Texas Tech at Wyoming Game Preview 9/2/2023
Two losses that span several decades, momentum and high expectations are top of mind as Tech heads to Laramie.
by: Taylor Hampton
For fans old enough to remember it and for younger fans motivated enough to read about it, Tech’s last visit to Laramie, Wyoming still hangs over the head (ever so slightly) of a program that has had the wind at it’s back for close to a season and a half now. On October 23rd, 2021, Matt Wells, his coaching staff and a resourceful, but not ultra talented Tech team, blew a game they should have won against Kansas State at Jones Stadium. Two days later, a visibly angry Kirby Hocutt fired his second coach in less than four seasons. This led to Sonny Cumbie, who was named the interim, and ushered in his “pumpjack mentality”. The change in mindset worked and led to a 60+ yard game winning field goal by Jonathan Garibay at home against Iowa State, a win and a turning point that cannot be understated on the South Plains. Tech fought hard in three other games under Cumbie in the regular season but came up short against teams with more talent. But Garibay’s miracle kick made the Red Raiders bowl eligible. This led to a symbolic win against Tech’s winningest and highly respected former Coach Mike Leach (May he rest in peace.) and his Mississippi State Bulldogs in Memphis, TN. Suddenly, a team that wasn’t winning much had a bowl win under a former local walk on “hometown hero”, Interim Head Coach Sonny Cumbie.
For the players on the current roster, 1991 is considerably before their time. For the hardcore fan, we know Spike Dykes took a talented team into the high altitude of Wyoming decades ago and lost a game they were heavily favored to win. Some call it “the grass game” because of bad footing (we all know it was an excuse), others just remember the pain of losing to a team they should’ve beaten in a season where they had a winning record both within the Southwest Conference and overall. 2021 is a different scenario altogether. Just a year removed from the “COVID year” and amidst another season seemingly going nowhere, Sonny Cumbie got the pumpjack pumping before he deservedly received his chance to run his own program at Louisiana Tech. Suddenly, after a brutal decade (a little longer if we are honest), something was brewing on the South Plains.
Next, Kirby Hocutt and a passionate search committee brought us Joey McGuire and that momentum hasn’t only continued, for many, expectations are higher than they have been in a decade. As the multi-generational memories of two losses converge this week, Tech has valid reasons to be optimistic. And there are tangible facts that point to Tech’s momentum continuing indefinitely. Under then first year Coach Joey McGuire, Tech started just 4-5, which did include a very dominant win over West Virginia in Lubbock and then after two disappointing losses, the team went on to win a frigid cold and memorable night in Aimes to gain bowl eligibility in consecutive years. This was part of a four-game winning streak that ended with a decisive win against Ole Miss in Houston at the Texas Bowl and a season, that for the first time in history, saw the Red Raiders defeat both OU and Texas. Beyond the success on the field, Tech is receiving unprecedented financial support from alumni and donors. Notable journalists, amateur content creators and fans across the conference and the nation are noticing. Not to mention the fact that Texas Tech is recruiting players who would not have given the program the time of day just a couple of years ago, if ever.
A pattern is emerging in West Texas and second year Head Coach Joey McGuire seems hell bent on keeping the Red Raiders momentum going strong. The average fan probably doesn’t remember a long night in Laramie, Wyoming thirty-two years ago, but McGuire has made sure his players know it happened and because of that, at least this week, it is a relevant memory in the long history of Texas Tech football. It was a firebrand speech before a Cedar Hill football game witnessed by many on YouTube that convinced yours truly that Joey McGuire was the man for the job after two bad hires in a row from the Tech brass. I imagine this current roster has heard all they want to hear about 1991.
History aside, who are we facing Saturday? What kind of team is Tech lining up against Saturday night?
Wyoming Cowboys
Tech fans can’t overlook Wyoming. The Cowboys come into this important first game with a chip on their shoulder. Wyoming went 7-6 in 2022 losing the Arizona Bowl in overtime to Ohio. Like Tech, albeit at a lower level, they have something to prove. They consistently win in the Mountain West and have appeared in bowl games three out of the last five seasons (One of those years they were 6-6 and didn’t get an invite, the other was during the pandemic). They could win this game if Texas Tech has a disastrous night. So, let’s look at some of the crucial areas of play, the potential challenges for Texas Tech, and some of the key players.
As of this writing Texas Tech is favored to win by around fourteen points on Saturday. On September 21st, 1991, Tech was favored to win by seventeen. They left with a 22-17 heartbreaking loss. Anyway, I know enough with the history lesson. What could cause Tech to lose another heartbreaker in Laramie?
Defense
An unprecedented defensive performance by Wyoming is the only way the Cowboys can beat Tech tonight. Wyoming has some excellent defensive players. There are some impressive tacklers and playmakers on this unit. One of these, Linebacker Easton Gibbs, made 115 tackles, six tackles for losses, and three sacks in 2022. Along with his sidekick, Shae Suiaunoa, they are the nucleus of a very impressive group of linebackers. Gibbs and Suiaunoa, both juniors aren’t just Mountain West good, they are good on a national level. They will both be a handful. Fellow junior, Defensive End DeVonne Harris, was equally impressive last year with seven sacks, 11 TFL’s, and 54 tackles. The nose tackle Cole Godbout is a fantastic player and received praise from Texas Tech Head Coach Joey McGuire during his weekly press conference. “Number 94 is a ball player.” He went on to say he has even challenged his defensive line to play as hard as Wyoming’s. Number ninety-four, Cole Godbout is the heart and soul of their defensive line and will challenge Tech’s interior lineman. Harris will challenge Tech’s tackles and tight ends among others.
