In 2023, Texas Tech was 3-5 heading into its first bye week, and head coach Joey McGuire was hard on his staff for the lackluster start, but this time it is different. Tech is 5-1 entering its bye week, but McGuire hasn't changed his tone with the coaching staff.
"We're three and five. So my statement to the coaches is, I'm a 3-5 head coach, and you are a 3-5 staff, and it's embarrassing what we're doing," McGuire said Wednesday. "This week Kenny (Perry) goes, 'Hey, Coach, are you going to tell us we're a 5-1 staff?' I said you are a five and one staff, but I still feel the other way, because the opportunity we have in front of us if we allow it to pass us by, because we're not ready every single week, we are passing up a great opportunity."
Opportunity awaits the Red Raiders, getting out to a start that McGuire envisioned to start the season with four home games before October and sitting at 5-1 at the open week, after a massive win in Tucson.
That has been McGuire's message to the Red Raiders, do not let the opportunity pass you by.
"I mean, it's a bye week. We got to take a deep breath. We've got to get healthy, but we got to put the hammer down and know that we've got a phenomenal opportunity," McGuire said.
While Tech is on the bye, it provides an opportunity to rest and reset for the older players, but it also presents a large opportunity for the scout team and young players on the roster, who may have the chance to get into the fold down the stretch.
"We really get some young guys that are coming on, get them on film to see if we can get them going, or get them to help us, you know, down the stretch in the second part of the season," McGuire said.
"A lot of it's kind of health. Like, it was great, Isaac Smith practiced yesterday, Amier Washington practiced yesterday, Chapman Lewis is trending in a really good direction...you want to see like Eddy Smith traveled with us to Arizona and was available if we got to a point, he's trending in a really good direction. Peyton Morgan, Malik (Esquerra) traveled with us...But when you get that thin in some of those positions, those young guys have got to be ready to step up and and there are some guys, Oliver (MIles) at STAR, has done a really good job."
Overall, the Red Raider coaching staff is looking to continue to find ways to get better, starting with a self-scout that will be presented in a meeting on Sunday, as McGuire believes his team his far from having put together a complete product.
"I'm glad we're 5-1, but we have so much more. We haven't even come close to playing a complete game at the level that we can play at," McGuire said. "That's exciting. That drives you. And then one of the big things, and I sent it to the captains yesterday, is we can't relax."
