Texas Tech Red Raiders
Overall Rank: #49
#8 Big 12
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After spending last season grooming Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, Coach Kliff Kingsbury will bring his high powered offense to the already high powered offense at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been throwing the ball around for years and years and Coach Kingsbury is a great fit. After ranking second in the nation in passing offense in 2012, the Red Raiders could go up a spot in 2013.
2012 Record: (8-5, 4-5)
2012 Bowl: Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. Minnesota (W 34-31)
Coach: Kliff Kingsbury (0-0 at Texas Tech, 0-0 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Kliff Kingsbury
Defensive Coordinator: Matt Wallerstedt
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Kenny Williams, RB, 824 yards
Passing: Michael Brewer, QB, 375 yards
Receiving: Eric Ward, WR, 1,053 yards
Tackles: Kerry Hyder, DE, 56
Sacks: Kerry Hyder, DE, 6; Dartwan Bush, DE, 6
Interceptions: None
Other Key Returnees: TE Jace Amaro, WR Bradley Marquez, OL Le’Raven Clark, OL Beau Carpenter, DE Jackson Richards, LB Pete Robertson, LB Will Smith, LB Terrance Bullitt, K Ryan Bustin
Key Losses: QB Seth Dodge, RB Eric Stephens, WR Darrin Moore, WR Tyson Williams, S Cody Davis, S D.J. Johnson
Strengths:
Quarterback Michael Brewer will take over under center for Seth Doege. Brewer, a 6-1 sophomore, was highly touted coming out of high school and the new coaching staff should have no trouble turning him into an extremely productive dual threat quarterback. With the amount of talent returning at receiver, Brewer will have plenty of options to work with. Eric Ward, who caught 82 passes for 1,053 yards and a dozen scores in 2012 will again be the go-to-receiver. Add Jace Amaro and Jakeem Grant to the mix and there is plenty of experience, not to mention some younger potential. Texas Tech is loaded at running back too. Kenny Williams split carries last season with Eric Stephens and SaDale Foster. Foster is back, but it is Williams who is expected to handle a majority of the load. He only carried the ball 143 times as a sophomore, but totaled 824 yards and five touchdowns.
Weaknesses:
If the offense struggles at all it will be because of the line. There is some talent there, like sophomore tackle La’Raven Clark, but depth is a huge concern. The Red Raiders had just seven offensive linemen on scholarship during the spring. There will be more by the fall, but it is still an inexperienced group. The depth on the other line is not much better. Once again there is talent, most notably seniors Kerry Hyder and Dartwan Bush, who tallied six sacks each in 2012, yet new defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt would prefer to have a few extra big bodies at his disposal. The linebackers are a talented group as well, led by senior Will Smith. All seven starters do return to the line and the linebackers, so there is experience and plenty of talent. The lack of depth is the issue that could hurt the Red Raiders down the stretch of any game. Breaking in a completely new secondary will not be simple in the pass happy Big 12 either. Bruce Jones is a solid cornerback, but whoever ends up starting on the other side will be tested early and often. Meanwhile, senior strong safety Tre’ Porter and sophomore free safety J.J. Gaines will have to step up and help out.
The Bottom Line:
The secondary lost every single player who picked off a pass last year…although only four players in total recorded an interception. The defense only recovered two fumbles in 2012, giving the defense a grand total of ten turnovers. Hyder and Bush will get enough pressure on the opposing quarterback to force some errant passes and the defensive backs must make the occasional big play. A negative one turnover margin is not going to easily get the Red Raiders back to a bowl game.
Projected Bowl: None
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 139.92 (86th in nation, 10th in conference)
Passing Offense: 355.92 (2, 1)
Total Offense: 495.85 (13, 5)
Scoring Offense: 37.46 (20, 6)
Rushing Defense: 175.31 (74, 5)
Pass Defense: 192.00 (15, 1)
Total Defense: 367.31 (38, 2)
Scoring Defense: 31.77 (90, 7)
Turnover Margin: -1.00 (106, 10)
Sacks: 1.38 (100, 8)
Sacks Allowed: 1.46 (35, 5)
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