Zach Thomas Talks Texas Tech. Great work here as Zach Thomas remembers his time at Texas Tech.

Missed Opportunity. LAJ’s Don Williams writes that losing to TCU was a huge missed opportunity:

The bottom line is this: The Red Raiders had the ball and the lead with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left and went three-and-out.

“Go win it,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said of his thought process when the Red Raiders took over at their own 13. “I mean, we ran it twice and threw it on third down, just like we’d been doing the whole second half – running the ball very well – and they stood up and made a play.”

All Tech needed was two or three first downs. Behind a veteran offensive line. With a workhorse senior running back. With a quarterback who’d inspired by playing on a gimpy leg nearly all day after he took a hit diving for the end zone.

Improving, But Not Quite There. LAJ’s Nicholas Talbot writes that Texas Tech is improving, but not quite there just yet:

That won’t be easy.

Baylor destroyed Rice 70-17 on Saturday.

They are as advertised — ranked No. 5 in the country.

The gauntlet for Texas Tech continues in Arlington at the house that Jerry built.

But so does the enormous strides it has taken since last year.

No, I won’t pick the Red Raiders to beat Baylor.

But, they competed last year against the Bears in Arlington and I expect them to do it again.

Awe is right.

A last-second loss like this to TCU is not a funeral.

It’s a continuation of what began against Arkansas.

Yes, Tech still gave up 750 yards of total offense to the Frogs.

The defense is not good.

Reality says that at any point this season, the Red Raiders won’t be a top shelf defensive unit.

It just isn’t happening.

But, they might not be that bad of a football team.

Seriously. That just happened.

Mahomes Injury Overshadows Washington’s Career Day. DMN’s Michael DuPont checks in with five thoughts after the game and writes that DeAndre Washington’s game was a huge component of Texas Tech’s offense:

2. Rushing attack makes statement on big stage. Senior running back DeAndre Washington had his best rushing performance as a Red Raider against a TCU defense that allowed 156 rushing yards per game entering Saturday’s contest. Washington rushed for 188 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries, setting a career-high in rushing yards and touchdowns, as well. The constant effort of Washington’s offensive line created consistent running lanes and allowed the senior to average 8.5 yards per carry. Washington’s best individual performance was a 186-yard outing last season against Iowa State.

Focus on Baylor. LAJ’s Nicholas Talbot writes that it is time to focus on Baylor:

The Red Raiders have Baylor next.

They have to forget all of that.

Or else.

Before the season, everyone saw what was on the calendar. Arkansas, TCU and Baylor in 1-2-3 fashion.

Texas Tech beat Arkansas.

It lost to TCU 55-52 at Jones Stadium on Saturday. And it has Baylor in Arlington (2:30 p.m., Saturday).

That’s what matters. Nothing else does.

Good thing it seems like the Red Raiders already know it.

How Injured is Mahomes?  Talbot goes on to wonder how injured QB Patrick Mahomes really is and I don’t think that he’s all that bad, probably just a knee sprain. Our very own MeestahRogers noted that he saw something from KCBD after the game showing Mahomes walking out without crutches or a brace or anything. A limp, but relatively okay.

Complete Game by Baylor. WacoTrib’s John Werner (he’s essentially the Don Williams of Waco) writes that Baylor had a complete game in their win against Rice:

The hits kept coming during the bye week when tight end Tre’Von Armstead was dismissed for violation of team rules. Then running backs coach Jeff Lebby broke a NCAA rule by being on the sidelines at last weekend’s Tulsa-Oklahoma game, resulting in a half-game suspension when the Bears play the Sooners on Nov. 14 at McLane Stadium.

Though the Bears romped to a 56-21 win over SMU and a 66-31 win over Lamar, they didn’t look like the dominating team that played with such a mission in winning back-to-back Big 12 championships.

But Baylor got its mojo back against Rice as it racked up 793 yards total offense, the second most in school history. Playing with a lot of tenacity, the defense limited a strong Rice offense to 246 yards while recovering two fumbles.

Miscellaneous. The LAJ has three things from Saturday’s game . . .