Recalling Previous Texas Tech Quarterback Battles
2010: Taylor Potts vs. Steven Sheffield
The 2010 Texas Tech football season was one of the most fascinating in program history. Following the controversial firing of Leach in 2009, Tommy Tuberville was brought in to lead a team and a fan base that was divided by the previous season’s controversy.
And to make matters worse, Tuberville had to sort through a QB controversy that had been created the season prior.
In 2009, Abilene, Texas native Taylor Potts was tabbed the heir-apparent to Graham Harrell, the best QB in program history. But his performance was less than stellar in a 2-2 start that saw Tech lose back-to-back games at Texas and Houston.
In the fifth game of the season against New Mexico, Potts was injured in the second quarter. Steven Sheffield entered the game and led Tech to four touchdowns on his first four drives and a QB controversy was born.
Sheffield would start the next two games (wins over Kansas State and Nebraska) before an injury forced him to miss the Texas A&M game. In that contest, Potts was awful throwing two back-breaking picks in a 53-30 loss.
Sheffield was able to make just one more start that year but he appeared in relief in the Alamo Bowl to rally Tech to a win just days after the firing of Mike Leach. For that, Sheffield became a fan favorite and the exuberant QB, nicknamed “Sticks” because of his lanky frame, was certainly the fan choice to be the starter in 2010.
But in what would turn out to be the first in a long line of unpopular decisions Tuberville would make in his brief run in Lubbock, he gave the 2010 starting job to Potts. Potts was more of a steady performer in practice and proved to be a more predictable commodity, which appealed to the conservative and ultra-traditional Tuberville.
Sheffield was more of a free-lancer who came alive on Saturdays. But his free-spirited style in practices did not endear him to the new coaching staff and cost him the starting job.
Potts made all but one start that season with Sheffield starting against No. 14 Missouri. Potts entered mid-way through the game and sparked Tech to an upset home win.
On the season, Potts threw for 3,726 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 picks. Though the numbers were the best of his career, Potts was rather pedestrian in 2010 leaving fans to wonder if Sheffield would have been able to lead Tech to better than its eventual 8-5 mark.
In the end, Taylor Potts went down as one of the most disappointing players in program history as his career never lived up to the expectations that accompanied him out of high school. Sheffield however, became a folk hero in the minds of fans who are left wondering what “Sticks” could have done if given the opportunity.