Red Raiders Offseason Defensive Improvements Failing

The Texas Tech Red Raiders fell to the Washington State Cougars 37-16 on Saturday, in a game in which they looked completely overmatched on both sides of the ball.

We know the offense has its issues, especially with the injury to starting running back Tahj Brooks , who missed the contest against the Cougars.

While the defense appears to have improved a bit over last year and over some Week 1 holes that allowed Abilene Christian to score 51 and have a chance for a two-point conversion to win the game, there still appears to be more work needed.

The defensive secondary appears to be playing more on the same page than at times we saw last year, and the defensive line looks more gelled together - and that's saying something.

The Tech defense allowed a historic night by Cougars quarterback John Mateer. And it wasn't through the air, as Mateer only completed nine passes for 115 yards. But he also finished the game with 21 carries for 197 yards, becoming the first Washington State quarterback to rush for at least 100 yards since 1987.

The offense didn't help the defense's cause by turning the ball over four times and muffing a kick. It also failed to convert on four of five 4th down conversion attempts, essentially adding four more turnovers to the total.

Related: Red Raiders Offense Lacks Depth Without Tahj Brooks

A couple of those failed attempts were deep in their own territory, giving Mateer and the Cougars a short field to play with.

Washington State began five of its seven first-half possessions in on the Red Raiders' side of the field. With an already struggling defense, that's a recipe for, well, exactly what we saw in Pullman, Washington on Saturday night.