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Texas Tech football: 5 best defensive players Red Raiders face in 2019

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 10: Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to get past Caden Sterns #7 of the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 10: Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to get past Caden Sterns #7 of the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray

The preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year is Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray.   Last year, he posted 155 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and finished the year 13th nationally with 11.1 tackles per game.

He was perhaps the lone bright spot for the Sonner defense in their 45-34 loss to Alabama in the national semifinal game.  That night in the Orange Bowl, Murray registered 15 tackles (7 solo) and was credited with a half-sack.

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But that was nowhere near the 28 he had against Army’s triple-option attack in a 28-21 Sooner victory early in the season.  And against the Red Raiders, he was a factor with eleven total tackles.

In all, Murray had at least ten tackles nine times in his sophomore season. That’s a big reason why he was the highest-ranked Big 12 defensive player on Sports Illustrated’s top-100 players, checking in at No. 49.

Rated the No. 6 outside linebacker prospect eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft by WalterFootball.com, Murray will lead an OU defense that has to carry its weight this year if the Sooners are going to reach the College Football Playoff for the third-straight year.

New OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will see nine starters from 2018’s last-place Big 12 defense return.  But that isn’t likely enough to turn the Sooners’ Achilles heel into a strength.

Still, with Murray in the fold, Grinch will have an elite edge defender capable of putting pressure on the QB, something OU did at a slightly lower rate than Tech last year.  While the Red Raiders got to the QB 2.33 times per game, OU managed to do so only 2.07 times per game.

Next. 5 best offensive players Tech will face in 2019. dark

Just a 3-star prospect as a high school recruit, the Missouri City, Texas native had an offer list that included only three so-called blue-bloods, OU, Texas, and Michigan.  But now, he has become one of the most productive players in the country and he should be the best defensive player the Red Raiders see in 2019.

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