Texas Tech vs. Texas: 5 Halftime Adjustments the Red Raiders Must Make

Well this has been a barnburner already! It should be a great second half in Austin, as these two offenses go head-to-head in a high-scoring battle. Seth Doege has looked good marching down the field but has definitely gotten a little bit of help from Texas penalties to keep those drives alive.

Both offenses are going to put up big points, so this could turn into a battle of which defense makes more stops and forces more turnovers.

Here are five big adjustments Texas Tech must make at halftime to steal a win:

1. Convert in the Red Zone

How often is the Texas Tech offense going to get off 12 snaps inside the 20 and not put it in the end zone? What a crazy first drive. Tech is known for their explosive offense, so they can't allow themselves to be put in a situation where they settle for field goals after a long drive.

You always want to score touchdowns when you're in the red zone and in a game like this, where first to 50 essentially wins, you can't afford to miss opportunities like that. In order to pound it in, they really need to mix in some runs.

2. Offensive Line: Stay Put

On that first drive, it seemed like every time Tech was about to score, the offensive line jumped. It might have been early-game jitters or just a fluke, but Texas was gifting the Red Raiders extra snaps with defensive penalties.

It absolutely killed momentum when one of the linemen would bite on the Longhorns showing blitz and jump. All they need to do is sit there and protect Doege to give him time to throw. There is no reason to be called for a false start, let alone twice in the red zone on a potential scoring drive.

3. Protect Doege

I have another mission for the offensive line: give Doege the time he needs to pick apart this Texas defense. They've got the weapons to put up big points today and they will need to against the Longhorns.

So let's see the line focus solely on keeping orange jerseys out of the pocket so Doege can step up and hit his receivers. The better they protect, the quicker Tech will move down the field and have more shots at the end zone.

4. Get to Ash

On defense, they need to crank up the pressure a little bit on Texas' freshman QB David Ash. Every time he's been hurried in the pocket today, his happy feet get skittish and he either tucks the ball and takes a sack or makes a shaky throw.

A big key is going to be stopping Fozzy Whittaker and the run game of Texas today, but if they can take away the freshman QB's confidence early, they will have ruined the passing game for the Longhorns. Get a few knockdowns or sacks on the kid and the game will change dramatically.

5. Force Turnovers/Momentum

Speaking of getting to David Ash, how about getting to him enough to force a bad throw or a fumble? Getting a turnover would be HUGE for the Red Raiders to swing momentum in the second half. Not only are they contending with the players on the field, but also the thousands of fans in the stands.

Forcing a stop on a Texas drive and getting good field position in return would completely take the air out of their sails. And if Texas Tech can swing that into even a field goal, you're talking a potential ten-point swing that could do enough to get the Raiders the upset win on the road.