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… Texas Tech is on schedule to have Alan Bowman (junior or senior), Maverick McIvor (sophomore), Donovan Smith (redshirt freshman) and Behren Morton (freshman) on campus during the 2021 football season. Last week, following Morton’s commitment, I asked enough people that would know about the possibility that Smith could switch positions – because of his electric athleticism and how crowded that quarterback room looks on paper – and I got confused looks back each time. Smith is playing quarterback for the Red Raiders. Period.
… Smith never would have left Bishop Gorman High School had that coaching staff not switched him to receiver. Frenship High School benefited greatly from that decision, obviously. The bottom line is that Smith wants to play quarterback and he’s very good at it. The fact that Rivals has him listed as a two-star prospect is one of the most frustrating and confusing rankings that I have ever seen for a Texas Tech commit.
… Speaking of prospect rankings, does everyone remember recent four-star signee DeMarcus Marshall? He’s not among the top 10 or 11 offensive linemen right now, which is not ideal. It’s still early, but based on what I’ve heard, he was a miss.
… Bailey Smith hasn’t played yet this year but he’s close to being available. He dressed out against Iowa State and is about a week or so away from being able to help at guard or center if needed.
… Sticking with the offensive line, it appears that Weston Wright is settling in as a starter with Casey Verhulst and Will Farrar emerging as the sixth and seventh options. Smith would also be in that top reserve mix once he is back to full health.
… I think Des Smith will remain out for a few more weeks. It’s fair to look at the West Virginia game in Morgantown as a realistic date for his return.
… Adriane Frye broke something in his hand in the first half against Iowa State and spent the rest of the afternoon with a cast and wearing street clothes. I would guess that he would be able to play this weekend, but he will be limited with that cast on his hand.
… The Red Raider staff is already looking hard at quarterbacks in the 2022 class. There is also a sense that Morton will help with the program’s recruiting efforts for both his 2021 class and the rest of this 2020 class. I can tell you that Morton is working hard to help lure Loic Fouonji to Lubbock. Fouonji’s decision is not that far off, either.
… One of Keith Patterson’s toughest challenges for next season will be replacing Broderick Washington. He has held onto several scholarships with the thought of taking as many as four transfers. I wouldn’t completely rule out junior college additions, either. Bottom line: Don’t be surprised if the Red Raiders add a player or two at semester. This is about getting bigger, older and more mature. Patterson has to know these potential transfer options or know someone very close to them before he extends an offer.
… Eli Howard is only a junior by classification, but he is an old junior. His body rarely cooperates with him as the bumps and bruises mount, and there’s no guarantee that he plays football next season. Howard may just want to move on with his life. If he does play next season, and I personally hope that is the case, he probably wouldn’t be asked to do much in the spring or the summer in order to keep him fresh for the season.
… Jaylon Hutchings has quietly passed Nick McCann on the interior of the defensive line. I think McCann got dinged a bit several weeks ago, but Hutchings made the most of the opportunity.
… I know the offense has been a hot topic in recent weeks and understandably so. I’m learning like everyone else what Matt Wells and David Yost prefer on offense. It is very clear, as we all know, that they want a tight end involved. Wells even suggested after the game Saturday that they would like to get a point where they can utilize 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) at times. As long as they feel that way, developing Travis Koontz, Tyler Carr, Simon Gonzalez and John Holcomb is paramount when it comes to this offense. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them continue to recruit that position in the 2020 class
… Yost learned to go heavy with the 11 personnel package during his time at Oregon. As he would tell you, it makes the defense account for six gaps.
…Three programs entered last weekend having scored a touchdown with at least 15 different players this season: Florida, Utah and Tulane. Texas Tech had eleven – both quarterbacks, all three running backs, T.J. Vasher, Erik Ezukanma, KeSean Carter, Xavier White, McLane Mannix and Dalton Rigdon. That’s at least one touchdown from every skill position on offense except for tight end.
… I think Donta Thompson deserves a lot of credit in the run game as he rarely comes off the field and has gotten worlds better with his blocking.
… The result against Iowa State shouldn’t be surprising to anyone until it isn’t. That makes 10-straight October wins for the Cyclones. Matt Campbell has Texas Tech’s number, it seems. Based on the last four matchups in this series, his team is crisper, more disciplined, more explosive and they don’t beat themselves. Playing Iowa State is like going to the dentist.
… Kansas’ new offensive coordinator, Brent Dearmon, had a great debut against Texas on Saturday. The Jayhawks’ play-calling and updated scheme might be a problem for the Red Raiders this weekend. We’ll see. Jayhawks quarterback Carter Stanley seemed confident and dropped dime after dime against Texas, but beating KU will be all about slowing down running back Pooka Williams. He’s going to get his carries, but Texas Tech will have to eliminate the big plays. Williams went for 190 yards and two touchdowns against Texas. Dearmon is running a variation of what Gus Malzahn ran at Auburn.
