I am a die-hard Texas Tech Red Raider fan, and I really don't have any legitimate reason to be. I am not an alumnus nor have I ever had any connection at all with the school, but I was bitten by the Red Raider bug in the mid-Seventies when Rodney Allison was leading a thrilling, come-from-behind team that always played the game right up to the last second, sometimes defeating such football giants as the Longhorns and the Aggies with hail-Mary, goal line busting passes that left the opponents' jawbones laying on the still-warm astroturf.
Later on I was thrilled to watch the great performances of such legendary quarterbacks as Sonny Cumby, Zebbie Lethridge, and...Cliff Kingsbury. These guys could always be counted on to snatch victory right out of the jaws of defeat, always with some trick or another up their sleeves. Time after time they led the Raiders in comebacks that rarely started before the bottom of the 4th quarter, and usually only after the Raiders had generously spotted their opponents at least a thirty-point lead.
Of all those quarterbacks, Cliff Kingbury was my favorite. He did not always win, but he always played an exciting football game. Even when the Raiders lost, it always felt like they had played a very good ball game. So I was more than happy when Kingsbury was recruited to be the Tech head coach after Tommy Tuberville's rather ungracious departure. I knew that Kingsbury was not experienced as a head coach, but he had learned under the best, and he had coaching experience as well. Kingsbury was responsible for producing several amazing quarterbacks during his tenure as quarterback coach for the Houston Cougars, and Texas A&M, where he developed the already talented Johnny Manziel, the only freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Kingsbury was well-versed in offensive tactics, but not so much on the defensive side. But he would have a staff of coaches who would cover that aspect when he took the rein at Texas Tech.
Cliff Kingsbury met my expectations the first year, when everyone knew he was at the bottom of a rebuilding program. Tuberville may have taken preemptive action by jumping ship before the wreck hit the bottom, which was fine with me, since it opened the way for Cliff Kingsbury. I am sure Tuberville had seen the writing on his wall. Kingsbury had his work cut out for himself, but he also had some good quarterbacks to work with. The Red Raiders played hard and won some games under Kingsbury, but they never put together a conference winning season, or even posted a break-even conference record.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have had two overall winning seasons under Kingsbury, so that means two years of over fifty-percent winnings. Unfortunately, none of those years include conference titles, and this rankles many Red Raider boosters, who have the ear of Tech administrators. I believe Cliff Kingsbury finally came to realize over the past football season that he MUST have a balanced football team in 2017. For several years now, the Tech defense has not been able to significantly slow any major team's offense. Even with a fine quarterback such as Patrick Mohames, who put incredible numbers on the board, Texas Tech could not beat many teams due to their very lackluster defense. The Red Raiders were one of the highest scoring college teams last year, and one of the VERY WORST defensive teams. The Raiders racked up an average of 43 points per game, sometimes as many as 69 points, but still only won three games in 2016 Big Twelve play, five games overall. The villagers with their torches and pitchforks have gathered at the gates, screaming for Cliff's head.
I believe that Cliff Kingsbury can rebuild the Red Raiders, but only if he continues to accent growth on the defensive side. In 2016, the Red Raiders scored over thirty points in nine different games. Of those nine games, the Raiders only won four. All of those wins were by a margin of 14 points or more. Of the twelve games played that year, the opposing offense scored over thirty points against the Red Raiders NINE times, as well. As the Raiders proved, it is hard to win football games under those conditions even when the Red Raiders offense posted fifty points or more. Most football teams only rack up fifty points every three or four ballgames. Tech's defense MUST rise to the occasion this year!
Kingsbury has his challenge ahead, and I have to say it, he is in the hot seat this year. I am probably the last person to admit this to himself. Kingsbury, of course, is aware of it. So is the Tech administration. The VERY LAST THING they want to do is fire a legend like Kingsbury, one of their own. Talking heads across the sports networks have been wagging their tongues on this subject for at least two years, calling for his replacement with more and more frequency. This has to be Kingsbury's year, and I am confident that it will be. My own prediction is that the Red Raiders will score a little lower per game this year, but their defense will slow down their opponents' offense quite a bit, keeping the game within winning distance.
