Texas Tech Red Raiders
Big 12
It was not the way Texas Tech wanted to end its regular season, what with a one-sided loss to rival Texas on Thanksgiving weekend, but Texas Tech still qualified for the 36th bowl in its storied and historic football career. The Red Raiders will play on Dec. 30 against Arizona State in the National University Holiday Bowl. This comes after a season that had two distinct parts to it. The first part was a strong 7-0 start. The end happened with five straight losses against Big 12 teams that are all headed to bowl games, including the 41-16 loss to the Longhorns that ended the regular season. Texas Tech’s offense looked good, but the defense betrayed it.
2013 Record: 7-5, 4-5
Coach: Kliff Kingsbury
Coach Bowl Record: 0-0
Big Wins: 9/12 TCU (20-10), 10/19 at West Virginia (37-27)
Bad Losses: 10/26 at Oklahoma (38-30), 11/9 Kansas State (49-26),
Strengths:
The 7-5 finish to Texas Tech’s regular season came as a big surprise considering the Red Raiders have the second-strongest passing game in the country. The Red Raiders had 392 yards per game, and only Fresno State ranked higher on the FBS Division I passing leaders list. Baker Mayfield had 2,315 yards passing and 12 touchdowns this season despite a knee injury that hampered the freshman. His replacement, Davis Webb, also had 2,315 passing yards but he threw 16 touchdowns. Texas Tech also had 513.3 yards of total offense, enough for the top 10, and 35.7 points per game, which was just outside the top 25. The Red Raiders’ offense has been quite strong all season, even in defeats at the end of the year. With the exception of the 16 points it scored against Texas, the Red Raiders had 25 points or more in each of the losses.
Weaknesses:
Why did Texas Tech have problems winning the final five games on the schedule? Simple… you can’t win if you don’t score more points than the opposition. Oklahoma State scored 52 points. Kansas State scored 49 points. Baylor scored 63 points. The Red Raiders’ defense was one of the weaker ones in the country and certainly one of the weaker ones among bowl programs. Their 21 sacks were enough to put the Red Raiders in the bottom third of the FBS programs. Texas Tech had seven interceptions, which tied for 106th place among all FBS schools. When the defense isn’t sacking the opponent’s QB or picking off his passes, then you have a problem, and that’s what the Red Raiders had.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Kenny Williams, RB, 480 yards
Passing: Baker Mayfield, QB, 2,315 yards; Davis Webb, QB, 2,315 yards
Receiving: Jace Amaro, WR, 1,240 yards
Tackles: Will Smith, LB, 106
Sacks: Will Smith, LB, 5.0
Interceptions: J.J. Gaines, S, 2; Pete Robertson, LB, 2
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 121.3 (107th in nation, 9th in conference)
Passing Offense: 392.0 (2, 1)
Total Offense: 513.3 (9, 2)
Scoring Offense: 35.7 (27, 3)
Rushing Defense: 194.3 (92, 9)
Pass Defense: 224.8 (55, 5)
Total Defense: 419.1 (81, 7)
Scoring Defense: 31.2 (87, 7)
Turnover Margin: -1.1 (121, 10)
Sacks: 1.75 (78, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 2.75 (103, 9)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Car Care of Texas Bowl Minnesota (34-31)
2010 TicketCity Bowl Northwestern (45-38)
2009 Alamo Bowl Michigan State (41-31)
2008 Cotton Bowl Mississippi (34-47)
2007 Gator Bowl Virginia (31-28)
2006 Insight Bowl Minnesota (44-41)
*all team stats through 11/30
