MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Given a soapbox this week at the Orange Bowl, Joey McGuire took a moment to campaign for a playoff system that more closely resembles the one he plundered back at Cedar Hill. Basically, you’d start at Thanksgiving with league title games and roll right through Christmas, thus avoiding long layoffs and putting it all to bed on New Year’s Day.
Not sure if it was the layoff or the moment or the disparity between the Big 12 and Big Ten, but Texas Tech’s historic season didn’t outlast your hangover.
Oregon posted the first College Football Playoff shutout since 2016 and first in the Orange Bowl in 34 years with a 23-0 wipeout in Hard Rock Stadium before 65,021, at least half of whom deserved better.
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“I’m sorry we let you down,” McGuire said to the faithful, which was nice, because someone needed to apologize to the state’s football fans for the Lone Star State’s pathetic playoff showing.
And you thought Texas A&M’s 10-3 loss to Miami was bad.
Speaking of which, apologies to anyone who took my advice to bet the house and kids on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Either I underestimated Miami, which lost to SMU and looked awful beating A&M, or I was thinking about the Ohio State that routed Texas in the Cotton Bowl last year.
Also, while I’m at it, I’d like to apologize for suggesting before the game that, if Behren Morton could move, Tech “stands a good chance to win.”
Morton moved just fine Thursday, which was good, because he was mostly running for his life. Took four sacks. He was stripped of the ball in mid-throw at one point and threw two interceptions, one in the back of the end zone to ruin the Red Raiders’ only real scoring opportunity.
Tech’s four turnovers led to 13 Oregon points, but that was hardly the point. The second-highest scoring offense in the nation couldn’t get out of its own way. Six of its first eight drives ended in three plays or fewer.
How futile was just about anything Tech tried on offense? When Oregon lined up for a 36-yard field goal with a 16-0 lead and nearly seven minutes left, it felt like Dan Lanning was rubbing it in.
Not that he would. He could identify.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach McGuire and the team that he’s had,” the Oregon coach said. “This shouldn’t discredit them.
“I remember this feeling last year, right?”
The Ducks’ 41-21 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl ruined what had been a perfect season, opening speculation as to how good they really were.
Those same questions will be asked now of Tech, and rightfully so. The Red Raiders dominated the Big 12, beating a good BYU team twice. They’ve got big-time talent on defense. McGuire said Thursday that, if he was an NFL coach and needed a defensive player in the draft, the first guy he’d take would be David Bailey. The defensive end collected nine tackles, a sack, two pass breakups and a couple of the Red Raiders’ 10 tackles for losses.
Make no mistake: Tech’s defense was national-title caliber. The Red Raiders held an explosive Oregon offense to 309 yards. But any defense is worn down by poor field position and the burden of 81 snaps.
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The Ducks expected downfield throws and bubble screens, and they effectively eliminated both. On Brandon Finney Jr.’s second interception of the game, he fooled Morton by playing low, then dropped into the end zone for the easiest pick of his life.
“I was just as impressed that he took a knee afterward,” Lanning said, then turned to Finney on the podium at the post-game presser.
“How bad did you want to run it back?” he asked.
“Very bad,” Finney said.
The Ducks also fooled Tech on special teams, executing a fake punt from their own 43 on fourth and 3. Tech’s defense subsequently held on a fourth-and-goal at its own 2, only to watch the offense fumble away the ball and any momentum three plays later.
Listen, Oregon’s defense is good, but it also gave up 34 points to James Madison. JMU’s offense isn’t five touchdowns better than Tech’s, but the Red Raiders’ offense is nowhere close to the nation’s second-best, no matter what the numbers say.
The nature of Tech’s loss only supports the supposition that, without Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 is sorely lacking in top-tier talent. Cody Campbell needs to spend a little of the $30 million he’s projecting for next year’s roster on a few offensive linemen, a dynamic receiver or two and maybe a back big enough to make a hole of his own.
Tech may need another quarterback, too, now that Morton’s done. He came to the presser red-eyed and sniffling, and he left the same. McGuire hugged his neck before it started and patted him on the leg and did his best to put Tech’s season in perspective, which proved as difficult as Oregon’s defense.
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“When you do something that nobody’s ever done,” he said, “nobody’s ever done what these guys did, wearing this uniform, ever. The standard is set, and that’s where you start building something really special. So I can’t thank them enough.
“This is going to hurt for a long time.”
If it helps any, the Aggies can empathize. A CFP that began with such promise for Texas teams isn’t just over. It was ugly.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
Even in loss to Oregon, Texas Tech’s defense proved it was championship worthy
While the defense showed it was among the best in the nation, the offense resembled a group that didn’t belong.
Behren Morton emotional as Texas Tech tenure comes to an end: ‘I love this university’
The fifth-year QB led Texas Tech to its first College Football Playoff and helped put the Red Raiders back on the map.
Find more Texas Tech coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.