The Red Raider got embarrassed by the Cyclones 66-10. The offense only could manage one touchdown and really regressed back to what I saw in the game against West Virginia. Let's get into it.
Overall Grade: F
They came out flat and showed almost no effort. Most would say it's coaching but every time ISU went down and scored, the offense failed to answer and it happened on practically every drive. They also had three turnovers. Except for the drive in the first quarter that ended in a field goal and the touchdown drive in the third quarter, there were no big-time highlights for the offense. I never thought I would say that about an offense coached by Kliff Kingsbury.
Quarterbacks Grade: F
I had to say the plural because Nic Shimonek did play a few snaps while Mahomes went the locker room. Neither could do anything right. Mahomes hurt his left shoulder once again and it definitely seemed to impact his performance. Pat went 18 of 36 with 219 yards and threw one touchdown. Unfortunately, he threw two interceptions and one was returned for a touchdown. It was a terrible day at the office for Tech's star quarterback.
Running Backs Grade: F
Da'Leon Ward once again started after missing last week and had yet another 90+ yard game but also fumbled. I can see this kid being the feature back at Tech, but he has a lot of learning to do. With Demarcus Felton and Justin Stockton out, there was no hope for the running game. Quinton White Jr. didn't even carry the ball once according to the stat sheet.
Wide Receivers Grade: F
The only bright star in this group was Keke Coutee. He had eight catches for 115 yards and the team's only touchdown. I think Coutee will be a good go-to guy next year and I've been impressed by his play. The rest of the receivers struggled as no other wideout came close to Coutee's numbers.
Offensive Line Grade: F
It's been the same old story all season. Once again the line struggled to protect Mahomes as he was sacked once for a big loss and forced to revert to "streetball" for most of the game. It has been a tough year for this group with the injury retirements of Cody Wheeler and Justin Murphy as well as young players being forced into action and having a lot to learn still. Going into this season, the offensive line lost four out of five starters from last year and we can see those departures taking a toll on this year's group.
I think this was the offense's worst performance of the season. I think it was worse than what I saw against West Virginia. With a bowl game now out of the picture, it will be interesting to see how this group responds going against a Baylor team next week that is depleted but still very talented. Check back next week to see how I grade this offense after their last performance of the season.
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