Walking the plank

Texas Tech got 4 turnovers and couldn't put away OU in the second half. Loses to Missouri, Texas, TCU, and OU plus wins against UTEP and Texas A&M have two things in common. The Red Raiders are inconsistent and can't put away the opposition.
You can't point to one player or side, or even a coach. Collectively, this is the most talented team the Red Raiders have fielded since the mid 70's, but not the best by far at playing as a team. I hesitate to blame on Mike Leach, even though he is responsible for the outcome. Perhaps I'm drunk on 6 years of pirate rum. I think Mike was missing some student-athlete leaders. A critical component for any successful team.
I know the season isn't over, but the chance for salvaging something this season seems bleak. I hope our team can win a bowl game. Beating Okie Lite seems like a mountain given the play of the Cowboys of late. Not to mention our season long problems.
An 8 win season at this point will prove that Mike Leach can coach through adversity and get this team and future ones to close out. This is a critical juncture in the Mike Leach era. Recruiting, fan support, and the impact on future Tech teams are at steak. Despite the past success, Tech fans want a Conference Championship. We can beat any team in our Conference, something that couldn't be stated until Mike got to Lubbock and built up his program. The talent gap is there with UT and OU, but we have beat them with more and us with less. The gap is closing.
That being the case, the question is will we ever do it? That question needs to get answered within the next two seasons. The equation of closing teams out needs to get answered by the end of December. Without that solution, Tech is just typical.

The only solace is that Tech has taken over the top at graduating football players. That is definately worthy of the money invested in football. Good job Raiders!