2010 Texas Tech Football: The Path to Perfection
True fans of college football reserve a small portion of a place deep within their heart for a day that may never actually come.
They may not speak of it, or maybe they choose to proclaim it loudly.
They may not even admit that it exists for fear of sounding ludicrous or for somehow personally warding off the good fortune necessary for it to actually occur.
It is the dream of the perfect season.
But, this dream does not end in a mere conference title, a hither to before impossible BCS Bowl bid; nay, this fantasy ends in winning the BCS Championship.
The Bowl Championship Series is a difficult system to navigate and to be successful in even for those programs rich in national championship history. But for those who are up and coming and “almost there” it seems almost unattainable.
But still we dream of it, it is our ultimate sports fantasy . . . If we don’t root for our team with the BCS title as our ultimate goal, why are we even going to watch season after season?
The citizens of the great Texas Tech Red Raider nation are a people who have this dream.
Texas Tech has only been considered a long shot for a national title for a couple of brief instances. This is neither a program nor a school that the football brain trust mentions in the same sentence with the words “BCS” or “Championship”.
The last time Texas Tech was the sole holder of any championship title was in 1955 when they were crowned the champions of the now defunct Border Conference (a title which they had held eight times since 1937).
Since this time the Red Raiders have managed only three “co-conference championship titles”; twice in the Southwest Conference (in 1976 and the “big tie” in 1994) and once in the Big 12 when they finished tied for the South Division title with Texas and Oklahoma in 2008.
Hardly the track record that gives one the confidence to dream out loud . . .
Yes, there are even those among the Red Raider nation who will scoff at the realistic idea of a national title; but I believe these are the same people who go home each night only to light a candle at their secret football vigil with photos of Jones Stadium and the BCS trophy.
And so, what if the stars aligned ever so perfectly in Lubbock; what if a program that has slowly built itself into a feared opponent goes one big step forward transforming into a true championship contender?
Indeed, what if 2010 was the year that Texas Tech finally broke through the granite wall of obscurity and made a BCS Championship run?
Is this just another Red Raider fans’ delusional babbling, or, could it actually happen?
Why Texas Tech Could Go All The Way
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Here are a few factors in Tech’s favor to consider:
A Favorable Schedule
Phil Steele has deemed that the Red Raiders schedule is the 38th toughest in the land.
That said, Tech actually has a few advantages in this years’ slate of opponents; Texas is at home and is early in the season (which may be good vs. a Longhorn team that will be harder to play as the year goes on and jells under their new quarterback); Missouri is also in Lubbock and is a team the Red Raiders have had difficulty getting past on the road (they have never won in Columbia).
Tech only faces Iowa State, Colorado and Missouri out of the North leaving a surging Nebraska, the unknown Kansas Jayhawks and a steadily improving Kansas State team off the schedule.
Non conference games vs. SMU and Houston at home aren’t cake walks, especially the pass happy Cougars in the season finale, but these games are winnable.
This leaves two key road trips, to College Station to face an A&M team that whipped Tech in 2009 and then to Norman Oklahoma the site of the 2008 massacre of the Red Raiders and every dream they ever held sacred.
It won’t be easy, but it certainly isn’t daunting enough to be termed impossible.
The “Unknown” Factor
How much will the “unknowns” associated with Tommy Tuberville at the helm at Tech actually play in the Red Raiders favor?
For a decade opposing teams knew that Leach was going to spread the field and throw the ball. It was productive, predictable and when it was not effective Tech was going to struggle.
How much will Tuberville run the ball? What will Neal Brown’s NASCAR offense look like and how effective will it be with a group of athletes that should be perfectly suited for this offense?
The “new” Texas Tech is not only unknown to Red Raider fans, opponents won’t know what to expect either.
Defense
Texas Tech will play more aggressive, swarming, hard hitting defense under new coordinator James Willis. The Red Raiders will be an offensive team with a new focus on defense, or, a defensive team with a continued focus on offense.
Either way, this absolutely is a positive for a Tech program who has struggled defensively in the past.
Tech will have to have a top rated defense to win a championship.
Penalties
Over their head coaching tenures, Leach averaged approximately 300 more yards of penalty yards (per season) than did Tuberville.
It should be pretty safe to say that the 2010 Red Raiders will commit far fewer penalties than previously.
This has to be listed as an advantage.
Conditioning
Texas Tech has had a bad habit of barely holding on to a lead, or regaining the lead late in the game. Often times the last team to score was going to win the contest.
The highest percentage of points scored on the Red Raiders came in the 4th quarter.
Tommy Tuberville has promised to have the Red Raiders better physically prepared where they don’t lose the close games late due to tired legs and exhaustion.
