Saturday was a fairly typical blustery day in West Texas – the wind unpredictable and constant.
Early in the evening, though, Mother Nature got a huge boost when a whole lot of Texas Tech fans collectively exhaled – thanks to Jonathan Garibay.
The Red Raider kicker carved out a spot in program lore with his 62-yard field goal that secured a 41-38 victory against Iowa State at Jones AT&T Stadium, and as the booming kick sailed through the uprights, there was a delicious blend of relief, satisfaction and euphoria as an unmistakable undercurrent.
Win a game after blowing a comfortable lead? Big.
Climb to 6 wins this season to gain bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017? Huge.
Do something that just makes it feel like there is some new verve in a program so hungry for a jolt of positivity? Massive.
With one mighty swing of Garibay’s right leg, the narrative of Texas Tech’s season and potentially the near future is unquestionably changed. Sort of like shaking up the Magic 8-Ball and having it spin to a stop with the answer “HELL YEAH!”
No, this isn’t the same thing as the national inclination to declare “Texas is back!” every time the Longhorns win a big game early in a new season. Even with the arrival of Joey McGuire earlier this week after he swooped into town like a revival tent preacher, getting the Red Raiders anywhere close to “back” is going to take some time and patience.
What Saturday’s thriller does seem to indicate is that instead of the 2021 season swirling down the drain – and let’s face it, that sure seemed to be where things were headed prior to the news of McGuire’s hire – there are glimmers (plural) of hope.
Make no mistake: This was a really good Cyclones’ team that Texas Tech beat. And the fact that it wasn’t breezy, hell that makes it that much sweeter.
It would be great if the Red Raiders could flex muscle like they did in the first half and crush a Big 12 foe not named Kansas from start to finish. But not just yet. It’s going to take a rollercoaster ride to win most games for now, see West Virginia a few weeks ago and Saturday.
What the means-to-the-end performance against Iowa State does is bolster Texas Tech’s confidence in different areas but leaves other things that still need glaring improvement.
For example, Donovan Smith was hands-down dazzling in the first half when he threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns and engineered an offense that clicked like it hasn’t all season against a top-shelf defense. But he also scuffled a bit on decision-making on the two fourth-down runs, which creates teachable moments. Then he re-emerged on the decisive field-goal drive and that is important moving forward.
It's no secret that these Red Raiders are a flawed team. But you can be flawed and still find ways to succeed, which was a process that was mostly an uphill battle the last few seasons and reared its head a few weeks ago vs. Kansas State.
Because the victory against the Cyclones wasn’t a tidy thing of beauty, it’s the best of both worlds. Warts and all, Texas Tech got exactly what it needed, when it needed it and coincidence or not, this shot-in-the-arm outcome arrived a few days after McGuire blew into town.
But the credit for this one goes squarely to Sonny Cumbie and the current coaching staff – if for no other reasons because under strange and difficult circumstances, they have figured out a way to find enough patches and emotional glue to keep the Red Raiders from falling apart and they did so again in the final stages Saturday.
If you watched (ore rewatched later) the game on TV, you likely noticed Cumbie imploring the defense during a timeout late in the game, and moments later, Texas Tech tightened up and forced a Cyclone field goal.
You have to figure right after that, there was a similar sermon preached to the offense, with a wink and pat on the butt of encouragement for Smith.
Whatever the formula was in those closing minutes, Texas Tech made it work. And man does that make the outlook for the next few weeks and maybe much longer seem a whole lot brighter.
-------------------------------------------------------
Randy Rosetta is the Managing Editor of RedRaiderSports.com
Follow on Twitter | @RandyRosetta or @RedRaiderSports
-------------------------------------------------------
A portion of proceeds from every case sold is donated to The Little Warrior Foundation. The Little Warrior Foundation's mission is to fund & find a lasting cure for childhood cancer, with a specific focus on Ewing's Sarcoma. https://shop.summerlandwinebrands.com/Shop/Fields-of-Gold
