The rise of Coach Gus “Duggs” Duggerton from lowly MAC assistant coach to the head job at Texas Tech and some premier bowl wins along the way has made him a household name. But with great success and fame comes great responsibility, and the lights may be too bright in Lubbock.
A mere nine games into his tenure at Tech, Duggs and gunslinging QB Gunnar Wesson have piled up more INT’s than W’s and have produced what appears to be a broken man.
Final
TCU 40, Texas Tech 35
I let the world down tonight. I’ll wear this one. Absolutely gutted pic.twitter.com/kZYOLfp3mi
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 15, 2020
Duggs was quoted as being “absolutely gutted” in a game that was unwatchable for fans and boosters alike. Tech fell behind in a early 20-7 hole and trailed the whole way.
Whenever Tech was able to mount a comeback, there was always a back-breaking score, likely followed by a long drive into Horned Frog territory before another Wesson pick. Wesson and Duggs’ insistence on throwing the ball downfield early and often backfired, but true to form Duggs made no adjustments and put his team in a horrible spot.
I’m soooo bad tonight. What is going on with me??#TTUvsTCUhttps://t.co/6HfHluc4uf pic.twitter.com/9B2pNxvqRt
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 15, 2020
Fast forward to the fourth quarter down two scores, and Wesson left the game after taking a shot with an abdomen injury. Backup QB (?) proceeded to throw a pick on his second play, putting the game out of reach.
Duggs would make it interesting late, but would ultimately cost his team a shot at any sort of meaningful bowl game with a bone-headed decision the likes of which we haven’t seen at this level. Down nine with only a few minutes to play, Duggs opted to go for two instead of kicking the extra point (which would have preserved the opportunity for a tie, after a score and a two-point conversion).
Duggs’ inability to think in the long-term could be the end of the road. He can’t continue to jeopardize his student-athletes’ hopes and dreams with his poor decision-making.
Worse, who knows if he’ll even stick around if he gets to keep his job.
Known around the country as one-and-Duggs, for his refusal to stay at a school more than one full season, the Red Raider administration has a lot of questions and Duggs has provided few answers. Forget who will lead them to the promised land, the Tech faithful need to start thinking about parting ways with Duggs before he leaves them high and dry, or ends up back on the donuts (God forbid).
What is going on with Texas Tech’s defense? I took a closer look at Coach Duggs’ playcalling on the other side of the ball. #Duggsnation
— Steven Cheah (@StevenCheah) May 11, 2020