Shimonek is an interesting character of modern Texas Tech lore. Nic transferred from Iowa, and would not become the starter till his senior year. In 2017 he would take the reigns, and the reviews were very mixed. Shimonek’s up and down season would culminate in being benched against Texas in Austin, but coming back into the game and leading the Red Raiders to a comeback victory and bowl eligibility. Not only was that win awesome for the Texas of it all, but it almost definitely saved Kliff’s job for that year.

Now why day 56? Because in his first start Shimonek would lead Tech to a dominate win over Eastern Washington 59-10. If you don;t recall, Texas Tech was a trendy FBS v. FCS upset pick due to the run heavy quarterback play of EWU and the uncertainty at quarterback.

Shimonek was 26-30 for 383 yards in this game, and would start the year red-hot leading Tech to three straight wins.