Texas Tech football: Kingsbury should utilize Duffey even when Bowman returns

Sophomore quarterback Jett Duffey led the Texas Tech football team to a road win over TCU in his first career start.  And though Duffey is flawed as a passer, Kliff Kingsbury should continue to utilized him in offensive packages even after Alan Bowman returns to the field.

Texas Tech football head coach Kliff Kingsbury has repeatedly said that his preference is to play only one quarterback.  According to the former record-setting passer, giving a QB an opportunity to find a rhythm during a game is essential.

But at the same time, he has indicated that he would play more than one quarterback in a game if that gave his team the best opportunity to win.  And after the performance of backup sophomore QB Jett Duffey in Thursday night’s 17-14 win over TCU, an argument could be made that it would be best for the Red raider offense to continue to utilize Duffey’s athleticism even after starting QB Alan Bowman returns.

Certainly, Duffey did not do enough in the win over TCU to supplant Bowman as the full-time starter.  In fact, Duffey likely would not have been given the opportunity to finish the game had junior QB McLane Carter not re-injured his sprained ankle on the first series of the second half.

He was just 13/24 passing with an interception on a poorly thrown ball.  And at times, it was easy to see Kingsbury’s frustration with Duffey’s missed reads and off-target throws.

But after being benched at halftime, Duffey came back to lead Tech to 14 second half points including the game-winning touchdown on a 38-yard run.  And it was that play that could give Kingsbury reason to put a package of plays in the game plan for Duffey each week.

This is not the first time that Kingsbury has had more than one capable quarterback on the roster.  In 2013 freshmen Davis Webb and Baker Mayfield split starting QB chores all season.  However, Kingsbury did not purposefully utilize both in a game unless dictated by injury or poor performance.

Likewise, in 2014, Kingsbury had Webb and Pat Mahomes on the roster.  But the only time Mahomes saw the field was when Webb was injured as he was in the first Big 12 game of the year against Oklahoma State or in the final four games of the season.

But there is a difference when it comes to this year’s quarterback position.  Unlike the backups in 2013 and 2014, Jett Duffey can bring something to the offense that no other QB on the roster can, speed and athleticism.

Bowman is a prototypical pocket passer in the mold of Webb.  He has already proven to be an elite passer with an uncanny grasp of the game and the playbook.  However, he is no threat to break open a game with his legs.

Neither is Carter, who does possess above average athleticism but his mobility is similar to that of Mahomes.  Both Carter and Mahomes utilize mobility inside the pocket but both scramble to throw the ball, not gash the opponent on the ground.

But Duffey is a player that can do something that no Texas tech quarterback in the “Air Raid” era has been able to do.  He can change a game with his legs, as we saw against TCU.

Thus, Kliff Kingsbury should continue to utilize Duffey as a potential big-play weapon every week.  Giving him at least one or two series per game would only help to diversify the Red Raider offense and make it more difficult for opposing coaches to prepare for.

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Starting with the TCU game, Tech embarked on a stretch that will see it face four of the top six defenses in the Big 12 in a five-game span.  TCU is currently ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense with Iowa State checking in at No. 3, Texas at No. 4 and Kansas at No. 6.

Therefore, it will be important for Tech to have every weapon on the roster ready to contribute.  And we have already seen what Duffey’s athleticism can do against a very good defense.

Utilizing his speed and mobility after relieving Bowman in the West Virginia game, Duffey sparked life into a sputtering offense leading Tech to 24 points in the second half.  Yes, Duffey was also responsible for two interceptions, including a game-clinching pick-six, but his ability to run caught the Mountaineers off guard and added a much-needed big-play dimension to the offense on the ground.

In the two games this year in which he has seen extended playing time (WVU and TCU), Duffey has led the team in rushing.  And the explosive running plays he has become known for could be one way Tech could combat the extreme cloud zone defenses that slowed last year’s offense (especially Iowa Stat which held Tech to just 13 points in 2017).

The Cyclones allowed OU quarterback Klyer Murray to run for 77 yards on 15 carries earlier this year and Tech could attack them in a similar way with Duffey.  Speaking of Murray, he also gashed Texas for 92 yards and a touchdown on the ground providing Kingsbury with a potential blueprint for how to keep a tough Longhorn defense off balance.

Certainly, the starting QB job belongs to Alan Bowman.  He is second in the Big 12 in passing yards per game and third in total offense per game and the offense has been almost unstoppable with him at the helm.

Still, there is a way that Kliff Kingsbury could utilize all of his offensive weapons on a weekly basis.  It would be fascinating to see the best offensive coach in the conference work the QB ground game into his attack each week and in the process, give opposing defensive coordinators even more reasons to dread facing the Red Raiders.