View from the Couch: Texas Tech

Pregame

So I am starting this week with a question for you who decorate for Christmas. Are you a post-Halloween Christmas decorator or a post-Thanksgiving Christmas decorator? I am a post-Thanksgiving decorator but have been overruled this year and I spent most of the day Saturday getting our Christmas decorations out and helping get the house decorated for Christmas.

First Quarter

• KU defers, and as always I like that.
• All-white uniforms are ok. Good playing a mainly black uniform Tech. I don’t know that I need to see these very often.

• Another question, why is there no penalty for throwing tortillas on the field?
• ESPN+ misses Tech getting their first down because of their Kenny Logan bowling package. Come on man, run that at a different time.
• So did they miss the fumble or did they blow a whistle?
• That was a fast and easy TD for Tech. 7-0.

• Devin starts with a big run.
• Jared Casey converts 4th down into a touchdown. 7-7.

• No defense yet.
• The line judge is stingy both ways on spotting the ball.
• The field goal attempt is good. 10-7 TTU.
• Kind of a win if both defenses take a pass on the game tonight.
• Lawrence Arnold big play!!!
• Just noticed it is Kevin Mar and his crew. Yuck.
• We really need a better FG kicker. That is all.
• Melo didn’t get a late hit.
• Come on defense.
• Back up, Back up, Lonnie!!! No, free 5 yards.
• Dang. Touchdown Thompson. 17-7.

• The defensive line is getting killed.
• Bean’s great run was nullified by hold. Lineman didn’t need to do it

Second Quarter

• Wow, a 2-yard loss turns into a 30-yard gain. Love that Devin Neal!

• Illegal formation makes the receiver illegally downfield. That was an easy call.
• Going on 4th. Incomplete. Arghh.
• 3rd and 8. Tech calls timeout.
• Need this stop.
• Getting a lot of AT&T commercials about watching football on your phone. Shouldn’t they have run these in August?
• First down Tech
• Dropped in the endzone. I will take it
• Tech commits blatant hold at the point of attack and it is not called. Awful
• What did Berryhill do? He made the Tech players mad and the ESPN+ cameras miss it. How? It happened right where the play ended.
• Well, this is going poorly. TD 24-7.

• Kind of falling apart. Personal foul on the PAT.
• I hate ESPN+. They miss the important parts of half of the plays.
• The defensive player carries Devin for extra yards but refs only give half of it. Why?
• 3rd down conversion to Arnold.
• Neal first down.
• Touchdown!?!? Bean with a nice run. Flag? Not against us. Yes, it is 24-14.
• Ryan Leaf calls the pass interference penalty ticky-tacky. Come on man, really! The receiver is more than 5 yards downfield and the defender completely throws him off his route, that is as clear as PI gets.
• Nice tackle by 19 on the kickoff.
• A defensive stop would actually get KU in a position to take lead early in the second half.
• Nice offensive pass interference call.
• Yes, there is the defensive stop. Let’s go offense.
• Devin big run.

• Again a bad spot by the refs.
• Grimm touchdown!!! There we go. 24-21.

• Geez, come on. Hold them to a field goal.
• Cobee with nice pass defense.
• Lonnie with the stop!!!

• Kevin Mar strikes again.
• Bean throws an interception into quadruple coverage. I don’t know what to say except “What was he thinking?”

• This is the worst crew.
• Field goal. Tech up, 27-21

Halftime

Nothing going on at halftime except cleaning the kitchen. Since we were working on Christmas decorations most of the day, it is a mess, and I don’t want to pick it up after the game.

Third Quarter

• Come on offense.
• Devin again for first
• Luckily no interception there. The defender mistimed his jump.
• Roughing passer. Tom Brady low hit penalty.
• Devin for a first down.
• How many false starts are we going to have on first down today?
• Nice second-down play. Third and short.
• Devin again for first.
• Yikes 67 missed the block
• Grimm is out of bounds. Damn.
• Neal not really trying for first. Are we just setting up Borcilla? Really?!?!?
• Hits the upright again!!! Why do we try kicks outside of 30 yards?

• Lee sack.
• The bad run defense bailed out by hold on 3 & 13.
• Another stop. Now we need a touchdown.
• Nope. Luckily it was not a pick 6 on the third down pass attempt to Grimm.
• Defense back to being a sieve.
• Lonnie stay onside!

Fourth Quarter

• Touchdown Tech.

• We may come back, but this feels like the score that keeps us at arm’s length.
• Going for 2. I know the card may say go for it but this is a bad call. They are chasing points unnecessarily with the lead.
• Play for 2 points stopped. 33-21.
• Devin Neal for another first down again.
• Oof! I hope Devin is ok after that hit.

• Got to cover the receiver.
• The defense was bailed out by illegal downfield.
• Cobee stiff-armed and a whiff.
• Craig Young with a nice tackle.
• Cobee almost picks it and the defense gets a stop.
• Really need a touchdown.
• Devin is back and Devin gets the first down.
• Grimm secures the pass.
• Not shocking, the refs make a horrendous holding call.
• Fairchild can’t reel it in
• A great scramble by Bean and Skinner gets his feet down. Touchdown.

• No way can Kevin overrule Skinner’s catch.
• And he doesn’t, touchdown! 33-28
• Come on!!!!
• Wow. Can’t leave the guy wide open down the middle.
• Just missed a sack.
• A field goal for Tech makes it 36-28.
• The Jayhawks are still alive.
• The bad call going for 2 earlier by Tech could come back to haunt them. They should be up by 9, not 8.
• Or not, sack, fumble, Game over.

• And that touchdown is the story of the game. Looked like we had them, but a missed tackle allows a touchdown for Tech. 43-26.

• I am now watching the game on my phone. My family is now more interested in the ending of the Oregon v UW game.
• Ky with a nice run. Too late.
• Wait Vasko is in? Why? Just because?
• It makes sense to get him some time, even if he plays in all the remaining games he still gets to redshirt the season.
• Sacked.
• Vasko scrambles for a bunch.
• 4th and 4 failure.
• Victory formation for Tech.

Post Game

I don’t have much to say post-game this week. Tech had control of the game the entire night. I rarely felt like we were going to win. I am just glad we put it to the Cowboys last week so we are not sweating out bowl eligibility in the last few games of the regular season. I move on to watch a bit of the late games and then go to bed. On to next Saturday and a 2:30 FS1 match-up with Texas with a current forecast of mostly sunny and a high of 36. My guess is my friends will bail on the tailgate and I will pregame at Lawrence Beer Company with one on more of my kids. Good food and great beer.