Updated

Substance over style.

That is what Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury is stressing to his Red Raiders this season.

"I think that was the thought after the year we had, just to grind and not put anything out there and not try to be visible," Kingsbury told USA TODAY Sports. "We want to focus this year on just winning games. Let's be all about winning games. So yeah, that was definitely a conscious decision as a program to take that direction."

Mentally stronger as a unit, more committed to the details, driven by a painful step backward and brimming with returning talent and experience, Texas Tech prepares for the 2015 season with a redeveloped self-image: as a Big 12 Conference underdog, true, but a group with the ability and motivation to far exceed expectations -- as the flip side to last year's team, essentially.

"First we kind of rode with, you know, the 'cool coaching staff,' and Coach Kingsbury's getting all this publicity," offensive coordinator Eric Morris said. "And after that, he's changed. You've seen him grow as a head coach. He's tried to throw all that on the back burner and go back to what got him to where he's at so quickly, and that's hard work."

(h/t USA Today)