Kingsbury IS in the hot seat, but he will earn his place there this year...
Guns Up, Red Raiders!!
Later on I was thrilled to watch the great performances of such legendary quarterbacks as Sonny Cumby, Zebbie Lethridge, and...Cliff Kingsbury. These guys could always be counted on to snatch victory right out of the jaws of defeat, always with some trick or another up their sleeves. Time after time they led the Raiders in comebacks that rarely started before the bottom of the 4th quarter, and usually only after the Raiders had generously spotted their opponents at least a thirty-point lead.
Of all those quarterbacks, Cliff Kingbury was my favorite. He did not always win, but he always played an exciting football game. Even when the Raiders lost, it always felt like they had played a very good ball game. So I was more than happy when Kingsbury was recruited to be the Tech head coach after Tommy Tuberville's rather ungracious departure. I knew that Kingsbury was not experienced as a head coach, but he had learned under the best, and he had coaching experience as well. Kingsbury was responsible for producing several amazing quarterbacks during his tenure as quarterback coach for the Houston Cougars, and Texas A&M, where he developed the already talented Johnny Manziel, the only freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Kingsbury was well-versed in offensive tactics, but not so much on the defensive side. But he would have a staff of coaches who would cover that aspect when he took the rein at Texas Tech.
Cliff Kingsbury met my expectations the first year, when everyone knew he was at the bottom of a rebuilding program. Tuberville may have taken preemptive action by jumping ship before the wreck hit the bottom, which was fine with me, since it opened the way for Cliff Kingsbury. I am sure Tuberville had seen the writing on his wall. Kingsbury had his work cut out for himself, but he also had some good quarterbacks to work with. The Red Raiders played hard and won some games under Kingsbury, but they never put together a conference winning season, or even posted a break-even conference record.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have had two overall winning seasons under Kingsbury, so that means two years of over fifty-percent winnings. Unfortunately, none of those years include conference titles, and this rankles many Red Raider boosters, who have the ear of Tech administrators. I believe Cliff Kingsbury finally came to realize over the past football season that he MUST have a balanced football team in 2017. For several years now, the Tech defense has not been able to significantly slow any major team's offense. Even with a fine quarterback such as Patrick Mohames, who put incredible numbers on the board, Texas Tech could not beat many teams due to their very lackluster defense. The Red Raiders were one of the highest scoring college teams last year, and one of the VERY WORST defensive teams. The Raiders racked up an average of 43 points per game, sometimes as many as 69 points, but still only won three games in 2016 Big Twelve play, five games overall. The villagers with their torches and pitchforks have gathered at the gates, screaming for Cliff's head.
I believe that Cliff Kingsbury can rebuild the Red Raiders, but only if he continues to accent growth on the defensive side. In 2016, the Red Raiders scored over thirty points in nine different games. Of those nine games, the Raiders only won four. All of those wins were by a margin of 14 points or more. Of the twelve games played that year, the opposing offense scored over thirty points against the Red Raiders NINE times, as well. As the Raiders proved, it is hard to win football games under those conditions even when the Red Raiders offense posted fifty points or more. Most football teams only rack up fifty points every three or four ballgames. Tech's defense MUST rise to the occasion this year!
Kingsbury has his challenge ahead, and I have to say it, he is in the hot seat this year. I am probably the last person to admit this to himself. Kingsbury, of course, is aware of it. So is the Tech administration. The VERY LAST THING they want to do is fire a legend like Kingsbury, one of their own. Talking heads across the sports networks have been wagging their tongues on this subject for at least two years, calling for his replacement with more and more frequency. This has to be Kingsbury's year, and I am confident that it will be. My own prediction is that the Red Raiders will score a little lower per game this year, but their defense will slow down their opponents' offense quite a bit, keeping the game within winning distance.
Kingsbury IS in the hot seat, but he will earn his place there this year...
Guns Up, Red Raiders!!
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