Texas Tech Preview: 20 Days Until Kansas Football
As much as the Kansas Jayhawks are coming into the season with hype and anticipation, its third-to-last opponent is quickly becoming a dark-horse favorite in the Big 12, at least among media members this preseason. That would be the Texas Tech Red Raiders, whom KU hosts on November 11.
Pre-Game Notes
These two programs have only played 24 times, and 20 of those have come since 1996. And the Red Raiders have completely dominated the series. KU has just two wins since these teams began facing off. Terry Allen’s Jayhawks defeated Mike Leach’s Red Raiders 34-31 in Lubbock in 2001, and then Les Miles and KU won 37-34 over Mike Wells and 4-8 TTU in 2019.
But the Texas Tech program looks different under Joey McGuire, who in year one went 8-5 and defeated Kansas 43-28 a season ago.
The Mike Plank Four-Down Scouting Report
First Down
Texas Tech and Kansas are in a similar position in that they are both loaded with returning starters and production, especially on the offensive side of the ball, where they excel. The Red Raiders have eight offensive and six defensive starters back in 2023, and the offense brings back 75% of its production from a season ago. That’s a season where TTU averaged 34.2 points per game, which was 27th best nationally out of 131 teams.
Second Down
Quarterback was a fascinating position for the Red Raiders in 2022. Tyler Shough started the season and broke his collarbone in the opener against Murray State and was out until week seven. Donovan Smith stepped in first, but he was battling his own injuries with a shoulder issue and was replaced by Behren Morton.
In June, McGuire made the announcement that Shough would be the starter, with Morton backing him up (Smith transferred to Houston). Shough is coming off a bowl game performance against Ole Miss where he threw for 242 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Third Down
Half of Texas Tech’s two-headed monster at running back – SaRodorick Thompson – is off to the NFL. But Tahj Brooks, who rushed for 691 yards and seven touchdowns to lead all TTU backs last year, returns for a final season. The Red Raiders are also loaded at receiver. Jerand Bradley (744 yards, six TDs), Xavier White (572 yards, three TDs), and Myles Price (513 yards and two TDs) are all back after being the top three receivers a year ago. Tech also brought in a transfer center from West Virginia to bolster the offensive line.
Fourth Down
On defense, Texas Tech will have to replace Tyree Wilson, who led the team in tackles for loss and sacks before heading to the NFL, and leading tackler Krishon Merriweather, but it does have six starters coming back. That includes Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who led the team in interceptions, was third in tackles, and forced and recovered two fumbles. And up front is Tony Bradford Jr., who will be looking to build on his nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks from a year ago.
Matchup On Paper
One thing you know with Texas Tech is the offense is going to play a lot of snaps and be aggressive. The Red Raiders averaged nearly 44 attempts through the air and 40 attempts on the ground last year, while going for it on fourth down more than any other team in the country. The question is will Tech take better control of the football this year. The offense gave up an average of 1.9 turnovers per game, but Shough was the best of the quarterbacks at taking care of the ball when he was in, which gives an indication that if he’s healthy, that number could go down.
On defense, the Red Raiders were great at pressuring the quarterback, leading the conference in sacks. But if the QB was given time and space, the defense could get gashed. Three teams put up 40 or more points on the Red Raiders last year and another four scored 30 or more as the Red Raiders gave up 425 yards per game.
Final Whistle
As the 10th game of the season, there’s a decent chance that both teams will be playing for bowl eligibility, or will have already clinched it, by the time they face off in November. And given both their struggles with health last year, this might come down to who has the most playmakers remaining on the field by this point in the season.
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