… It’s worth pointing out that Patterson served as Malzahn’s defensive coordinator at Arkansas State in 2012.
… This Texas Tech team will get a much-needed bye week after the Kansas game. I can’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if either Alan Bowman or Maverick McIvor served as Jett Duffey’s backup for the team’s game against West Virginia the following week. We’ll see.
… McIvor has continued to practice a little bit, and he’s done so with a boot on his foot just to get the work in – mainly with inside run drills. McIvor’s season will be classified as a redshirt season no matter what happens as the team will have only four or five games left after the trip to Lawrence.
… Bowman could be staring at a redshirt season as well, but I’m not certain if anyone is ready to decide anything there. Like we discussed a few weeks ago when he got hurt, the team’s record and Duffey’s performance will play a role in how that decision is handled.
… Duffey has had to play three of the top defenses in the Big 12. I’m curious to see how he performs once the competition becomes a bit more manageable.
… It’s fun seeing articles being written about how much TCU’s team appears to not like each other. As much as the Red Raider fanbase is struggling with Baylor’s undefeated record, imaging how Frog fans feel seeing that and the undefeated cross-town SMU Mustangs. Their worst nightmare.
… I’m really excited about the future for redshirting freshman Quinton Williams. He weighs about 235 pounds or so right now, but by this time next year he should be in the 260-270 range and playing with his hand on the ground. I saw Williams flash quite a bit in August and wondered if he might play some this season, but the staff felt like a year in the weight room would do him more good. He’s got a chance to be a menacing figure up front for years to come.
… John Scott was on the sideline this past Saturday. I asked several questions about him, and he seems to be doing well physically and mentally. I mentioned a few weeks ago that he had lost close to 100 pounds but, thankfully, he’s gained most of that back and is living a normal life for the most part. The list of injuries he suffered as a result of those gunshots makes one realize just how lucky he was to survive. Football appears to be in his future next year and the Red Raiders will be patient with him as he continues to recover and regain his strength.
... As you all know, the Big 12 announced the 2020 schedule this morning and there is still an opening next year for a non-conference home game. Last I heard, there were some talks with Middle Tennessee State and Alabama State as potential options to go along with a trip to El Paso and hosting Arizona. I'd lean to Alabama State being in Lubbock on Sept. 12. I think Lamar may have been originally been scheduled here, but they backed out and didn't want to play in Lubbock anymore. I think the Texas Tech folks were very mindful of not being gouged financially and knowing there weren't many options at all to choose from which is why I think it'll be Hornets coming here and not the Lightning. I think I'm right on this but we'll see.
… There was some concern after the Red Raiders failed to force a turnover in their first two games of the season. Those have started to come in bunches – the team is tied with Baylor for the most forced turnovers in the Big 12 – but unfortunately the issue now is the offense’s inability to score points off of those turnovers. The Red Raiders have forced 10 takeaways in Big 12 play and have converted those into just 19 points – one touchdown, four field goals and two missed field goals. Texas Tech’s offense started off in inside the opponent’s 40-yard line on four of those drives. The team’s ability to cash in on these turnovers will be something to watch the rest of the season, and could ultimately decide whether this team plays in a bowl game.
… Even with the result being what it was, the trip to El Paso was a good one for the Texas Tech men’s basketball program. There was some sense that Chris Beard kind of liked what happened. “We got our ass kicked and that isn’t a bad thing,” was the sentiment that I got from those that I spoke to.
… This program will get news any day now on the status of UNLV transfer Joel Ntwambwe. Make no mistake, fans should be very excited if he is ruled eligible. If he’s not, it will sting. He is a difference-maker and a potential starter or top backup this season. We’re all just waiting on the NCAA to issue a ruling.
… I had no idea that Beard was a Freebirds (Michael Hayes) guy until I read Brian Hamilton’s story yesterday in The Athletic. For those that don’t know, Hayes was part of WCCW back in the mid-1980s, and his faction – which also included Terry Gordon and Buddy Roberts, along with Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin and Sunshine – feuded with the Von Erich brothers and father Fritz. They would have televised events at Will Rogers Coliseum every Monday night and at the Sportatorium in Dallas every Friday night. I watched wrestling religiously back in those days and you can bet I’ll be asking Beard about it next time I see him. Iceman King Parsons, Bruiser Brody, the Missing Link, the Great Kabuki, Skandar Akbar, Kamala and on and on it went. Kirby Hocutt grew up in the Metroplex during this same era and watched it up close as well. “From parts unknown or TV time remaining” is still one of my favorite things to hear. If you watched it back then you’ll know what I’m referring to.
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