Texas Tech football: Quotes from Kliff Kingsbury radio show

Texas Tech football head coach Kliff Kingsbury took to the airwaves for his weekly radio show Thursday night where he discussed his team’s overall attitude and its preparation for the home opener.

As the Texas Tech football team looks to rebound from a disappointing loss to Ole Miss in Houston, fans and media members alike have had plenty of questions about the direction of the program. Thursday night, Kliff Kingsbury addressed some of the more pressing concerns during Red Raider Football with Kliff Kingsbury, his weekly radio show.

Unquestionably, the biggest surprise in week one was the ineffectiveness of the Texas Tech defense which allowed 546 yards to the Rebels. What’s more, those yards came too easily as Mississippi ripped off seven plays of at least 30 yards.

"“We were disappointed as a group and a unit,” Kingsbury said. “You can’t give up that many big plays and do things that are out of character as a defense. And so we’ve approached it that way this week and I’ve been proud of the way that defensive side of the football has really worked and we should have a better showing on Saturday.”"

And as if the defensive struggles were not enough of a question mark, Kingsbury also has to figure out his quarterback situation. With starting QB McLane Carter suffering a first-quarter ankle sprain that will likely keep him out this week against Lamar, Kingsbury has had to prepare true freshman Alan Bowman to start while also allocating backup reps to sophomore Jett Duffey, who has become a popular figure among the fans.

"“We’re going to make sure everybody’s up and ready to go that can play and has a portion of the game plan they are comfortable with and can execute at a high level,” Kingsbury said. “When you have a situation like that you have a chance to really improve your process and learn from it, develop your quarterbacks at a higher level.“And the sense of urgency has picked up in that room obviously ’cause you can talk all you want about ‘Hey, you better be ready, you’re only a play away’ but until it happens they don’t really think that way, but now they do.”"

It is interesting that Kingsbury said that they are going to make sure their QBs have a portion of the play book that they are comfortable with and can execute. That would seem to be a inditement of Duffey, who is in his third year in the program.

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While it would be understandable for a true freshman such as Alan Bowman to still be trying to pick up the entire playbook, there is no reason for Duffey not to be able to execute the entire offense. Still, Kingsbury has said throughout the offseason and fall camp that Duffey has needed a better understanding of the offense if he were to play significant snaps this fall, which is disappointing but might give some fans insight as to why the once highly-touted recruit has not seen the field.

Kingsbury then addressed the targeting penalties levied against the Red Raiders in Houston when Tech was flagged three times and had two players ejected. Meanwhile, the rebels had no targeting penalties despite some instances that looked to fit the rule causing many Texas Tech fans to complain about not only their team’s inability to avoid such calls but also uneven officiating.

"“We felt there were a couple that could go both ways but every week it’s subjective and we know that.” Kingsbury said. “The tough part is when the guy with the ball will lower his head right at the point of impact and it’s unintentional, most of them are unintentional. It’s just part of the game. We all have to know that as you play and try to avoid it.”"

Turning his focus to this week’s game, Kingsbury said that the team’s focus has not so much been on Lamar but on what they can do to improve.

"“The whole week’s been about us and getting things corrected from week one,” he said. “There’s a ton to improve upon and we knew that so it’s really been more of a focus on us and who we are and trying to play a lot better in game two.”"

Shifting gears, Kingsbury addressed a fan question about how the staff plans to fill out the 2019 recruiting class. After bringing in only four defensive players in the 2018 class, Kingsbury indicated the next recruiting class will be more balanced, if not lean towards the defensive side of the ball.

"“It’s going to be more of a defensive class…a lot of defensive backs, a couple linebackers and some d-linemen,” Kingsbury said. “Out of the 25 [available spots in the class], 15-ish will be on defense and 9-10 will be on offense.”"

One last interesting tidbit came from another fan question who asked whether Kingsbury would ever plan to utilize a two-quarterback approach heading into a game. Kingsbury’s response did not deviate from what he has said all offseason but he did give some nice insight from his perspective as a former Big 12 QB.

"“Having played the position, you like to get in a rhythm, like to know ‘this is my game'” he said. “But I’m all about doing what’s best for the team and the program. And so if we get into a situation where one guys does something really well and the other guy does something well and it would be the best for that game plan, I wold not be opposed to it.”"

Next. There statistical goals for Texas Tech vs. Lamar. dark

Red Raider Football with Kliff Kingsbury airs every Thursday night during the season at six p.m. on Double-T 97.3 in Lubbock. Fans outside Lubbock can hear it on the Double-T 97.3 app or stream it on the website.

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