with "Vote for Tahj". Oh, Tahj Brooks was his usual self, carrying 25 times for 125 yards, his 18th career 100-yard game. Brooks's day and Behren Morton 's three touchdown passes to Caleb Douglas were highlights for the Red Raiders, but not nearly enough.
Advertisement
At halftime, the Goin' Band spelled out HAPPY DAYS across the Jones AT&T Stadium while playing the theme song of the 1970s sitcom.
That was true only for the merry band of Dave Aranda, who probably can't wait to get back to Lubbock.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: One bad day exposes Texas Tech football's vulnerabilities | Don Williams
