Wow, seems like yesterday Brian Estridge and I were trying not to lose our minds while the Frogs were trying not to lose to the Red Raiders last year in Lubbock. On fourth-and-goal from the Tech 4-yard line, Trevone Boykin, Josh Doctson and Aaron Green teamed up for what’s now known as “The Divine Deflection” with 23 seconds left in the game. Not until the end of a multiple lateral play with no time left, when Jakeem Grant was pushed out of bounds at the TCU 10-yard line, was the game decided. That day, it seemed neither team had an answer for the other.

KaVontae Turpin goes high for the ball during TCU’s 55-52 victory over Texas Tech on September 27, 2015. Photo by Michael Clements.

This year, TCU and Tech have both had flashes of brilliance and, at the same time, have struggled in spots. Coach P and Kliff Kingsbury are both searching for answers. The Frogs are trying to regroup after a tough trip to West Virginia. I told you the Mountaineers were closer to a Top 5 team than No. 12. They’re good. Over the last two weeks, the Mountaineers have held TCU and Tech to a combined 27 points. Tech is coming off a “basketball-on-grass” affair in Lubbock that saw Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes throw for 734 yards and five touchdowns AND LOSE!

Texas Tech begins with Patrick Mahomes … I’ve been impressed with him since last year’s game in Lubbock, when he nearly beat TCU on one leg, taking a beating all game long and still getting up and making plays. One of Mahomes’ go-to receivers in this Tech offensive juggernaut is Jonathan Giles. Entering Saturday’s game with 917 receiving yards, Giles is closing in on the 1,000-yard mark with five games remaining. He needs 182 yards to enter the top 10 in single-season school history; at that point he would match Wes Welker’s total from the 2003 season. Giles’ 917 receiving yards are the most for a Red Raider through seven games since Michael Crabtree had 1,244 during the same span in 2007. Good company. The Red Raiders like to throw it, as evidenced by their top-ranked passing offense, which spirals dangerously at 542.7 yards-per-game. They’re ranked No. 125 in the nation in rushing offense with just 98 yards per game. It’s a bright-light show.

On the dark side is the Red Raider defense, a group that’s ranked No. 127 in the nation and trying to pull itself together. The Red Raiders are trying to come up with a vaccine for the defensive virus that has plagued the program for years. Tech has had a turnstile at the defensive coordinator’s office door. When David Gibbs took over last year, he became Tech’s seventh defensive coordinator in as many years. The Red Raiders run a 4-3 that hasn’t stopped anyone yet. Aside from holding Stephen F. Austin to 17 points, Tech has given up 68, 45, 19 (to KU), 44, 48 and 66 points. Defensive end Kolin Hill, a transfer from Notre Dame, and Ondre Pipkins, a Michigan transfer, have added size to the Red Raider defensive line, but youth reigns on a defense that has yet to gel.

The Frogs will need to play ball-control to keep the magic of Mahomes off the field. He’s dangerous and makes most of his plays on the run. A large section of the Tech play book is labeled “Ad Lib.” This makes Tech tough to defend. The Frogs have to contain Mahomes.

Answers? They’ll come Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Did You Know??? — The Frogs and Red Raiders will meet for the 59th time on Saturday. Tech leads the all-time series with a 30-25-3 advantage. But did you know the three series ties occurred in three straight games in Lubbock: a 3-3 finish in a snow storm in 1979, a crazy 39-39 game in 1981 and a 10-10 mess played in the mud (on artificial turf) following a huge dust storm/rain event in the Hub City in 1983.

Kick ‘Em High!