Texas Tech football: Should Alan Bowman play again this season?

Alan Bowman was released from the hospital Wednesday after suffering a collapsed lung for the second time in 2018. Now the question facing the Texas Tech football program is whether he should play again this year.

Four days after suffering a collapsed lung for the second time in just over a month, Alan Bowman was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon. The true freshman who has taken over the reigns of the Texas Tech football team by leading the Big 12 in passing was injured just prior to the end of the first half of Saturday’s loss to OU when he was hit at the goal line trying to run for a touchdown.

Now that Bowman looks to be back on the road to recovery, the question turns to whether or not he will be able to play again this season. With only three regular season games remaining, it is not hard to see backup quarterback Jett Duffey getting the rest of the starts while Bowman is allowed to fully recover.

Bowman’s injury is unusual in the world of sports because it is to an internal organ rather than to a muscle or bone. As such, it is rare and there are fewer examples of players coming back from such an injury making the timetable uncertain.

"According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, “Anyone who has had one pneumothorax (collapsed lung) is at increased risk of another, usually within one to two years of the first.”"

But earlier this year, Bowman missed only one game after suffering his first collapsed lung in the first half against West Virginia. In fact, Kliff Kingsbury has said that Bowman was medically cleared to play for the TCU game but the team decided to sit him out for precautionary reasons.

We must keep in mind that Tech had an off week following the WVU game giving Bowman 21 days to recover before making the start against Kansas on October 20th. Unfortunately, Texas Tech will not have that luxury this time.

Whether or not Alan Bowman returns to the field before the end of the regular season could largely depend on what happens this week. If Texas Tech is able to beat Texas and secure bowl eligibility with its sixth win this week, there would be less of a reason to put Bowman back on the field in November.

Texas is by far the best opponent remaining on the schedule. If Jett Duffey can knock off the Horns as he did the Frogs in Ft. Worth (thanks to a huge performance from his defense), there is not reason to believe he can’t beat the 3-6 Kansas State Wildcats next week or the 5-4 Baylor Bears the following week.

But what if Texas Tech loses this week? Needing to win one of the final two games of the year to make the postseason, would Kingsbury be tempted to put Bowman back on the field?

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That decision would become even more difficult if Duffey plays poorly against the Horns. With McLane Carter still not 100% with a high ankle sprain, there are few options behind Duffey. Sophomore walk-on QB Colt Garrett, who played his high school football at Roosevelt just outside of Lubbock, is an emergency option but likely would not be given a start unless Duffey, Bowman and Carter are all injured.

Figuring out what to do with Bowman could be the most important decision Kliff Kingsbury will make, especially if he finds himself needing to win the final two games of the season to reach seven wins. If athletic director Kirby Hocutt was to be taken literally prior to the season when he said he needed to see progress from the football program this year, Kingsbury needs to win two more games to surpass last season’s total.

Two wins not only puts Kingsbury at seven wins for the first time since 2015, it would also give Texas Tech its first winning record in Big 12 play since 2009. A 7-5 record is almost certain to be good enough for Kingsbury to retain his job, especially given the horrible luck he has had with injuries at the game’s most important position.

But if there is one thing we know about Kingsbury, it is that he is going to put Alan Bowman’s health before all else. That was evident by the fact that Bowman did not play against TCU and it is one of the reasons Kingsbury’s character is so highly-respected within the athletic department.

In the end, Hocutt will likely take into account the Alan Bowman injury when evaluating Kingsbury’s performance. Though it would not make the fan base happy, it would not be surprising to see Kingsbury receive the benefit of the doubt from his boss even after a 6-6 season because Hocutt has been steadfast in his support of and generous with his patience towards his head coach.

It would be the second-straight season that injuries have directly impacted Texas Tech’s record. A hip injury to kicker Clayton Hatfield last year opened Pandora’s Box in the kicking game costing the Red Raiders a win against Kansas State and likely another win at West Virginia.

However, the fan base is tired of excuses. Many will point out that Kingsbury’s misses on the recruiting trail, especially at the quarterback position, have resulted in a lack of depth that may now be coming back to haunt the Red Raiders.

This is a complicated issue with tons of layers to consider. It is unfortunate that this pivotal season is being played out without Kingsbury having his starting quarterback available.

Ultimately, what is best for Alan Bowman’s long-term health will be the priority and if the season is lost because of it, so be it. Hopefully, a win Saturday night will help make the decision a no-brainer.