Offense
Andrew Peasley, a Utah State transfer, completed only 52% of his passes in 2022. He threw ten touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. The Tech defense is poised to create problems for him tonight. He will need one of his best collegiate games to give Wyoming any chance of winning. Nofoafia Tulafona is a mammoth veteran center who could challenge Tech’s talented defensive tackles. Keep an eye on the interior offensive line while Wyoming has the ball, it could be a fun battle. If Tech makes easy work of Tulafona early, getting into the backfield often, could be a sign of a blowout in the making. Left Tackle Frank Crum is a solid senior. He has pro height and his ability to handle Tech’s rising star edge players could be key to the outcome as well. D.Q. James and Northern Illinois transfer Harrisson Waylee are decent running backs. Tech will need and should be able to contain both. Overall, there are a few bright spots, but this is not an ultra-talented unit. Wyoming will need a much better than average night from Peasley, an extraordinary performance from their offensive line and probably some major mistakes from an unusually talented Tech defense to put more than three touchdowns on the board.
Special Teams
Wyoming is excellent on special teams. The great Bill Parcells says the best way to improve a football team from one year to the next is on special teams. If Wyoming is much better in 2023 than they were in 2022 it will likely come from this facet of their team. If Tech were to make some major mistakes in this game and create a scenario where this becomes an unexpectedly close score, Wyoming’s special teams’ unit could play a factor. Many Wyoming fans think James Hoyland is one of the best kickers in school history. He made four kicks over 50 yards last year alone. The punter, Clayton Stewart, ranked third in the Mountain West last season averaging over 43 yards a punt and has a career long of 67 yards. Both specialists are on watch lists for major awards relating to their respective positions. Much like Chris Klieman’s special team units at Kansas State (Klieman and Bohl are from the same coaching tree), opponents can expect a fundamentally sound special teams’ unit from Bohl’s team as well.
Random Observations
McGuire mentioned in his press conference that they are experimenting a little bit with the altitude in preparation for their future in conference game against BYU, a rare moment of Joey McGuire looking ahead. Coach McGuire also wanted his team to go early to Wyoming to highlight the importance of the game. Despite the subtle contradiction, this is a coach that clearly does not want his team overlooking Wyoming in favor of a ranked Oregon team coming to Lubbock next weekend.
Prediction
Tech returns to Laramie for the first time since 1991 in a totally different era with a totally different team. Kickoff is at 6:30 central time (I hear it could get relatively cold for this time of year) and I sincerely hope Tech plays defense first, but it shouldn’t matter. A reshuffled offensive line may struggle for a half as they adjust and build chemistry in a live game, but at the end of the day Tech has nine offensive lineman who have played college football at a high level. Rusty Staats will be exciting to watch, many believe he may be the most important addition to this roster over the offseason. Wyoming has a solid front for the Mountain West but will ultimately be no match for Tech’s depth. Look for Kittley to take advantage of that, remaining patient with the running game. Look for both Tahj Brooks and Cam’Ron Valdez to have solid performances. Tech’s defense will play very well, especially in the second half. Wyoming is tough, they are probably even good enough to make a bowl game, but they aren’t tough enough to handle Tech’s defense for an entire game. “Who can handle sixty minutes of us?”. I believe there are a handful of teams on Tech’s schedule who can, but Wyoming isn’t one of them.
Tyler Shough will stay healthy and will be giving Morton some reps by the time the game winds down, and for once it won’t be because of injury. I believe Shough will spread the ball around generously much like the nostalgic days of “The Pirate”. Despite Wyoming’s solid linebackers and defensive lineman, their secondary is not good enough to defend Jerand Bradley, Myles Price, newcomer Drae McCray and Xavier White (Among Others, Tech has countless weapons). Look for it to be way too close for comfort at halftime, I predict 21-14. Tech will blow a coverage or make a mistake on defense, it’s the first game and is to be expected, especially on the road. Tyler Shough is a great player and seemingly a great human being. The problem with being a human being is we don’t always focus on the present. His former team and some of his former teammates are coming to Lubbock next Saturday. He is looking ahead, trust me, he is. He will make a mistake or two that will cost this team in the first half. However, A Cedar Hill style Joey McGuire halftime “pep talk” should quickly end any chatter of 1991. “Old School” Texas Tech fans will get their revenge for that obscure game over three decades ago, but the moment that should matter to the most observant among us is how this program has transformed itself in less than two years. What started as a dark October day in 2021, with another painful press conference with yet another Tech coach being fired two days after a mind-numbing loss to Kansas State in what had become a routine outcome during that era, has led to the beginning of something special. We won’t know everything about this Tech team during their 42-17 win in Wyoming. But that doesn’t really matter, there is plenty of time for the historic 2023 season’s story to be written. Saturday night will be the continuation of the momentum built by many dedicated Red Raiders over the last 18 months, some will be on the field in Laramie and on the sidelines. Sonny Cumbie will be traveling back to Louisiana after a likely loss to SMU. This author does not know the current whereabouts of Jonathan Garibay (Think he is a free agent in the NFL). However, that magical night in Lubbock, which included contributions from all of the above and a pumpjack on the sidelines have led us to this moment. It has led us to the first opportunity to make history in 2023, to erase a bad memory and continue the momentum built by many dedicated players (former and present), a dedicated AD and administration, a former walk on turned hero interim head coach, rising star Joey McGuire and an incredibly passionate fan base.