Tech will need to win some close games late, outlasting opponents, to make a run at anything.
So then, if 2010 is the season that Texas Tech “shocks the world” and Tommy Tuberville’s promises of “championships” pass from delusions held dearly in the hearts of the Red Raider nation into reality; how would it actually play out?
This slideshow shows us the magical way that the Red Raiders storm through their 2010 campaign culminating in a mind-boggling but temptingly plausible January 10 2011 visit to Glendale, Arizona to play in the BCS title game.
This friends, is the path to perfection . . .
Texas Tech vs. SMU: Sun., Sept. 5th
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The 2010 Texas Tech opening game may be the most anticipated in recent Red Raider history. The wait will finally be over and the “new era” will at long last be underway.
SMU will be a stern test for the Red Raiders especially in their debut.
The Mustangs come to Lubbock with 2009’s 15th ranked passing offense and will put Willis’ new defense to the test. But, this is a defense that has been tweaked to handle teams that pass the ball often.
The Red Raider offense will not be stellar, but they will score enough points to manage Tommy Tuberville’s first win on the Texas Tech sidelines.
Final Score: Texas Tech 38, SMU 14
Texas Tech at New Mexico: Sat., Sept. 11th
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The Red Raiders are 1 – 0 when they travel to Albuquerque to face the Lobos.
The Lobos will be coming off a week one road trip to Eugene where they faced a top ranked Duck team.
Tech will easily handle New Mexico but there will still be an abundance of question marks going into the week three conference opener vs. Texas.
Final Score: Texas Tech 48, New Mexico 14
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Texas Tech vs. Texas: Saturday, Sept. 18th
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All eyes will be on Lubbock, Texas Saturday night September 18th; Jones Stadium will be packed to the gills and the atmosphere will be electrifying.
What will the new Tech team look like against a top five team like Texas? And, what will Texas look like with Garrett Gilbert under center against his first real test as the starter?
This game will not disappoint. Though it will lack the drama of the 2008 version it will be exciting.
The Red Raider offense will not sputter but it won’t be on turbo drive either. Tech will manage three touchdowns and a couple of precious field goals against a talented Texas defensive unit.
Unbelievably, it will be the Red Raider defense that wins this game.
Garrett Gilbert and company will struggle with a defense that changes looks and rotates players in and out as often as a junior high school girl changes her outfits.
It won’t be the old “bend but don’t break” Red Raider defense; no sir, Tech fans will sit wide eyed as they watch their defense completely shut down the Texas offense.
Final score: Texas Tech 27, Texas 10
Texas Tech at Iowa State: Sat., Oct. 2nd
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Texas Tech fans shouldn’t make the mistake of overlooking the visit to Ames Iowa to meet the Cyclones.
Iowa State will be a team that is building on its monumental successes in 2009 and is probably only a tough schedule away from making further steps forward in 2010.
Luckily, Tommy Tuberville and the Red Raiders will do no such overlooking and Tech will be geared up and ready to play regardless of any emotional hangover from the victory vs. Texas.
Iowa State’s young defense will ultimately struggle against an experienced Tech offense that is starting to effectively run the NASCAR scheme.
The Cyclone’s offensive strengths will be thwarted by a Tech defense that just continues to gain momentum.
Final Score: Texas Tech 35, Iowa State 10
Texas Tech Vs. Baylor at The Cotton Bowl, Sat., Oct. 9th
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Although the modern era of Tech football has Red Raider fans marking off the yearly Baylor game as a “should win”, Texas Tech narrowly leads its all-time series with the Bears 34-32-1.
The Cotton Bowl venue will give DFW area Red Raider enthusiasts the opportunity to come out and support Coach Tuberville and the now 4-0 Tech squad.
Baylor is a team that is determined to post a winning season and earn a bowl berth in 2010.
One of the six wins necessary to put the Bears into bowl eligibility will not come on October 9th.
The Tech defense holds a healthy Robert Griffin and company to two touchdowns while the offense rolls on.
Final Score: Texas Tech 42, Baylor 14
Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State, Sat. Oct. 16th
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Texas Tech is 5-0 going into the Oklahoma State game and brimming with confidence.
Oklahoma State proves to be better than their “rebuilding” status might lead one to believe and the Cowboys give the Red Raiders all they can handle in Lubbock.
In a strange twist of fate for two teams who have lit up the scoreboards in their past meetings (who could forget the 2007 45-49 Tech loss in Stillwater?) the game is low scoring and decided on a late field goal.
What? Tech only wins on a field goal on the very last play of the game . . . You don’t want to let the defense back on the field unless you are up by more than one touchdown!
Not this time . . . Tech scores its field goal with four full minutes remaining on the clock. The defense comes out and keeps the Cowboys on their side of the 50 yard line.
