Raiders to try fresh formula
Low-key Wells to put more emphasis on defense than flashier Kingsbury
ARLINGTON — Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and his magical mullet remain as magnetic as ever. New Kansas hire Les Miles brought with him a scribble-filled notebook and ried to paint the decision to suspend star running back Pooka Williams Jr. one game for a misdemeanor domestic battery charge as “a right one.” TCU’s Gary Patterson likened his Horned Frogs to cockroaches — “You can’t kill ’em.”
With so many personalities and storylines swirling about Monday during Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium, it would have been easy to overlook the new leading man at Texas Tech.
Matt Wells, 45, doesn’t sport a Gundy-esque mane of jet-black hair or a colorful persona. Nor does he have any disturbing controversies casting a pall over the program. He certainly hasn’t thrived like Oklahoma’s 35-year-old mastermind Lincoln Riley, who secured two College Football Playoff berths over his first two seasons.
Truth is, most Texas Tech fans hadn’t heard of Wells when he was hired away from Utah State to replace Kliff Kingsbury, fired after six underwhelming seasons that were heavy on offensive highlights and light on actual success. Most of Wells’ new players were baffled when it became official on Nov. 29, 2018.
“I actually had no clue who he was,” senior defensive back Douglas Coleman III admitted. “I had to research. Me and my dad sat down, and we looked at who we had coming in.”
Senior defensive lineman Broderick Washington Jr. was stumped, too. But Wells quickly earned his respect.
“Straightforward coach,” Washington said. “Really cares about his players. And he’s out there trying to outwork every coach every day. For me, that’s a big thing because every day when I’m in workouts I’m trying to outwork somebody from another school. That’s how I approach the day.
“He does the same thing with coaches. I see him grinding in a similar way, going through the same sort of things. He’s still working to beat out every other school and that made it easier for me to get on the boat.”
Wells had been mired in a slump of his own at Utah State after a promising first two seasons that included 19 wins, two bowl victories and one Mountain West coach of the year trophy. From 2015-17 the Aggies went just 15-23 with a pair of bowl losses.
The Oklahoma native and former Utah State quarterback last season guided his alma mater to a 10-2 record and a second conference coach of the year award. The Aggies capped their resurgent season with a 52-13 win over North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl and finished ranked No. 22 in the year’s final Associated Press poll.
That, at least, provided Tech’s mysterious new coach with some credibility.
“He tells us what we need to do and what we have to do to get there,” Coleman said. “I’m going to listen to him. Coming from a 10-2 record at Utah State, I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s talking about.”
Wells might be the antithesis of Kingsbury, whose emphasis on physicality and discipline contrasts with the new Arizona Cardinals’ coach’s mellow demeanor, Hollywood looks and aversion to defense.
Utah State ranked among the nation’s top 35 in scoring defense in three of Wells’ six seasons. And the Aggies created 152 takeaways during his tenure, tied for fifth nationally.
“If I’m going to keep coming back to this media day for multiple years and if I get a second contract and we play good football at Tech, it’s going to be because we play great defense,” Wells said. “I like scoring points more than anybody, but I like winning better and I think part of winning is great defense.”
Wells might not be Kingsbury, but the former quarterback is down with offensive firepower, too. Utah State snapped 34 school records and tied six others during the 2018 season alone, breaking the previous marks for touchdowns (79), points scored (618), points per game (47.5), total offense per game (497.4), yards of total offense (6,466) and total passing yards (3,825).
But it’s clear Wells is out to change the perception of Texas Tech as a program built to dazzle but not succeed.
Three defensive players represented the Red Raiders during Monday’s media session, and they all shared a belief that the new guy can help this maligned unit escape from laughingstock status.
“He’s a really good coach,” Coleman said. “And he’s about what he says.
“I think it’s really big for us just to change the culture to a defensive school since everyone says we can’t play defense.”