Every summer, we get the urge to watch football, but unless you're a UFL fan, there's no good way to sate that urge. Sure, the return of the EA Sports NCAA Football video game franchise will help many fans kill time until real football returns, but it's still nowhere near the authentic experience.
One way to get through the summer is to relive last season's games, point by point, and as we'll see today, it can be tough at times, but now that we have the full benefit of hindsight, re-watching 2023 games is a useful exercise.
Let's start with a closer look at last season's opening game in Laramie, Wyoming, when Tech started strong with a 17-0 lead but lost 35-33 in double overtime.
This was truly an incomprehensible result for a team that began the season with high expectations. Remember, the Red Raiders were supposed to be the Big 12's dark horse and compete for the title. Some around the country expected Joey McGuire's team to make the College Football Playoff despite starting the year unranked, just like TCU did in 2022.
Of course, it all came crashing down in one game, when the Red Raiders lost to the Cowboys on a stormy night at the Rockies. There was a lengthy lightning delay at the start of the game, and home fans stormed onto the field at the end. So how did this game escape Tech, and what can we learn from a rewatch? Let's take a look.
The game was unusual in that the visiting team, who were overwhelming favorites to win, blew an early three-point lead in the first quarter. Typically, when a major conference team loses on the road to a Group 5 school, the home team takes a surprise early lead and then holds on while the better team fights back.
But Tech came out strong early, with Myles Price and Jaeden York catching Tyler Shaw touchdown passes on Tech's first two drives (the second coming off a Wyoming fumble), and a Gino Garcia field goal, and Tech looked good.
But Wyoming slowly got back into the game and led 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter. Wyoming made a field goal with 41 seconds left and the game went into overtime, with both teams trading touchdowns in the first overtime period.
In the second overtime, a touchdown catch by Jerand Bradley gave Tech a 33-27 lead, but a two-point attempt failed, leaving Wyoming with an opening.
On the ensuing drive, the Cowboys faced a 4th down and 7 situation from the Tech 11, but they overcame the Red Razor onslaught and completed it with an 11-yard TD pass, then a simple draw play through the heart of the Tech defense for the 2-point conversion gave Wyoming the win.
