Red Raiders Week 14 vs. Oklahoma: Defensive Players to Watch
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will face the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams on Nov. 26 in Lubbock, Texas.
It will be the culmination of a 14-week season and there could be a Big 12 Conference Championship Game berth on the line, depending upon how the season goes for both teams.
Oklahoma is coming off an 11-2 season and a 7-2 Big 12 slate. But, the Sooners failed to make the Big 12 Championship Game for the first since it was reinstated, and the offseason featured a massive coaching transition.
Lincoln Riley left the Sooners to take over at USC, and the Sooners hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables to take over. Venables was a former defensive coordinator at OU under Bob Stoops.
Texas Tech is coming off a 7-6 season that had its own tumult. The Red Raiders fired Matt Wells in October of last year and hired Baylor assistant coach Joey McGuire — a former Texas high school football coach — to take over the program.
Former Red Raiders quarterback Sonny Cubmie was handed the program on an interim basis and led them to the Liberty Bowl, where they faced their former coach, Mike Leach, for the first time.
Cumbie is now the head coach at Louisiana Tech. McGuire hired Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Zach Kittley for the same role at Tech, while he lured well-respected defensive mind Tim DeRuyter to run the defense.
With that in mind, here are a few offensive players to watch for the Sooners when they face the Sooners in Week 6.
Be sure to stick with RedRaiderReview.com as we preview every aspect of the matchup with the Sooners throughout the week
LB DaShaun White
If there is any returning player that can help accelerate the installation of Venables’ defense it's White, who had 66 tackles in 2021, which was third-best for OU. He’s going to be the player that a group of young or new linebackers look to this season.
CB D.J. Graham
A holdover from last season, Graham’s 2021 included a spot on SportsCenter for his highlight-reel interception against Nebraska and 31 tackles. But the former four-star recruit had better be ready to take the next step in the new defensive scheme, which is expected to be complex and aggressive. He could have good mentorship in transfer safety Trey Morrison, who made 41 starts at North Carolina.
DT Jalen Redmond
Redmond has been with OU for four seasons, including a redshirt season during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. But he has just 48 career tackles and 10 career sacks. At 284 pounds, it will be interesting to see how OU uses him in the new scheme. He’s inside on the depth chart, next to Tulane transfer Jeffrey Johnson, who is expected to be more of a run-stuffer. Might Johnson’s presence opens up space for Redmond, a former five-star recruit, to operate and improve his numbers?
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