With a Texas Tech mid-season bye week on tap for the Red Raiders, it’s a great time to take a collective breath. No question, the first half of the season must be viewed as a successful one under new head coach Joey McGuire. The record reflects a .500 mark, but this team has been competitive in every single game they have played. No margin of defeat has been greater than 13 points, with Tech often being tied/within one score heading into the final quarter. That said, what does Texas Tech need to do to prepare for the second half of the season? What questions need answers to ensure this team can get back to a postseason bowl bid?
Who Is QB1?
In most recent years, Tech’s bye week has come early in the season. But with it falling at the exact halfway point, it serves as a great time for the team to get healthy and refreshed. No one more so than quarterback Tyler Shough. He has been out with a shoulder injury since week one. Since then, Donovan Smith had performed admirably as the starter in weeks two through five. But then, due to an injury, redshirt freshman Berhen Morton started last week on the road in a gritty but losing effort against Oklahoma State. Morton also appeared to suffer an ankle/knee injury that he played through. All three appear that they will be healthy going into next week in preparation for West Virginia.
So what are McGuire and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to do? Shough won the starting job after a fierce completion in the spring and to open camp. The presumption is that he should slide back into that role. But Smith and Morton both have demonstrated they can run the offense, even if they have different flavors to them. It’s clear that Smith’s legs are incorporated more by Kittley than he did with Morton. When Morton made his debut, the offense looked more like what teams saw out of Western Kentucky last year. At Kittley’s previous stop as offensive coordinator, he guided the nation’s number-one-ranked passing offense. It appears Morton has more arm talent than Smith, but Smith has battled and led this team through tough spots both last year and this year.
Fans are clamoring to just turn the keys over to the freshman after one game and not look back. But Shough has looked very well in every game he has played in a Red Raider uniform, albeit only a combined four full games in two years. It’s also entirely possible all three could make an appearance in a game when they are all healthy. Smith and Morton have certainly had their moments. But neither has played so well that they have taken the job from the season-opening starter. Assuming Shough is at full strength, expect him to start next week against West Virginia.
Biggest Texas Tech Mid-Season Surprise?
The biggest surprise isn’t the win-loss record. Nor is it the aggressive play of the offense (tied for first nationally in 4th down conversation attempts). The biggest Texas Tech mid-season surprise is not a good development. It is the lack of emergence of a game-breaking playmaker at wide receiver. Out of Myles Price, Jerand Bradley, Xavier White, Nehemiah Martinez, Loic Fouonji, J.J. Sparkman, and Trey Cleveland, none have emerged as a true go-to option. Yes, Kittley’s offense works best ping-ponging the passing attempts all over the field, regardless of the player. But when this team has to have a play in a crucial moment, it isn’t clear who will make it on the outside.
Possible Cleveland Emerges?
Against the Cowboys, it was the first game against a Power five opponent in which two receivers went over 100 yards receiving in the same game (Bradley had 119, Cleveland had 100). A true number one option would stress the defense even more, creating more big-play opportunities in single-coverage matchups. Cleveland came just two yards short against Kansas State from putting up back-to-back 100-yard games. The 6’5” freshman from Frisco, Texas has the build of a number one. If he can continue to emerge as the go-to playmaker on the outside, he will raise the possibilities of this offense.
What Position Group Needs Most Improvement?
Texas Tech ranks 126th nationally in sacks allowed and 128th in tackles for loss allowed. So it comes as no surprise that the offensive line is the group that needs to improve the most on the other side of this Texas Tech mid-season break. Whether it is Shough, Smith, or Morton, the offense is going to remain limited if the offensive line cannot hold off a pass rush consistently. Coming into the season, the offensive line lost many of their starters from last year. Transfers were brought in to help solidify it quickly. But the unit hasn’t performed at a high level to this point in the season. As much attention as the quarterback position will receive, the offensive line play has to elevate if any of these quarterbacks are going to play to their ceiling.
