Texas Tech Football: 5 Fixes Matt Wells’ must make in first season

5. Tech must fight off inconsistency 

A big part of the problem for Kingsbury’s teams in Lubbock was frustrating inconsistency. His teams were often Jekyll-and-Hyde fluctuating between looking like a conference contender and cellar-dweller.

In 2016, Texas Tech suffered two separate three game losing streaks that kept them out of a bowl game. They pushed both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the absolute limits, but also suffered a 56-point rout at the hands of Iowa State in November.

In 2017, the Red Raiders started the season 4-1 before losing four straight games. It ultimately took an upset win in Austin over Texas for the Red Raiders to garner bowl eligibility. They ultimately lost to South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl to finish with seven losses for the second year in a row.

Last year was the most demonstrative case. Tech started 5-2 before losing their final five games to finish below .500 for the third straight year. They upset Oklahoma State on the road and pushed Oklahoma and Texas to the brink, but also finished the year with multi-score defeats to Kansas State and Baylor.

Avoiding the swoon after strong starts is a must if Texas Tech wants to avoid a fourth consecutive losing season.

If they can knock off Arizona on the road then Tech will be 3-0 as they enter Big 12 play. The schedule gives them a couple of breaks too as their two toughest road trips – at Oklahoma and West Virginia — come after bye weeks.