Kliff Kingsbury Talks Quarterback Battle

Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury spoke to the media Tuesday following practice where he discussed the ongoing quarterback competition.

Fall camp for Texas Tech is now almost a week old and fans are anxious for any news about the ongoing quarterback battle. Tuesday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury spoke to the media following practice and naturally, the media’s focus was on the QB position.

When asked if any QB had separated himself, Kingsbury pointed to this Saturday’s scrimmage as a time when one of the candidates could make a statement.

"“We’ll see Saturday. That’s going to be the first real scrimmage that we’ll get a bunch of meaningful reps and see how they handle that. And then we’ll kind of start moving from there; have a whole other week to figure out that competition.” He said."

Saturday’s scrimmage looks to be perhaps the most important day in the competition as it will be the first simulation of real game scenarios. With the season opener just 23 days away, the coaching staff will soon need to have an idea of which player will get the majority of the practice reps moving forward.

Tech will likely start installing components of the game plan for Ole’ Miss in the upcoming practices meaning that the player who emerges from the scrimmage as the frontrunner will have a huge advantage moving forward as the lion’s share of the reps could be his.

Kingsbury has said that he plans to go two weeks before settling on a QB. That time frame will likely include two scrimmages which makes Saturday a critical first step in this race.

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The head coach acknowledged that it is not easy for the QBs to get into a rhythm when they have to alternate frequently. He indicated that the QBs have been rotating every four or five plays.

"“I’ve been in that situation. I understand. It’s hard to get in a rhythm, get into a flow. But that’s good. You want to put as much stress on them as possible. You want to make it as high-anxiety as possible for them and see how they handle that type of pressure and that type of uneasiness.” He said."

When asked if the team was rooting for one QB over the others, Kingsbury said that all three candidates have the respect of the team and that there is no favorite in the locker room. Of course, no coach would come out and admit that the roster is divided in its loyalties to one player over another.

But is is only natural for the players to have a preference. After all, they are human and have developed different relationships with each QB. That means it will be important for the eventual winner to possess the leadership traits necessary to win over the locker room. That is an element of the competition that only Kingsbury and his staff are privy too but it is something worth considering, especially for a team as young as the 2018 Red Raiders.

The upcoming week of practice is going to be critical for this competition. Keep checking in with “Wreck ‘Em Red” for all the latest.