The Texas Tech Red Raiders opened the season with a P4/OOC matchup with the ACC’s Wake Forest Deamon Deacons tonight in Lubbock and came away with a disappointing loss in a tightly contested matchup that saw multiple momentum swings, big plays, and a 24-point deficit erased by Wake Forest to complete the 42-41 come from behind win.
The Red Raiders opened a 24-0 lead in the first half as they dialed up multiple big plays to star wide receiver Josh Kelly that include a 57-yard touchdown and 52-yard touchdown. Tech was generating ample pash rush and things were going good until Wake was able to shift momentum on big plays and Red Raider mistakes. Shortly after Kelly scored with 2:01 remaining in the half, Wake put 14 quick points up in less than 59 seconds with a 50-yard pass from Hank Bachmeier to Micah Mays Jr. which was following up by a Tech turnover and a subsequent 15-yard pass to Micah Mays Jr.
What looked to be a dominant lead going into the half turned into a 24-14 game with the Deamon Deacons prepped to receive ball first in the 2nd half. Tech calmed the storm in the 3rd quarter deciding to lean on the run game to try to regain control of momentum in the game and outscored Wake 14-7 in the 3rd quarter. Things were starting to look up again as they went into the 4th quarter with a 38-21 lead but Texas Tech collapsed in the 4th quarter giving up 3 touchdowns and only scoring 3 points. Wake’s offensive line delivered more than ample time for Hank Bachmeier to continuously torch the Red Raider defense and Tech was unable to salt the game away late. With :51 remaining in the game, Bachmeier connected with Micah Mays Jr. for his 3rd touchdown reception of the game but poor game management early in the game left the Red Raiders with only 1 timeout to get down the field and get in field goal position to potentially win.
QB Behren Morton scrambled and slid into field goal range late in the game but without a timeout remaining, Tech scrambled to the line without much of a plan. The QB panicked when trying to throw the ball away to kill the clock but was a few feet inside the box and was called for intentional grounding which would force the Red Raiders out of field goal range and into a hail Mary situation. Coach AUChase couldn’t get a play selection in time as he weighed the FG yardage, and a delay of game penalty forced a clock runoff and expired any remaining time for a possible miracle play at the end.
After the game we caught up with Coach AUChase and he told us “I feel bad for our players and fans. I think a better and more prepared coach would have won this game. Surrendering a 24-0 lead, while impressive by our opponent, reflects my poor decision making as a coach. We accidentally burned timeouts, we got too conservative late in the game and decided to rely on our defense which to that point had not proven they could slow down the pass, and we just didn’t handle the pressure well enough to come out with a win. I don’t want to make this about us and take away from our opponent’s accomplishment but it’s hard not to reflect on so many things we could have handled better. We have a tough schedule ahead and are somehow expected to win 9 games. It’s going to be an uphill battle but hopefully we can fight. 588 yards of total offense should not be losing football and we have to get that corrected or we're all on the chopping block.”
Wake traveled to Lubbock to face the Red Raiders tonight. Things started off rough as Wake found themselves down 24-0 with just over 2 minutes left in the first half. Texas Tech, behind a brilliant gameplan, was having its way with the Deacs for most of the half. Wake was able to execute a great 2 minute drive to get on the board with just under 2 minutes left in the half. The defense finally forced the issue and was able to force a quick turnover and Wake capitalized to make it 24-14 at half. Texas Tech controlled the 3rd and Wake found itself trailing heading into the 4th. The magic happened. The offense came to life and lead Wake to take the lead 42-41 with 51 seconds left. Wake honest left too much time on the clock as the Red Raiders marched right down to FG range but back to back penalties allowed Wake to hold on for the win. Mocha Mays JR had a career day receiving for the Deacs. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as Wake plays Memphis and Georgia in the next two weeks. Hats offs to AU Chase. What a beast on the sticks and fun to play against. GL the rest of the way!
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