Thursday night, Kliff Kingsbury and offensive coordinator Eric Morris talked Texas Tech football focusing on the upcoming matchup with Arizona State.
Kliff Kingsbury and Eric Morris sat down for the weekly “Red Raider Football with Kliff Kingsbury” radio show Thursday evening on Double-T 97.3 FM in Lubbock. Among the topics they covered was the upcoming showdown with Arizona State, the development of younger players and how the team has already come together as a family.
Much of the talk on the evening centered on last year’s 68-55 loss to the Sun Devils. While Kingsbury acknowledged that the defensive players from last season are ready to make amends for their poor performance, the majority of the players on the defense are new and are just focused on winning a game rather than exacting some revenge.
Kingsbury went on to say that he is especially proud of this year’s team because they had the highest spring GPA of any Texas Tech football team in ten years. He then noted that his team has a strong chemistry and really came together over the offseason.
A question came from the audience about the unusually high number of JUCO transfers on the roster and whether that signals a shift in the coaching staff’s recruiting philosophy. Kingsbury said that the key is to form relationships with JUCO players as early as high school so that the coaches know what kind of player they are recruiting and can bring the right type of people into the program.
That is the case with such JUCO transfers as Jaylon Lane and Dakota Allen, both of whom were heavily recruited by Texas Tech as high school prospects. Of course, Allen did sign with Tech out of high school and played his freshman season in Lubbock before a year at East Mississippi Community College.
Speaking of JUCO transfers, Kingsbury specifically mentioned 2017 transfer Jacob Hines, who has earned a starting sport at offensive guard, as the type of success story that can come from the JUCO ranks.
Offensive coordinator Eric Morris was next on the microphone and he discussed how pleased he is with the progress of two of his backup wide receivers. According to Morris, Quan Shorts continues to grow physically and should be ready to assume a huge role in the offense next year.
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But the former Texas Tech receiver turned coach heaped the highest praise on redshirt freshman wide receiver T.J. Vasher. Morris said that Vasher is the most impressive backup receiver on the roster and is a first-round NFL talent who benefited greatly from 2016’s redshirt season.
Morris also revealed an interesting tidbit about new running back Desmond Nisby. He said that the team has put specific new plays into the offensive game plan to suit the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Nisby who Morris said reminds him of former Texas Tech and NFL running back Bam Morris.
Morris then commented on Arizona State and specifically new ASU defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. He said that he and Bennett are familiar with each other’s schemes because of Bennett’s tenure as the Baylor defensive coordinator.
Morris said he is uncertain why Bennett has played only 12 defensive players over the first two games but that he would not be surprised if that changed due to the tempo of the Texas Tech offense. He was complimentary of Bennett who has had two children graduate from Texas Tech.
According to Morris, Bennett is always complimentary of Lubbock and the Texas Tech fanbase when the two cross paths on the recruiting trail. In fact, Bennett is special to Morris because he extended to Morris his first scholarship offer when Bennett was the head coach at SMU.
Fans in Lubbock should consider attending “Red Raider Football withKliff Kingsbury” because it is a great opportunity to get up close with Kingsbury and the other coaches on staff. During commercial breaks, Kingsbury signs autographs and takes pictures with fans taking special time to interact with the kids that approach him.
Thursday, Kingsbury even spent time with a young fan after his portion of the show was over inviting the girl to visit with him in the private room where Kingsbury and Morris had been meeting before the show.
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“Red Raider Football With Kliff Kingsbury” is broadcast every Thursday night during the season from Rudy’s Bar-B-Que at Slide Road and South Loop 289. It is free to attend and a worthwhile experience for Texas Tech football fans of all ages.