Texas Tech Football: What To Watch For In Today’s Spring Game
Today, the Texas Tech football team hosts its official spring game at the Star in Frisco. Here are five areas fans should watch closely.
This year the Texas Tech football team is mixing up its spring practice schedule. Even though the team still has a few practices and one more scrimmage scheduled next week, the official spring game is being held today.
A sellout crowd of 12,000 fans will pack the Ford Center at The Star, the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys in Frisco, Texas. Texas Tech will be the first college football program to hold an official event at the beautiful new facility and as many as 40 recruits are expected to be in attendance.
While there will be plenty of excitement in the stands, what happens on the field will go a long way towards shaping the 2017 team. It is tough to recall a season in which Texas Tech entered the summer with as many questions across the roster as it does this year.
By the time today’s event is over, many players will have either cemented their place in the starting lineup or will have emerged as candidates to contribute come September. The following five areas are positions where Texas Tech needs to begin finding out answers starting today in Frisco.
1. The Offensive Line
New offensive line coach Brandon Jones has a major rebuilding task on his hands. There are only four upperclassmen in Jones’ position group and only two, senior Tony Morales and junior Paul Stawarz, are expected to compete for spots in the two-deep rotation.
Last year’s offensive line featured freshmen at both tackles and struggled with inconsistency because of inexperience and injuries. The 2016 OL ranked No. 95 in the nation with 30 sacks allowed in 12 games.
Furthermore, the line struggled to open rushing lanes for the running backs. Tech averaged a meager 3.22 yards per carry last season and no running back on the roster ran for more than 430 yards.
Today’s scrimmage will be telling in how Jones uses his offensive line. Virtually no player on the roster has a guaranteed starting job sown up.
The veterans, Morales and Stawarz figure to be in the mix but some of the returning sophomores that saw significant time last season will have to fend off challenges from some talented 2017 signees.
Sophomores Madison Akamnonu, Terence Steele and Travis Bruffy all played significant Big 12 minutes as freshmen. However, freshmen Jack Anderson, Dawson Deaton and Will Farrar came to Texas Tech as highly-touted signees considered by many to be ready to push for starting spots.
One week ago, the offensive line struggled in the team’s first scrimmage of the spring. This is a young group still trying to figure out what role each member will play and what combination will be the most effective.
The offensive line must be better this year because quarterback Nick Shimonek is not the kind of escape artist that Pat Mahomes was for the past three seasons. He will need a clean pocket and time to get the ball into the hands of the explosive Texas Tech receivers.
Today, most observers will focus on the play of the skill position players, especially the quarterbacks. However, what happens along the offensive line will be some of the most important action of the day.