Getting to know: Texas Tech football

By Staff     Dec 4, 2020

article image
Kansas wide receiver Andrew Parchment (4) loses the ball on an incomplete pass play in the first half of Saturday’s game against Texas Tech at David Booth Memorial Stadium.

A winless Kansas football team will have to hope that history can repeat itself this weekend, as it heads to Lubbock, Texas for a rematch of last year’s thriller with Texas Tech. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. at Jones AT & T Stadium.

The Jayhawks have lost 12 games in a row since their wild 37-34 win over the Red Raiders on Oct. 26, 2019, a stretch that includes an 0-8 (0-7 Big 12) start to the 2020 campaign. This will be Texas Tech’s regular-season finale, as the team enters the weekend with a 3-6 record and is 2-6 in conference action.

Texas Tech [announced earlier this week][1] that head coach Matt Wells tested positive for COVID-19 and began isolating. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson is expected to fill in for the second-year head coach on Saturday.

According to [Odds Shark][2], Kansas is a 26-point underdog to Texas Tech as of Friday afternoon. It is hard to expect the Jayhawks to win a Big 12 game at this point, so the real battle will be covering the large spread.

So let’s take a closer look at the Red Raiders to see if covering the big number is a possibility.

As a reminder, log on to KUsports.com for our live coverage and follow our team on Twitter: @KUSports, @BentonASmith, @mctait and @SJacksonLJW

**BREAKING DOWN TEXAS TECH:**

**OFFENSE**

**Quarterback** — Similar to Kansas, Texas Tech has had troubles picking a quarterback and keeping him healthy in 2020. Alan Bowman began the season as a starter, but was sidelined midseason by an injury. Utah State transfer Henry Colombi took over and played well, though both signal callers eventually played in the same game against Baylor.

Due to an injury to Colombi, Bowman started last week against Oklahoma State and had a strong performance. Bowman was 31-of-46 through the air for 384 yards to go along with three touchdowns and one interception. In his lone career start against KU, Bowman threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns in Texas Tech’s victory in 2018.

**Running backs** — Under Matt Wells, the Red Raiders want to create a nice balance with an emphasis on the ground game. Sophomore running back SaRodorick Thompson is leading the way for the Red Raiders with 593 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He also has 20 catches for 116 yards thus far.

Thompson reached the 100-yard mark again last weekend against Oklahoma State, as he rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Thompson has really good footwork for the position, and has a nice stop-start ability that could lead to him finding a role at the next level.

**Receivers** — Sophomore Erik Ezukanma is having a true breakout season, establishing himself as one of the better receivers in the conference. Ezukanma ranks second in the league in both receptions (44) and receiving yards (728), which trails only Tylan Wallace of Oklahoma State.

Ezukanma was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list Monday after catching seven passes for a career-high 183 yards against Oklahoma State.

KeSean Carter has 30 catches for 290 yards and four scores this season. Ja’lynn Polk has hauled in 26 receptions for 251 yards and two touchdowns, while T.J. Vasher has grabbed 19 balls for 227 yards and two scores.

**Offensive line** — Based on the team’s depth chart in the game notes, Texas Tech is trotting out sophomore Ethan Carde (LT), sophomore Weston Wright (LG), junior Dawson Deaton (Center), junior Jack Anderson (RG), and senior Josh Burger (RT) along the offensive line.

According to [PFF’s Premium Stats][3], Texas Tech is sixth in the Big 12 with a pass-blocking grade of 64.3 and seventh in the league in run blocking with a mark of 63.4.

**DEFENSE**

**Defensive line** — One senior and two sophomores are listed as the three starters along the defensive line. Senior Eli Howard, who is 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, is the team’s starting defensive end. Jaylon Hutchings (Nose) and Tony Bradford Jr. (DT) are also starters as sophomores.

Howard, who has missed the last three games for TTU, has 16.5 career sacks and was a preseason All-Big 12 pick. His availability could be the difference between a good (relatively speaking) or bad day for KU’s offensive line.

**Linebackers** — The Red Raiders have a veteran group at the linebacker position, with seniors Riko Jeffers (SAM) and Colin Schooler (WILL) cracking the opening lineup. Junior Krishon Merriweather is the team’s starting MIKE linebacker as well.

Merriweather, who is a junior-college transfer, currently leads the team for total tackles (63) and is tied for second in tackles for loss (4.5) this season.

**Secondary** — Texas Tech’s most-experienced group is on the back end. And while some players might end up coming back, it is worth noting that it is senior day for all four starters in the secondary: Zech McPhearson (CB), DaMarcus Fields (CB), Thomas Leggett (S) and Eric Monroe (S). McPhearson enters the weekend tied for the Big 12 lead with four interceptions this year.

That said, that level of experience has not necessarily translated to success this year. Texas Tech’s PFF coverage grade of 57.0 ranks ninth in the Big 12. That mark is only better than the Jayhawks, who have a coverage grade of 36.9 in 2020.

**SPECIAL TEAMS** — Junior Jonathan Garibay is the placekicker for Texas Tech, while sophomore Austin McNamara is the team’s punter. Garibay made his debut against Baylor, and went 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts in that game. McNamara, who has the longest punt in Big 12 history with an 87-yard boot against West Virginia earlier this year, is averaging 45.9 yards per punt this season.

**VEGAS SAYS**… On this week’s edition of Kansas vs. the spread, the winless Jayhawks are considered a 26-point underdog against the Red Raiders on Odds Shark. That seems like a lot of points, considering the fact that Texas Tech is also one of the bottom-tier teams in the Big 12.

I’m taking the points, but I certainly don’t feel great about it.

**Prediction:** Texas Tech 35, Kansas 14

[1]: https://twitter.com/TexasTechFB/status/1334617311152459777?s=20
[2]: https://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/kansas-texas-tech-odds-december-5-2020-1238808
[3]: https://www.pff.com/subscribe/college

PREV POST

David McCormack finally has some fun as KU rolls vs. Washburn

NEXT POST

55169Getting to know: Texas Tech football