Red Raiders Battling Discipline as Much as Opponents
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It's hard to complain about how Texas Tech has started the season. The Red Raiders are a perfect 4-0, and through those four wins, they haven't really been challenged.
The team's 24-point win over #16 Utah was the closest game TTU's played so far, so it's safe to say things have gone pretty well. However, even through immense success to start the season, good coaches can still find their team's weakness.
On Tuesday, given the wide-margin of victory for Texas Tech each week, head coach Joey McGuire was asked if his team is close to playing a complete game. His answer might surprise you.
"We haven’t been close," McGuire said. "We’ve talked about it a lot, but we’re one of the most penalized teams in the country, and until we get past that, which we’re going to, but until we get past that it’s hard to play a complete game."
Game | Penalties | Yards |
|---|---|---|
@ Utah | 14 | 122 |
vs. Oregon State | 9 | 75 |
vs. Kent State | 7 | 60 |
vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 7 | 60 |
Unsurprisingly, McGuire isn't wrong, and the Utah game was by far their worst outing of the year when it came to disciplined football. The Red Raiders committed a total of 14 penalties, accounting for 122 yards. The week before that, they committed nine penalties for another 75 yards.
Admittedly, some of it is due to new pieces working together during the earlier part of the season, but a lot of it still comes down to disciplined football.
"Those are completely controllable, so we want to be able to eliminate that completely," TTU offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich said. "We’re on lookout every play, making sure nobody’s flinching, nobody’s moving. I think a little bit of it too, is just our guys in that Utah game just relaxing, taking a deep breath and not letting the noise and everything affect them too much."
If you're Tech, you're hoping a lot was learned from playing their first road game in a louder environment because they're about to do it again this weekend as they get ready to take on Houston. The Red Raiders used a silent count sparingly at Utah because they were able to gain control of the game early.
With another showdown against another undefeated opponent set for Saturday, TTU will once again have to be ready for its fair share of hostility as the Cougars set their sights on an upset bid.
"We spent all week working our silent count and perfecting that," McGuire said. "We’ve got to get better at that. We’re going to play in a hostile environment. I’m sure Houston’s going to be a loud place, and we’ve got to go to Arizona State. That’s going to be a loud place to play."
It's easy to gripe about penalties with somewhat of a smile considering how dominant the Red Raiders have been so far this season, but the coaching staff does expect the issue to resolve itself sooner rather than later thanks to all the units getting more time on the field together.
They've now spent four games in the heat of battle, and while they were far from perfect in terms of discipline, they certainly got the job done.
"I think those guys are just kind of starting to gel together," Leftwich said of his offensive line through four games. "We had a couple of new pieces that you’re plugging in, so I think those guys are getting used to playing together. I think Coach Clay’s doing a great job just harping on the details."
Those details will matter more and more as the season goes on for the 11th-ranked Red Raiders. Now firmly in the College Football Playoff picture, Texas Tech will need to clean up the errors if they hope to stay there. Of the 14 penalties against the Utes, not all of them were from the offense. In fact, four penalties assessed to the defense ended up giving Utah free first downs.
Fortunately for TTU, the defense bent but didn't break when it mattered most. Now it's on to Houston following the team's bye week, and it's yet again another undefeated conference foe. The Cougars escaped a closer-than-expected game against Oregon State last week, which now has the Vegas oddsmakers listing the Red Raiders as 11.5-point road favorites in the game.
You might not be able to tell that from the coaching staff, though.
"It doesn’t matter if we’re playing the Dallas Cowboys or whoever’s on the schedule," Leftwich said. "We’re going to go through our practice week and go through our preparation the exact same, so this week’s no different."
Despite the uptick in penalties, TTU has been clicking on both offense and defense. The most the Red Raiders have given up in a game to this point is 14, while the lowest output they've had all season sits at 34. It's allowed the team to not only overcome the mental lapses that lead to penalties, but also allow the offensive unit and particularly the offensive line to figure things out during comfortable leads.
"I think that’s one group, if you look from week one through the Utah game, I think they’ve made steady improvement," Leftwich said of his offensive line. "They’ve taken the challenge, and they’ve gotten better every single week. That’s the message really for every unit — what can we do to be better than we were last week and last game."
Kickoff between the Red Raiders and Cougars is set for 6 p.m./CT on Saturday and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
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Spencer Schubert is a born-and-raised Nebraskan who now calls Hastings home. He grew up in Kearney idolizing the Huskers as every kid in Nebraska did in the 1990s, and he turned that passion into a career of covering the Big Red. Schubert graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2009, and kickstarted what's now become a 17 year career in journalism. He's served in a variety of roles in broadcasting, including weekend sports anchor at KHGI-TV(NTV) in Kearney, Sports Director at WOAY-TV in West Virginia and Assistant News Director, Executive Producer and Evening News Anchor for KSNB-TV(Local4) in Hastings. Off the clock, you'll likely find Schubert with a golf club in his hand and spending time with his wife, 5-year-old daughter and dog Emmy.