Running Backs lone glimmer of light in Butt Bowl Beatdown

Let’s not beat around the bush, not a lot went Texas Tech’s way on Saturday against Baylor. The offensive game plan was atrocious and the QBs were abysmal. The only thing worse than the QBs was the O-Line. But we’ll get to all of that on another day because amongst all the bad, there was a glimmer of hope. Of course I’m talking about Tahj Brooks and SaRodorick Thompson.

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The Red Raider running backs combined for 164 yards on 26 carries, for 6.3 yards per carry. Brooks finished the game with 98 yards, and Thompson had 66 yards. If your running backs are averaging over 6 yards a carry, only getting them 26 carries is an abomination. The reality of the situation is that because Baylor was on the field for two-thirds of the game, Tech didn’t really run that many plays-74 to be exact-is below average for the Red Raiders. But it was apparent the run was working, and was under-utilized.

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There is a lot to unpack from this game. A lot of bad, not a lot of good. This was the first game McGuire and Co. have just flat out been out-coached. There were a lot of questionable coaching decisions, but the fact is the running backs have shown out for two straight games now, and they deserve all the praise.