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Texas Tech Football: What To Watch For In Today’s Spring Game

By Matthew Conner

Nov 25, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury with wide receiver Jonathan Giles (9) before the game against the Baylor Bears at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury with wide receiver Jonathan Giles (9) before the game against the Baylor Bears at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 29, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Douglas Coleman (25) intercepts a pass intended for TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (25) in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Texas Tech won 27-24 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Douglas Coleman (25) intercepts a pass intended for TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (25) in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Texas Tech won 27-24 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The Secondary

No position group on the Texas Tech football roster received as much attention in the 2017 signing class as the secondary.  Six of the 20 players to ink with the Red Raiders in February were defensive backs.

This was a necessary influx of talent given the attrition Gibbs’ defense has suffered on the back end over the past few seasons.  Graduations of four senior defensive backs from 2016 and the transfers of corners Nigel Bethell and Tevin Madison in the past calendar year have depleted the Texas Tech secondary.

As a result, true freshmen Douglas Coleman and Desmon Smith were forced into playing before they were ready.  Texas Tech opponents passed for 315.8 yards per game and 28 total touchdowns in 2016.

More concerning, the Red Raiders gave up 8.55 yards per passing attempt.  That stat means that each time the opponents attempted a pass, they averaged picking up just 1.5 yards short of a first down.

One reason for this awful number is that Gibbs often had his corners playing ten yards off the line of scrimmage.  The inexperience of the young defensive backs and the lack of size of the others in the rotation made this tactic a necessity.

But the addition of JUCO corners Octavius Morgan, Vaughnte Dorsey and Jaylon Layne is expected to improve this situation.  Morgan was one of the defensive stars from the first scrimmage and appears to be emerging as the leader to start at one cornerback spot.

Another defensive back to watch is senior D.J. Polite-Bray.  The former wide receiver is in his third year at defensive back and has drawn praise from Kliff Kingsbury for his physical play this spring.

The defensive backfield is undergoing an on-the-fly reconstruction predicated on the arrival of JUCO reinforcements.  Relying on JUCO players to contribute in their first seasons of FBS football is dangerous but that is the route Texas Tech is taking.  Keep an eye on how those new additions fare in todays’ scrimmage.

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