While I didn't get the chance to watch the game, I did follow it quite extensively while on the sidelines of my son's football game. And from the little updates, I was able to get a general sense of how the game went and what issues we have.
Right after Texas Tech used the opening drive to only score a field goal, we looked to have a good drive going until an illegal block in the back and a false start pushed us back to 2nd and 30, and we quickly had to punt.
We quickly forced a three and out, only to turn the ball over on downs. From there, Tech drove down the field to score a touchdown. On the ensuing drive, we finally looked to get our offense going (and before the 2nd half this time), but after taking just 5 plays to go 55 yards, Matthew Wyman missed from 37 yards out.
Even after forcing another quick punt, we were unable to keep a drive going, fumbling around midfield. Even though we recovered, it was 4th again and we punted pinning them deep, but somehow giving up a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
With only 3 minutes left in the half, it looked like we had reverted back to our pre-OSU selves, with Texas Tech driving once again, but Ben Heeney intercepted a Davis Webb pass on 4th and short, returning it 37 yards into Red Raider territory. Cummings ran the 2ish minute drill to perfection, completing a pass to Justin McCay with 30 seconds left to give the Jayhawks hope going into half.
Similarly to last week, the Jayhawks took a bit to get going in the second half, starting with a quick 3 and out. Unfortunately for them, Texas Tech didn't have any trouble scoring in the 2nd half, kicking a field goal on their first drive. We appeared on the verge of a quick end to evening when Michael Cummings was intercepted by J.J. Gaines on a deep throw, but Michael Reynolds stripped the ball from Davis Webb to get the ball deep in Red Raider territory. This was turned into a quick Jimmay Mundine touchdown reception. The Jayhawks pulled within 6 points, 20-14.
Unfortunately, that was the closest the Jayhawks would get for the rest of the day. After Texas Tech scored again, the two teams traded punts, and then traded touchdowns, and the scorng was finished. The Jayhawks started a drive with about 13 minutes left in the game, drove into Tech territory and fumbled the ball away on a Corey Avery run.
From there, the two teams traded punts until a last ditch effort with less than a minute left fell incomplete.
Ultimately, this game was very disappointing for me. We showed more flashes of competence, but every time we seemed to be building momentum, a turnover or penalty seemed to derail everything. While I expect us to continue to improve week after week, the competition keeps ramping up as well.