Whew . . . Tech remains undefeated!
Final Score: Texas Tech 17, Oklahoma State 14
Texas Tech at Colorado, Sat., Oct. 23rd
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The Buffaloes are a hopeful 3-3 coming into their late October meeting with the Red Raiders in Boulder. They hope that maybe their final season in the Big 12 will be one that finds them with a winning record and in a bowl game.
Texas Tech won’t be cooperative partners in Colorado’s self improvement attempts.
The Tech offense again won’t be unstoppable, especially against a much improved Buffalo defense. But, Neal Brown’s NASCAR scheme will get revved up for enough scores to outlast Colorado.
Again, the unsung heroes will be the Tech defense who scores its first shutout since the Red Raiders beat SE Louisiana 62-0 back in 2006.
Tech wins its first game ever in Boulder.
Final Score: Texas Tech 28, Colorado 0
Texas Tech at Texas A&M, Sat., Oct 30th
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The Aggies are 6-1 when the Red Raiders come to College Station for their annual grudge match.
A&M fans are still celebrating the demise of the Pirate and senselessly underestimate the new Tuberville regime.
Tommy Tuberville spent a year in Aggieland serving as defensive coordinator (after some intense therapy Tech fans have learned to forget about it . . .) so the waving towels, whooping and kissing cousins aren’t anything new to him.
October 30th is the day that will be remembered as the moment that Neal Brown’s first Red Raider offense clicked.
As for the Tech defense, they fight valiantly all day long with a talented A&M offense and a quarterback in Jerrod Johnson that won’t quit and doesn’t seem to make mistakes. They give up the most points they have all season but it is nowhere near the 52 points they allowed the Aggies in 2009.
Wait! Is that Lassie whining? Yes it is, go shine your boots for next year boys, because Tech beats A&M for the 13th time in 16 years (that’s 81 percent for any one keeping track).
Final Score: Texas Tech 49, Texas A&M 28
Texas Tech vs. Missouri, Sat., Nov. 6th
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The Red Raiders are a stunning 8-0 coming into the Missouri game and quickly becoming a part of the national discussion.
The college football brain trust correctly surmises that the Red Raiders’ season comes down to the next two opponents, the Missouri Tigers in Lubbock and then to Norman to face Oklahoma.
Tech has historically struggled with the Tigers. They have never won in Columbia, they have lost the last two meetings and Missouri leads the overall series 5-2.
The Red Raider nation seems confident that Tech’s streak won’t end in Lubbock on November 6th.
This feeling of optimism is almost thwarted when the Tigers take a 24-17 lead late into the 4th quarter.
With just less than two minutes left on the clock Missouri lines up on its own 49 yard line to punt the ball to the Red Raiders.
The punt is blocked and Tech covers the football on the Missouri 39 yard line.
Tech struggles moving the ball on the short field and finally scores on a Potts to Leong pass with just under 30 seconds on the clock.
Tech fans are ecstatic but look to the sidelines and realize that Tuberville is trying to decide whether to go for the two point conversion or not. “What is there to decide?” they scream, “GO FOR IT!”
Tuberville, as expected, opts for the kicking of the extra point and Red Raider fans are temporarily miffed thinking they could have put the game away without a tie.
Overtime proves that the “Riverboat Gambler” might just know what he is doing. Tech fans forgot about their new improved and mighty defense who manages to hold the Tigers to a field goal.
Barron Batch’s five yard run from scrimmage seals the deal and Tech beats Missouri to go 9-0.
Holy Toledo! Tech wins! Tech Wins! Tech Wins!
Final Score: Texas Tech 30, Missouri 27
Texas Tech at Oklahoma, Sat., Nov. 13th
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The Red Raider nation is undoubtedly thrilled to be 9-0. However, as soon as the Missouri game dramatically ends Tech fans realize that they have to take their undefeated record to Norman, Oklahoma.
The last time the Red Raiders won a football game in Norman was in 1996 when Coach Spike Dykes’ Raiders beat the Sooners 22 – 12.
Texas Tech has never beaten Bob Stoops in Norman.
And then, there is that little memory, the one that still has Red Raider fans waking up in the night in a cold sweat screaming; the 2008 65-21 shellacking which effectively squashed the hopes of a Big 12 title, a BCS berth, a Heisman trophy and a national championship.
Bob Stoops had Mike Leach’s number, especially in Norman; but that number is now disconnected and Tommy Tuberville’s number is unlisted.
Texas Tech stuns the entire nation when it outguns, outruns, out hits, out shines and out plays the Sooners in front of 82,000 Boomer Sooner lovers in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Red Raiders are 10-0, and clothing is now optional in Lubbock.
