Skip to main content

2020 Schedule Preview: Texas Tech

Second-year coach Matt Wells hopes building bodies and building character leads to long-term success in Lubbock
Alan Bowman

Alan Bowman

Every Wednesday going into Big 12 Media Days on July 20-21, SI Sooners will break down Oklahoma’s 2020 schedule. Today: Texas Tech.

Texas Tech is expecting improvement in 2020.

One reason is Matt Wells is entering his second season as head coach in Lubbock.

Another is Wells and his staff spent a lot of time this offseason with their eyes on the transfer portal — and with good result.

Six new Red Raiders have arrived via the portal, and most are eligible to play immediately: receiver Chadarius Townsend was at Alabama, offensive lineman Josh Burger was at Wofford, linebacker/defensive end Brandon Randle was at Michigan State, linebacker Christian LaValle was at Utah State, linebacker Jacob Morgenstern was at Duke and defensive back Eric Monroe was at LSU. Townsend, Burger, Randle and Monroe are eligible now, the others await eligibility waivers.

The trend in that group is obvious: Wells and defensive coordinator Keith Patterson need to fortify the Red Raider defense as quickly as possible. Tech ranked among the Big 12’s worst defenses in 2019 — 125th in the nation overall — despite star power like Jordyn Brooks, Douglas Coleman and Broderick Washington.

If Wells is going to do better than last year’s 4-8 record, it has to start with defense. That's why a big season is expected from players like defensive lineman Eli Howard, linebacker Riko Jeffers and defensive back Adrian Frye. 

Riko Jeffers

Riko Jeffers

“Well, first of all you’ve got to play team defense,” Wells told SI Sooners in February. “No individuals ever played great team defense. It’s a team, it’s 11 guys. Certainly you don’t replace an individual that had the season that he did, like Jordyn Brooks, with one guy. I think you do it with multiple guys.

“I think Riko Jeffers has to get a little bit better. I think Xavier Benson and Kosi Eldridge and the guys that are in this program have to get a little bit better. Then you bring in a Krishon Merriweather, who led the NJCAA in tackles, you bring a grad transfer from Michigan State, Brandon Randle, that can play outside and inside.

“So you kind of replace Jordyn with several guys, to be honest with you.”

2020 Oklahoma Sooners schedule

But, while the portal giveth, the portal also taketh away.

Running back Ta’Zhawn Henry transferred to Houston, and quarterback Jett Duffey transferred (first to Tulane, then to Central Michigan, but is still technically without a new home).

Duffey’s absence this year puts more emphasis on starting quarterback Alan Bowman staying healthy for a change. As Bowman suffered serious season-ending injuries each of the last two years, Duffey came on and played gamely, although the won-loss total wasn’t good enough.

If Bowman, now a third-year sophomore after playing in just three games in 2019, can manage an entire season, the Red Raiders could be due for a trip to the postseason. He’s as good a thrower as the Big 12 has, completing 68 percent of his passes (328-of-481) for 3,658 yards with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his 11 career games.

“Just gotta keep him healthy,” Wells said. “I gotta hope that it was a little bit of bad luck to be honest with you.”

Matt Wells

Matt Wells

Bowman suffered a collapsed lung (and a reoccurrence) in 2018, and in 2019 sustained an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Meanwhile, top backup Maverick McIvor missed most of the last two seasons as well with major injuries his senior year of high school and his freshman year of college.

Wells hopes a second offseason under strength coach Dave Scholz helps build up the whole roster, but especially quarterback.

“This winter — and they needed it as much as anybody — as quarterbacks, you lift and you train to get up off the turf and to play another play,” Wells said. “And I think that’s extremely important for those guys that put on the right weight. But they gained strength and they gained some muscle mass to be able to protect themselves a little bit.”

Bowman will have plenty of help on offense.

Everyone is eager to see how Townsend fits in the Tech offense after playing multiple positions at Alabama (receiver, running back, defensive back, special teams — and that’s after playing quarterback in high school). Townsend comes to Lubbock with just eight rushing attempts in two games last year.

SaRodorick Thompson led the Red Raiders on the ground with 765 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he’s back for his junior season. Someone else needs to emerge to carry the football.

T.J. Vasher

T.J. Vasher

Tech’s receiver corps is as deep as the Big 12 has. Leading receiver R.J. Turner graduated, but senior T.J. Vasher (42 catches, 515 yards, six touchdowns), sophomore Erik Ezukanma (42 catches, team-high 664 yards, four TDs as a freshman), senior McLane Mannix (26-248-3), junior Dalton Rigdon (34-486-5), junior KeSean Carter (27-303-2), sophomore Xavier White (10-159-1) and senior tight end Travis Koontz (10-152-0) all caught double-digit passes last season.

Both offensive tackles need to be replaced (Burger is the leading candidate to start after arriving from Wofford), but right guard Jack Anderson is back after missing all but three starts last year, left guard Weston Wright (eight starts) returns, and center Dawson Deaton is back at center.

The final tally — eight starters back on offense, seven on defense, plus kicker Trey Wolff and punter Austin McNamara are coming off an excellent 2019 campaign — gives Tech fans hope for a winning season.

But Wells has his eye on a bigger prize than just a bowl game. Four of Tech’s eight losses last year were by a total of 11 points. Wells believes he’s laying the kind of long-term foundation that turns close losses and late collapses into stirring victories.

“I think you have to, first, become accountable and disciplined off the field and in the offseason program before you ever do it in season,” Wells said. “We lost five games in the fourth quarter. It’s pretty been pretty well documented — 0-5 in fourth quarters, blown fourth quarter leads etc. I believe that comes down to accountability and the discipline, from January through the end of August.

“That's really what we're working on every day in here.”

To get the latest OU posts as they happen, join the SI Sooners Community by clicking “Follow” at the top right corner of the page (mobile users can click the notifications bell icon), and follow SI Sooners on Twitter @All_Sooners.