Can Texas Tech Football Curb Penalties In 2017?

The Texas Tech football team is annually one of the most penalized in the nation. What factors contribute to this and can the Red Raiders improve in this critical area this season?

Any team coming off a a 5-win season is bound to have flaws that need to to be remedied and the Texas Tech football team certainly fits that description. However, penalties have been a struggle throughout the entirety of Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure.

The 2016 Red Raiders averaged 7.8 penalties per game. Only six of the 128 teams in the sport were penalized more frequently. Those infractions cost Texas Tech 62 yards per contest.

The per-game penalty number is virtually equal to the 7.9 penalties per game Texas Tech has averaged in the four seasons of the Kingsbury era. In fact, the least penalized Texas Tech football team of the past four seasons, the 2015 squad, finished just 92nd in the country in fewest penalties per game (6.6).

Naturally, this is a huge problem for a program that has struggled as mightily on defense as has Tech. Whether the flags help opponents prolong drives or force offensive drives to stall, a team with as small of a margin for error as Texas Tech can ill afford to give away so many free yards.

Teams with overwhelming talent advantages may be able to overcome penalty deficits but no one expects the Red Raiders to be capable of that in 2017. Thus, it would behoove Kingsbury and his coaching staff to find a way to finally get the penalty crisis under control.

However, one must wonder if the coaching staff is one of the reasons why Texas Tech has not improved in this area. It is fair to question the ability of young coaches to teach the nuances of the game well enough to help players learn proper techniques that could help minimize penalties.

Consider that Kansas State, which is led by legendary head coach Bill Snyder, has ranked outside the top 55 in the nation in fewest penalties per game only once (2016) in that same span. Though some accuse Big 12 officials of giving Snyder-coached teams the benefit of the doubt when deciding whether or not to throw a flag, there is no doubt that the experience level of a coaching staff factors in to the discipline of its team.

Another factor that could be contributing to the Texas Tech penalty problem could be the pace of play. The Red Raiders ran an average of 88.3 plays per game last season. That was second-most in the nation behind only Baylor (88.6) which just happened to be the most penalized team in America.

There are two ways pace of play can lead to an increase in a team’s penalties. First, it stands to reason that the more plays that are run in a game the more penalties will be called simply via that law of averages. Second, teams that play at such a fast pace also practice at a high speed limiting the opportunity for one-on-one teaching during practices.

Yet another factor that could be impacting Tech’s penchant for penalties is youth. The 2016 Texas Tech football team counted on as many as 20 freshmen and sophomores in its two-deep rotation. As they adjust to the increased speed of the game and try to find their way against more experienced players, it is expected that younger players will be far more likely to commit infractions than upperclassmen.

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Finally, there is the question of depth. Texas Tech has suffered significant attrition due to transferring players or recruiting misses, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Once again, the pace of play is a factor because the defense is often asked to play upwards of 80 plays per game. Far too often the Texas Tech defense is running on fumes as the game winds down and fatigued players are going to be more inclined to make mistakes that lead to penalties.

Thus, the question is whether the Red Raiders are in a position to finally improve in 2017.

Tech is still a young team and will once again ask a significant number of underclassmen to fill key roles. However, the depth provided by young reinforcements (especially along the defensive line) could keep the Red Raiders fresh throughout the game.

Another hope is that the players could finally start to benefit from consistency in the coaching staff. Kingsbury’s offensive staff is clearly established and defensive coordinator David Gibbs is beginning his third year at the helm of the defense.

Could the familiarity with the schemes being implemented help the Red Raiders minimize penalties because the players should know where they are supposed to be and what is expected of them? Fans certainly hope so.

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In 2017, the Texas Tech football team will likely be considered underdogs in as many as nine games. In order for the Red Raiders to be able to surpass the meager expectations most pundits have for them, they must learn to minimize mistakes and finally shake the penalty problem that has been the program’s Achilles’ heel for far too long.

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