Final Score: Texas Tech 35, Oklahoma 7
Texas Tech vs. Weber State, Sat. Nov. 20th
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In an odd twist of fate Tech’s season will end with two non conference games.
The first is against a Weber State team that made the FCS playoffs in 2009 but who have graduated a great deal of their talent.
Regardless, Tech fans swarm “The Jones” to watch their undefeated Red Raiders win their 11th game on the season (for the first time in program history).
Final Score: Texas Tech 49, Weber State 7
Texas Tech vs. Houston, Sat. Nov. 27th
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Tuberville does a great job of keeping the Red Raiders focused on the fact that the regular season is not complete without a win over the Cougars. Though they have locked a spot in the Big 12 Championship, bigger dreams will rest on another victory.
The Cougars are confident that they can beat Tech as they did in Houston early in the 2009 season. But this is a new Tech team that is ironically facing a squad that represents Tech’s exact identify for the past decade.
All offense and no defense.
Tech’s defense does its best to stop Case Keenum and company and is ultimately successful enough to allow the offense to run over the Houston defense.
It’s not an upset, and no one is overly shocked, except for a Red Raider nation who finishes the season 12-0.
Unblemished, flawless, untarnished, pure and blameless.
But even a jubilant and thankful fan base knows the story can’t end here . . .
Final Score: Texas Tech 49, Houston 28
The Big 12 Championship
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Before the 2010 season began, and really right up through Tech’s game with Missouri everyone in college football theorized about Big 12 championship scenarios which always included either Texas or Oklahoma playing Nebraska.
“Yes, whoever wins the Texas vs. Oklahoma game will represent the Big 12 South. Oh, you are right Billy Bob it will be the Sooners or Longhorns unless those marvelous Aggies make a run . . .”
No one had Tech playing Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship.
But none of that matters now as it is December 4th and it’s the Red Raiders and Cornhuskers playing in Cowboy Stadium for all the Big 12 marbles.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have an awesome defense but an offense that struggles.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have a great offense and an equally great defense.
Balance equals power. Power equals advantage. Advantage equals victory.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders win the Big 12 Championship making Tommy Tuberville’s wild preseason promises to a split fan base seem like pure brilliance.
I repeat: the undefeated Red Raiders win the Big 12 Championship.
Those Red Raiders who don’t smoke have just lit up . . . yes, that was so satisfying I had to cap it off with some nicotine.
Final Score: Texas Tech 21, Nebraska 10
The BCS National Championship
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When the sun rises on January 10, 2010 in Glendale Arizona no one is really surprised that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be playing for their 7th National Title.
But, the world will still be flabbergasted that the Texas Tech Red Raiders have found their way to the BCS title game.
All the odds makers pick the Buckeyes, and why wouldn’t they? One of the top defenses in all of the land and the Heisman Trophy winner Terrelle Pryor leading a formidable offensive unit; the Buckeyes are stacked.
Ohio State is faster, they have more NFL talent, they have more money, and they even have helmet stickers and a dancing nut . . .
The national media features highlight reels of Tressel and company and then almost as an afterthought they mention Tuberville’s Red Raiders.
They are just lucky to have gotten this far. What a great achievement to make it all this way.
They should be happy with just being asked to the big dance.
But this is a cotillion that Tommy Tuberville has never been summoned to; his 2004 Auburn team went undefeated and was uninvited to the grand ball.
He won’t waste his or Texas Tech’s shot at a title.
Texas Tech simply dazzles a nation that watches on in awe as the Red Raiders handle the Buckeyes in every aspect of the game.
It is far from a stomping, but the Tech offense, defense and special teams combine for a mistake free, stellar performance that simply cannot be matched by a great Ohio State squad.
The years of anguish suffered by the Red Raider faithful slowly wash away; the disappointment, shame and trampling of heartfelt hopes are replaced with the ultimate prize culminating in pride, joy, and unbridled mirth.
What happens in Lubbock that night is as unknown as what you or I will do when that golden hour finally arrives . . .
Will we dance? Will we strip down to the nothingness we were birthed with? Will we drink sweet wine, will we weep openly, or, will we embrace one another in the delight that only a crystal football can bring?
If nothing else, the Red Raider Nation will drift off to sleep with a smile plastered upon their scarlet and black painted faces.
And, even in the most unexpected enclaves of Austin, College Station, Norman and Stillwater fellow football enthusiasts (though still foes none the less) will retire to their bed chambers secretly thinking, “Wow . . . those dim-witted Red Raiders actually won it all.”
Even they will manage a brief smirk.
Final Score: Texas Tech 35, Ohio State 10
Texas Tech Red Raiders BCS National Champions
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