LUBBOCK and FORT WORTH -- Texas Tech’s defense had expectations for the first time in a while heading into the 2018 season with eight starters returning. A pair of second half shutouts to start Big 12 were a good start, but the defense was unsatisfied after losing to West Virginia.

“[It’s] definitely not how we want the 806 defense to be portrayed,” linebacker Dakota Allen said during the bye week. “We feel like we haven’t played a complete, full game to our potential.”

The defense had no choice; that switch had to flip against TCU. Red Raiders starting quarterback Alan Bowman was held out with a partially collapsed lung, so third-string quarterback Jett Duffey entered the game. The Horned Frogs brought in a healthy offense, and hoped to recover after losses to Texas and Ohio State.

Tech’s defense showed up in a big way in a 17-14 victory. It was the first win of the Kliff Kingsbury era in which Texas Tech won with fewer than 20 points. In fact, Thursday marked the first Red Raider win while scoring fewer than 20 points since a 12-0 win over Texas A&M on Nov. 3, 2001.

The Red Raiders held TCU to just 5-of-17 on third down, allowed just two touchdowns and forced three turnovers. Both touchdowns were from outside of the red zone. Defense owned the day.

“I think that we’ve started to find our identity,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said after the game. “Early in the year there were a lot of questions if we were the same defense from previous years. I think in the last three games, we’ve shown that we’re one of the best defenses in this conference right now.”

One of the best in the Big 12 is a little generous, but not by much. Since Big 12 play started – and Texas Tech got safety Jah’Shawn Johnson back – the defense has been different.

Kingsbury hired defensive coordinator David Gibbs in 2015. Even after a series of inconsistent defenses, Kingsbury stuck with Gibbs. Now, the consistency – and experience on defense – is paying off.

“I was always impressed with how [Gibbs] stuck to his guns through a couple really rough years,” Kingsbury said. “He had a vision and he wanted to recruit to it, develop to it and now we’ve got some grown up players who are making some plays. We have a long way to go but we’re making some plays.”

Building the right system

Gibbs has one of the toughest jobs in the country. It’s exceedingly difficult to consistently play defense when the offense is scoring quickly. The top 10 total offenses in America average just 61.8 in defensive S&P+. The only four teams with a top 10 total offense and top 50 S&P+ defense are Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and UCF. Obviously, that’s a veritable who’s who of elite programs. The other three average 86.3.

Instead of undergoing the futile task of trying to defend like Alabama for 90 plays a game, Gibbs has built a bend-don’t-break defense in Lubbock. Typically, those defenses are centered around keeping teams out of the end zone and getting opposing offenses off the field. Finally, in Gibbs’ fourth season, those parts are coming together.

Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in third down defense (34.1 percent) and fourth down defense (20 percent) during conference play. The group also ranks No. 4 in scoring defense (24.3) and forced turnovers per game (1.7). It’s a big part of why the Red Raiders have beaten conference rivals Oklahoma State and TCU in the last three games.

“Having all those players coming back better allowed us to execute Coach Gibbs’ scheme,” defensive end Eli Howard said. “Obviously we love him so we’re going to play hard for him every single snap. To a certain degree, we try to have his back every single play.”

It’s rare for a defensive coordinator to survive two horrific defensive years. That’s what Gibbs’ first two years were. The Red Raiders ranked No. 124 in scoring defense and No. 126 in total defense in Gibbs’ first season. It actually got worse in year two; the Red Raiders finished last in both statistics. The numbers were even worse than before Gibbs got there.

But now, the patience is paying off. Texas Tech has a defense with a plan, and one that can go out and single handedly keep the Red Raiders in football games. Ultimately, that will be the difference between missing bowl games and competing for a spot in the Big 12 title game.

WIth plenty of winnable games left on the schedule, Texas Tech is tied for No. 3 in the conference standings.

“This was eventually the plan, for me to come in here and do everything I can to get this defense turned around,” Brooks said. “This is my third year now and I think that we’ve done that.”

Texas Tech will try to move to 3-1 in conference play on Saturday, as the Red Raiders face off against the Kansas Jayhawks at 2:30 p.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. Click Here to buy tickets to the game.