2009 Statistics

2010 OUTLOOK
Texas Tech is about to go through a season of change. The Red Raiders have been first, second or third in passing nationally for each of the last eight seasons while finishing first six times. New head coach Tommy Tuberville has said he wants to put more emphasis on the running game. The Red Raiders were never going to win games with defense. New head coach Tommy Tuberville has said if you want to win championships, it has to start on the defensive line.

In regards to the latter, getting better (more consistent) performance out of the defensive line...six of the top linemen responsible for 34 sacks in 2009 are no longer available. So Tuberville, being a defensive-minded coach, will make the switch to a 3-4 base scheme. The first big experiment has been moving linebacker Brian Duncan, the team leading tackler the past two seasons, to the hybrid linebacker/defensive end position. The rest of the defense will be built around seniors Colby Whitlock at nose guard and Bront Bird at middle linebacker. At least Tech has a good chance of being strong up the gut, which could make some of coaches dreams of a sturdy defensive front come to some sort of reality this fall. But the pass rush on the outside will have to come from mostly freshmen. A blessing for these fresh faces is that the secondary boasts the most experience on this side of the ball.

What always sets Texas Tech apart from so many other schools is obviously the man behind center, or should we say the "men" behind center as two candidates could end up splitting time much like they did a year ago. Steven Sheffield helped pull of an upset at Nebraska last season and a comeback victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. Taylor Potts led the rout of Oklahoma. Both could be listed as co-starters although Tuberville has indicated that Sheffield is in the lead. His offensive line has to do a better job at protection (9th in Big 12 sacks allowed), as his 6-5, 190 pound twig frame is not built for a long haul of distress. The right side of this totally rebuilt blocking front is a serious concern when discussing the health of both these passers. Luckily, the top five receivers return led by young Alex Torres and senior Detron Lewis. Senior Baron Batch also gives the rushing attack a lift, as he should go over the 1,000-yard barrier in this new Tuberville scheme. This is still being called a spread passing attack, one that Tuberville flirted with painfully at Auburn with little to no success. But it won't be the same type of passing attack where 65 passes can sometimes be the norm.

The skill talent on this team can match up with most any team in the conference. As stated, there are huge issues up front on defense, a place Tuberville hopes to start rebuilding now. This will be a tall order for 2010. There is a camp in Lubbock that wishes ex-head coach Mike Leach was still calling the shots. OK, off the field, maybe not such a good notion. X's and O's are another story simply because Tech is not really known for being a winning ball club while doing the same thing most others in the Big 12 are doing. This has been a record setting offense under Leach and it likely won't be anymore. Much like the triple option systems used at the Military Academies, this passing attack gave the Red Raiders an edge when talent levels might not be on par with the opponent. If there was to be such a drastic change, the good news is that this is a good year to do it seeing the player turnover is fairly significant on the line of scrimmage. This team won't be throwing for over 4,500 yards anymore. On the plus side, they won't be giving up 4,500 yards anymore either.