Texas Tech football: Three offensive players that need to step up after the bye

Wide receiver T.J. Vasher

It is no stretch to say that the most talented receiver on the Texas Tech football roster is redshirt sophomore wide receiver T.J. Vasher.  But thus far in 2018, his production has not matched his potential.

The 6-foot-6 Wichita Falls, Texas native made a highlight reel one-handed catch in the Ole Miss game but has struggled to make the routine plays.  Vasher has shown little improvement when it comes to areas that were struggles last season, namely making routine catches and running routes effectively.

Vasher continues to be somewhat of a one-trick pony who seems only to be effective when running fade routes and catching jump balls.  Granted, he has made some touchdown receptions in the red zone on slant routes (as he did twice against Houston) but far too often, he disappears from the offense for long stretches.

Meanwhile, two of his unheralded teammates have emerged as the go-to weapons in the passing game.  Junior Antoine Wesley (38) and senior Ja’Deion High (28) both have more receptions than Vasher’s 16.

And even more surprising is the fact that true freshman inside receiver Kisean Carter also has more catches (21) than Vasher.  That is a development that would have seemed unfathomable when the season began.

In terms of receiving yards, Vasher’s 273 are third on the team but his production lags far behind that of Wesley (621 yards) and High (406).  Certainly, Vasher’s stats were limited by the fact that he missed the West Virginia game after spraining his knee against Oklahoma State.

It looks likely that he will return to the field against TCU, which could be important because he is a huge target for either Duffey or Carter to rely on and he’s proven capable of making the tough grabs on passes that may not have been thrown especially well.  But for the remainder of the season, Texas Tech needs more out of T.J. Vasher, regardless of who is throwing the ball.

Last year, he put up 529 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns in the final eight games of the season (including the bowl game).  If he can have a similar finish this year, Texas Tech’s offense will be close to unstoppable.