Texas Tech Football: 5 Team Statistical Goals For 2017

Goal #2: 20 Team Sacks

For years the greatest weakness on the Texas Tech football team has been the defense’s inability to get to the quarterback.  Unfortunately, 2016 was perhaps the worst in program history in that regard.

As a team, Texas Tech recorded just 14 sacks in 12 games.  Only six teams in the country recorded fewer.

In fact, every other team in the Big 12 except Iowa State had at least 20 sacks.  The Cyclones registered 19. What’s more, Big 12 individual sacks leader, Jordan Willis of Kansas State recorded 11 on his own.

The 2017 Texas Tech defense will feature at most four seniors in the front seven rotation.  That means any improvement from the group will have to come from young players which often struggle to rush the passer.

The hope is that redshirt sophomore Lonzell Gillmore and junior Kolin Hill (a former transfer from Notre Dame) will take steps forward to be consistent forces coming off the edge.  Redshirt freshmen Houston Miller and Noah Jones as well as sophomore Eli Howard (who sat out last season after transferring from North Texas) could also help bolster the Red Raider pass rush.

However, no player on the current roster has recorded more than one career sack in a Big 12 game.  Thus, a jump from 14 to 20 sacks would be significant.

Consider how a jump of just six sacks could have impacted the 2016 season.

The Red Raiders lost four games by one touchdown or less.  Tech fell to Oklahoma State by one, Kansas by six, Oklahoma by seven and Texas by eight.

Assuming that each sack leads to a defensive stop, six sacks could have turned the tide on as many as five games last year.  (Though Arizona State topped Texas Tech by 13, the game was a one-score contest for most of the night before the Sundevils added a late score).

In 2016, 20 team sacks would have been good for just 99th in the nation.  That mark is not going to blow anyone away but it would be a huge step in the right direction for Gibbs’ beleaguered defense.