Strive for honor, evermore!

by redraidersax on Nov 23, 2008 11:18 AM CST

It was absolutely demoralizing. It was straight up embarrassing. I didn’t know what to do with myself by the second half… But… I’m STILL very proud to be a Red Raider!

I’m in my 4th year as a music education major at Texas Tech and my home is in Burke, Virginia. This morning about 4 am I got up and started driving to Dallas from Lubbock to catch a Delta flight using my miles. I had a good few hours to think about the game last night. My emotions varied from utterly disappointed and depressed to mad and confused… by the end of it though, I realized that we need to keep things in perspective.

Yes, we got crap stuffed in, but after a certain point I think I was just a snowball effect. We’re still just a one loss team… No, we’re not at the top of the top… but we’re in a better position than we’ve been in for decades… No, the chances of a BCS NC are slim to none… but we still might get some luck on our side in OSU and get to go to the BIG XII championship game. No, we didn’t win… but neither did Florida against Ole Miss… or USC against Oregon State… or Texas against us… or Oklahoma against Texas… I’m not excusing the game… but we still have plenty of good reasons to be proud to be red raiders and still be able to hold our heads high enough!

I’m sitting in the DFW terminal right now wearing a Crabtree jersey, and a middle aged man with an OU hat sat down next to me and said “I’m surprised you still want to wear that in public.” I looked at him for a moment and smiled… all I said was “What kind of a fan would I be if I didn’t? Would you have worn that hat today if y’all had lost?” “Fair enough” he replied and left for his gate a few numbers down.

I wonder about what he said though… It actually made me proud of my school. From what I can tell, while we all were saddened, I don’t think any of us regret being at tech and will still argue the reasons we love our school and fight for the respect no one seems to want to give us. We gained a lot of bandwagon fans these last couple weeks. We were the hot team for a moment in time. Now with one game, most will pass us off as “oh well it could have been cool” But us true Red Raiders, those of us that bleed red and black can still find reasons to be proud. We beat Texas when no one thought we could… we DESTROYED OSU when most thought we would merely squeak by if win at all we are 10-1 when most put us at 8-3 or 9-2 at best. We still have a chance for BCS and can be 11-1 when others said we were destined to be good but not GOOD and always have to settle for 8-9 win seasons. We have made KNOWN for sure that OUR HOUSE is dangerous territory and NO ONE is safe here, mostly because of us fans who never say die.

And so I submit this to Raider Nation… Fight, Matadors, for Tech! Songs of love we'll sing to thee. Bear our banners far and wide, ever to be our pride. Fearless champions ever be, stand on heights of victory. Strive for honor evermore... Long live the Matadors!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors.

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We have a good team.

It was a good season, it will be a good season regardless of what happens. We don’t often win 10 games a year, we’ve already done that.

I am shocked and depressed by the results of that last game but will have my Texas Tech gear on tomorrow while attending classes at the University of Texas as I do after every CFB weekend. I would root for Tech and be proud of my school if we were 1-10. We aren’t.

Go Tech.

Go register. Or else.

by Skin Patrol on Nov 23, 2008 1:50 PM CST reply actions

After we beat Baylor and Ol’ Miss in the Cotton Bowl, we’ll be 12-1. Not too shabby by any standards. And it feels good knowing we actually beat some damn good teams. We are kind of like Kansas from last year, but we got some really huge wins in the MUCH tougher half of the conference.

We’ll also be able to share claim to the Big12 South title. Even when the polls pick the more stylish pick of ou or ut, to represent in the championship game, nobody can take away the fact that we have the same conference record and earned our spot at the top this year.

We have been so consistent in our improvement. A few years ago, we were the 7-8 win team. Then came the 8-9 win seasons. Now…bam! 11 or 12 wins! A couple more 10 win seasons and the respect will be there. Just be patient. Everyone has to have a breakthrough season before they command respect every year. The hard part is over. We just keep doing what we’ve already begun.

by pcrawttu on Nov 24, 2008 12:17 AM CST reply actions

If only we were KU from 07...

They got Lucky, they lost their only tough game, then Mizzou lost to OU, and KU automatically went up into a BCS bowl while Mizzou got screwed into the Cotton Bowl. I wish we will be as lucky as KU, that would mean either UT loses, which would put us in a BCS bowl, or OU loses, which would be even better. I’m not saying that we’re doing poorly though. It’s just a bad BCS system. Oregon State, which as 3 loses, will make a BCS bowl over us, and currently Penn State and USC, both of whom lost to unranked opponents, will make BCS bowls, and are ranked above. But pcrawttu is right, after a few more season like this, Tech will start gaining respect in the CFB world, it’s just too bad it wont be this year.

