LUBBOCK, TX – The only thing left to do was win. 

Texas Tech (9-1) dreamed of these days when the Red Raiders hired Joey McGuire on Nov. 8, 2021, four years to the date of a BYU clash that brought ESPN College GameDay to campus for the first time since 2008 and placed the eyes of the college football world squarely on Lubbock for the first time since Mike Leach roamed the sideline. 

Tech won the entire offseason, landing the top transfer portal class, bringing in coordinators Mack Leftwich and Shiel Wood, and opening a state-of-the-art facility that measures up to any in the country. The Red Raiders were all-in but there is never a guarantee that the bet would cash on the field. Not right away, at least. 

Tech built the momentum. And the roster. They won enough early to host the biggest game of Week 11 and place themselves on the doorstep to a Big 12 championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff. 

But none of it would’ve mattered if Tech squandered the moment and lost the game. Texas Tech’s only pathway to the Big 12 Championship game, and by extension, the CFP, is to win out and play in Arlington. Winning wasn’t an option; it was a necessity. Red Raider Nation dreamed of this type of moment when McGuire and his enthusiasm landed in Lubbock four years ago.   

McGuire’s not a dreamer, though. He’s a believer. He built a trophy case at Cedar Hill High School before he ever won a district championship. He ended up putting seven district titles and three state championships behind the glass as a high school coach. There is an empty space in the Texas Tech trophy case with a plaque that reads “believe” as an ode to McGuire’s past experiences. 

McGuire won his first state championship in Year 4 at Cedar Hill. Now in Year 4 at Texas Tech, he says these types of stakes were never a dream when he was hired. That’s because they were an expectation. 

“We expected this moment,” he said postgame. “I’m telling you, when I sat in my interview with President (Lawrence) Schovanec and Cody Campbell and Dusty Womble and Kirby (Hocutt) and Sammy Morris, this is what we expected without a doubt.” 

THREE THINGS 

Defense wins championships: Texas Tech could always score points, even in the bad years. But the Red Raiders could rarely prevent them, even in the good ones. The reason this team should win the Big 12 and could contend for a national championship is because of Shiel Wood’s defense. The unit entered the game as a Top 5 scoring unit and left it allowing an average of 12.6 points per game after holding BYU to seven in the win. 

Texas Tech held BYU to 3.9 yards per play and 255 yards of total offense. The Cougars turned the ball over three times and were tackled behind the line of scrimmage on four separate occasions. They entered with the second-best rushing offense in the Big 12, averaging 216.63 yards per game and 5.38 yards per rush. Against Tech, that offense was held to 67 rushing yards on 2.5 yards per rush. 

The mixture of transfer stars and homegrown talent is mesmerizing. For every David Bailey, there is a John Curry. For every Lee Hunter, there is a Ben Roberts. Jacob Rodriguez, who McGuire pushed as a Heisman candidate postgame, led the Red Raiders with 14 tackles while adding an interception and a fumble recovery. Cole Wisniewski set the tone early from his safety position and managed 10 tackles. Curry and Roberts combined for 13 stops.  

There is not an offensive line in the Big 12 that can handle the Tech defensive front. The linebacker room is the most productive in America. And while the secondary is considered the weak link, that’s only because of the strength of the front seven. Defense and Texas Tech used to mix like oil and water. Now, thanks to oil money and good coaching, the Red Raiders have the best defense in the Big 12 and one that can lead this program into the national title picture. 

Offense leans on run game: If Texas Tech playing elite defense wasn’t enough to convince you that we’re living in Bizarro World, the Red Raider offense is now predicated on the run game. Behren Morton is clearly not 100 percent healthy and that might keep the offense from looking like the typical Tech unit. But that’s okay because of the tandem of Cam Dickey and J’Kolby Williams. The duo combined for 198 yards on 36 attempts. Morton only threw the ball 32 times. 

Quietly, Tech is the third-best running team in the Big 12 behind Utah and BYU. And it felt like the Red Raiders were trying to prove that they were the tougher and more rugged team at times on Saturday. They outrushed BYU, 149-67 and averaged five yards a carry when Morton’s four sacks are adjusted for. We’ve seen teams win championships behind strong run games and elite defenses, but never in Lubbock. 

Don’t screw it up: The challenge this week was obvious. The goal for the coaching staff was to block out the noise, sniff out distractions, and rise to the moment. All eyes were on this game so it wasn’t hard to motivate the team to stay focused on the task at hand. But next week against UCF is the opposite problem. The Knights are 4-5 overall and 1-5 in Big 12 play. Texas Tech knew it needed its A-game to beat BYU and remain in control of their own destiny in the Big 12. Human nature suggests that the Red Raiders will also know that UCF doesn’t present the same challenge. 

Culture isn’t tested in exciting moments of success. It is tested in the mundane tasks that often happen under the radar. Texas Tech’s talent and upside was tested against BYU. It’ll be the culture that is under the microscope in Week 12. Tech will be a Top 10 team in the CFP and they’re two wins away from playing for the Big 12 title. They’ll be double-digit favorites and the buzz won’t be as high. The fan base and media can look past UCF, but the team can’t. McGuire knows that. His job this week is for his team to, as well.