Texas Football: What a win over Texas Tech would mean

What would a win for the Texas football program over the declining Texas Tech Red Raiders mean on this key Nov. 29 matchup?

The Texas football program heads into their final game of the regular season with a lot on the line against the Texas Tech Red Raiders and first-year head coach Matt Wells. The former Utah State Aggies head coach got off to a good start with the Red Raiders this season, but it quickly tailed off down the stretch.

Entering this key Nov. 29 showdown, the Red Raiders boasted a record of 4-7 (2-5 Big 12). The Texas Longhorns football program came in with a record of 6-5 (4-4 Big 12). Neither Texas nor Texas Tech had the season they imagined heading into the regular season finale.

About the best win that either team amassed in Big 12 play came over the No. 21 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. The only win for Texas Tech since knocking off Oklahoma State came over the four-win West Virginia Mountaineers by the final score of 38-17. And the best win for Texas since came over the Kansas State Wildcats by the final score of 27-24.

With Texas Tech out of bowl contention, bragging rights were mainly on the line between them and the Longhorns. Texas Tech would love to win their second straight against the Longhorns at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. It would also be a good way for Wells to round out his first season in Lubbock.

If Texas Tech loses this game, it will start to feel more like the Kliff Kingsbury-era in Lubbock. Kingsbury was famous for getting off to solid starts and not being able to finish down the stretch. Bowl eligibility was usually the goal for Texas Tech once they neared season’s end. But this season saw the Red Raiders even lose to the Kansas Jayhawks on the road in one of the weirdest endings of the regular season.

That is one thing that the Longhorns and Red Raiders have in common. Kansas gave both Texas and Texas Tech a difficult time. Texas managed to overcome them with a game-winning field goal on the final drive from sophomore kicker Cameron Dicker.

What the Longhorns mainly need to accomplish in this game is bouncing back from back-to-back losses and falling short in three of their last four games. They lost back-to-back games against the Baylor Bears and Iowa State Cyclones. Both tests came on the road too. This is a good opportunity for them to bounce back against Texas Tech in the friendly confines of DKR.

What this also offers is a chance to bounce back for junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger. In the last four games, Ehlinger has just as many total touchdowns as he has interceptions. He’s hit a low point production-wise that is his worst since his true freshman campaign.

Head Texas football coach Tom Herman also needs a win here to keep his Longhorns alive for a solid slotting in a bowl game. There is still a shot for the Longhorns to wind up in the Camping World Bowl or the Alamo Bowl. Instead, if the Longhorns lose here, they could wind up in the Texas Bowl or Liberty Bowl.

Herman and Wells both have a lot on the line in this Black Friday morning showdown between Texas and Texas Tech. This should be the second-to-last game of the 2019 season for the Longhorns and the finale for the Red Raiders.