Oh, and i read an interesting article from espn today: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=roadtobcs/0806 (cut and paste)

My favorite quote: “there would be no justification for elevating the Trojans, unless it was purely an attempt by voters to manipulate the system and keep Texas Tech out of the BCS Championship Game”

by RedRaider621 on Nov 24, 2008 3:04 PM CST up reply actions

what if...

what happens if either OU or Texas go to St. Louis for the big XII game and lose????

Wreck 'Em Tech!

J.T.H.

by redraidersax on Nov 24, 2008 6:16 PM CST up reply actions

by St. Louis i mean Kansas City

Wreck 'Em Tech!

J.T.H.

by redraidersax on Nov 24, 2008 6:16 PM CST up reply actions

then the other goes with the at large and joins mizzou

by johnlaf13 on Nov 24, 2008 10:48 PM CST up reply actions

and we go to the cotton

by kayakyakr on Nov 25, 2008 9:12 AM CST up reply actions

The bowl scenario has not played itself out yet….so I’m still believing in a BCS Bowl Bid (even though I live in Dallas and a Cotton Bowl would be easier on my wallet).

Keep the dream alive!!!

by WreckerRaider on Nov 24, 2008 2:31 PM CST reply actions

spot on

For sure “sax”….Long live the Matadors……………..We have a very good team, a great school, a great coach, 1/3 the money of the two schools

by blackbeard on Nov 24, 2008 4:34 PM CST reply actions

spot on

(not tusre what happend, but I got poasted before being thru)

For sure “sax” ……….Long live the Matadors……….we have a very good team, a great school, a great coach, 1/3 the money of the two schools we are currently tied with. our program is on the rise…………………..and………………the crybabies in Austin are crying loudly.

by blackbeard on Nov 24, 2008 4:37 PM CST reply actions

I think what hurts the most

is the powers that be say graham lost the heisman. I thought that would be so cool for recruiting to have that trophy at the school. I hope osu wins for that reason if any. I still proudly wear my TECH gear in a suburb where it’s now the “cool” thing for kids to go to ou now.

by Plano Jeff on Nov 24, 2008 10:18 PM CST reply actions

i still haven't taken my pirate flags off my car

i just want to continue to support my red raiders all the way through the week

by johnlaf13 on Nov 24, 2008 10:49 PM CST reply actions

See you in Lubbock

My wife and I +2 kids will be making the trip to Lubbock this weekend to show our support for the 2008 Red Raider football team. People have asked me why as if we are out of the big picture. It’s really crazy how this thing works. A one loss team is awesome especially in the Big 12 south. Personally, I feel like tech can beat a good portion of the top five teams. The media has givien up on us for now but my gut feeling tells me the Fiesta Bowl isn’t out yet. We’ll have to wait and see.
Red Raiders have a lot to be proud of this year.

by Raider1992 on Nov 25, 2008 9:04 AM CST reply actions

Think about it we upset OU last year when they were rolling and no one thought we had a chance, so anything can happen. I love to listen to the radio heads try to break it down, but the fact is you have to play the games. Games can end in crazy ways as we have seen many times at Texas Tech. Some may be good some may be bad. Tech run isn’t over there is still one more game and a bowl game, therefore our season isn’t over, and anything can happen. We need to beat Baylor this week and just see where everything lands. Who knows A&M wasn’t supposed to beat UT the last two years and they did, and it wouldn’t shock me if OSU pulled a Tech and beat OU. I mean they are getting gameday, and you know the OSU team is going to be pumped to screw OU.

by ST04 on Nov 25, 2008 9:19 AM CST up reply actions

I'm just sayin'

For “real” Red Raider fans, or for those who just want to see the “greatest show on turf”, this Saturday is a great opportunity to (1) see a very good NCAA football program at work, (2) show a little pride in our own, and (3) be part of a historic season at Texas Tech.
We just need to get our work done and show our appreciation to a bunch of kids and coaches that have worked their asses off for the Scarlet and Black.
Guns up! Wreck em!

by blackbeard on Nov 25, 2008 9:49 AM CST reply actions