The Good. The Bad. The Brilliant.
Texas Tech Red Raiders are coming off a challenging 6-7 season including a heartbreaking 3-7 record conference play. There is no doubt, Kliff and the boys have some work to do. There have been questions this offseason. Whether it’s questions with the QB position or uncertainty in the coaching staff to get the job done and compete. With that being said I see opportunity in this uncertainty. The Red Raiders have an opportunity on September 1st against Ole Miss to come out and prove everyone wrong. They have an opportunity to show off their determination and work they’ve been putting in during the offseason and preseason.
The Good.
David Gibbs has found his groove, coming off his best season yet as defensive coordinator. Gibbs coached the #806D boys into a progressive season ending up leading the Big 12 in turnover margin with 15 fumbles and 14 interceptions. This improvement will carry over into the new season and we should expect big things from the up and coming defense. Especially with the addition of 6’4 4-star commit Steven Parker DE and 6’3 3 -star commit Gilbert Ibeneme DE. These commits will be a force to be reckoned with and we should get used to hearing their names following big sacks this season.
The Bad.
Raiderland is indubitably the home of the gunslingers. From Baker in the past to the Mahomes and Shimonek era, we haven’t had many issues in this department recently but luck has apparently stalled for the time being. The QB situation is probably the biggest question coming into the 2018 season. Between McLane Carter’s questionable performance against Texas and Jett Duffeys issues off the field, it’s hard to predict who will take the helm this season. One thing for certain, Kliff will have to find a way to work his magic one more time for these two. Seems the tides have turned in Lubbock, with the defense performing, we now need our offense to step up to get the job done.
The Brilliant.
The Texas Tech – Baylor rivalry is back on. For the past 10 years Arlington, TX has been the host to this electrifying divergence. Texas Tech is currently leading the series that dates back to 1929 with a narrow (38-37-1 record.) Tech has pulled off back 2 back impressive victories against the Bears (54-35) and (38-24) in the 2016 and 2017 seasons respectively. The Red Raiders are looking to finally reestablish Big 12 dominance over the Bears this season. With Baylor’s recruiting woes, Could Texas Tech be on their way to match their record 15-season long triumph (1996-2010) against the Bears?
The Red Raiders are, in my opinion, battling in on of the toughest conferences in college football. The Big 12 will chew you up and spit you out, we’ve seen this time and time again. One bad performance can easily turn into a 4-game slide. This season, the competition is just as tough as ever with TCU, Oklahoma, West Virginia and OSU poised to be front-runners for the Big 12 Title. This being said, I think Tech is in a good position to surprise a lot of teams this season who are already looking past them. Once the QB situation is settled, I believe Tech will finish off teams that it struggled to close in 2017.
Story by: Josh Cobos
Featured Image Photo Credit: Texas Tech Athletics Communications