Instant Reaction: Texas Tech vs. Iowa State

Well, I’d say we were sufficiently screwed-over all game by some biased refs (and announcers, what a joke ESPN). Even on the most pivotal play of the game, Hakeem Butler clearly pushed off of our defensive back - but, no worries, no call from the refs. Joe Wallace was called for a roughing the passer, but the quarterback still had the ball in his hands. Jordyn Brooks was called for a targeting, but he tackled the quarterback with literally perfect form. Yet, despite all of the things going against us, we managed to keep this game close to the very end. It’ll be hard to move off this game, but I really hope we come out against Oklahoma with some anger. I’ll dive into specific highlights below.

Alan Bowman - Simply put, Bowman didn’t have it. He consistently missed open receivers, was persistently flustered in the pocket, and made tons of freshman mistakes that proved the difference in this one. I’ve gotta wonder if something wasn’t right with him physically today, because he wasn’t himself.

T.J. Vasher - He might make the greatest catch ever, but he’ll also drop a crucial 3rd and 20 pass that you need badly. Overall, I’d say he didn’t do us any favors with his inconsistent play.

Antoine Wesley - He’s your best offensive player, and it’s not even close at this point. His touchdown was outstanding, and he found a way to get open when we needed him to.

Da’Leon Ward - I mean, let’s be honest, he didn’t play well. Where in the world was Tre King? Also, why didn’t we see much from DeMarcus Felton or Ta’Zhawn Henry? This group gets a solid ‘F’ on their report card today.

Riko Jeffers - He filled in for Jordyn Brooks admirably, and I think it’s clear he’s going to be an All-Conference type next year post Dakota Allen.

Dominic Panazzolo - He might be working his way into an All-Conference award? I mean, he was unbelievable today. Huge props to the special teams unit holistically too, because Clayton Hadfield was more than serviceable today.

I’d love to highlight some other guys, but I really don’t feel like they deserve it. It’s hard to hype a defense that gave up 40 points, even if our slot corners played fairly well (unless Hakeem Butler wanted to push off). We’ll likely lose next week, but I feel good about our bout with the Longhorns. Win that game and we’ll be staring at a potential 8-win season. Regardless, this one was plenty frustrating and I’ll have to wonder what if. Hopefully Kliff Kingsbury gets an explanation from the Big 12 as to why we were absolutely screwed in Ames this week.