Instant Reaction: Texas Tech vs. TCU

It’s become clear that Kliff Kingsbury is coming into his own, and we’ve got ourselves a football team. The first half was about as terrible as we’ve seen as Tech fans, but we dialed it up once again in the second half. David Gibbs deserves a ton of credit because Shawn Robinson was under constant pressure and never could find a rhythm. Meanwhile, the Frogs couldn’t manage to keep our offense under wraps for a full 60 minutes and a balanced attack did the trick. Let’s take absolutely nothing away from Jett Duffey, who played an outstanding 4th Quarter, and absolutely won this one for Texas Tech. Likewise, Dakota Allen was unbelievable all night and frustrated TCU every drive.

Before I dive into the specific player highlights, I’d like to reiterate that this team isn’t your ‘Typical Tech’ and they’ve got something special. I’ve never been more bullish on the Kingsbury-era than I am now.

Jett Duffey - He’s amazing, frustrating, and typically both of those words at the same time. He throws a great deep ball, and his speed allows him to break games open. I don’t think he’s consistent enough to take the job from Alan Bowman, but he certainly has some gamer to him that doesn’t show up in practice.

Tre King - He ran hard and managed to keep drives going when we need him most. Great game by King, and we’ve dearly missed him.

Antoine Wesley - He’s playing his way into a 1st-Team All-Conference selection, and his speed is still the most surprising part of his game. Unbelievable play by Wesley.

Tech Offensive Line - We were down three starters, and it showed plenty of times. TCU was able to get consistent pressure all night, but this patchwork group gave Duffey enough time to win the game. There’s no doubt that the depth of this group showed tonight.

Dakota Allen - I’m not sure how many tackles he had, but I’m almost certain it was 10+, and he had several QB hits that rattled Robinson. He’s the heart of this defense, and I can’t imagine where we’d be without him.

Justus Parker - He finally flashed tonight. He was great in coverage, and Douglas Coleman played pretty well too. Although, Coleman did drop a game-clinching interception he’d like back. I’m still very pleased by our slot corners and I’m happy they made enough plays to help us win.

Joe Wallace - He’s reminding Red Raider fans of Mych Thomas more and more each week. Great game for Wallace, and the Frogs never did stop him consistently.

McLane Carter - I wanted him to start the 3rd quarter, but he’s definitely not healthy. Kingsbury was smart to pull him quickly, let’s wish him a healthy return.

Ja’Deion High - I was texting friends and family all night that we needed a big play if we wanted to win this one. Well, hello Mr. Reliable - he broke this one open for Texas Tech. We can’t thank High enough for coming back for a 6th season.

Dominic Panazollo - We dog on Panazollo a lot, but he delivered some huge punts tonight. Great game for the Special Teams group. I’d also note Clayton Hatfield reminds us how much we missed him last year.

Turnovers - Despite forcing like four fumbles, this group wound up with only three official turnovers. Great activity in this department all night. On the offensive side, I was impressed by Duffey’s protection of the ball. His only interception was essentially an arm punt which proved to have no impact on this game.

Coaching - We were down five starters on offense, yet managed to produce enough to steal a huge game on the road. David Gibbs is also worth every penny and he coached one heck of a game.

We’ve got nine more days till Homecoming against Kansas. Let’s cross our fingers that our offensive line gets healthy, and Alan Bowman’s lung heals too. Enjoy this one Tech fans.

Wreck ‘Em.