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Texas Tech football: Predictions for the Red Raiders in 2019

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 20: T.J. Vasher #9 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders makes the catch for a touchdown against Corione Harris #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half of the game on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 20: T.J. Vasher #9 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders makes the catch for a touchdown against Corione Harris #2 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half of the game on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Alan Bowman will lead the Big 12 in passing yards

If Tech has any type of success in 2019, it will be largely due to the right arm of Alan Bowman.  The sophomore is fully recovered from a collapsed lung that cost him four games last year and he is the Red Raiders’ best weapon.

Last season, he threw for an impressive 329.7 yards per game, which would have ranked second in the conference behind West Virginia’s Will Grier had Bowman played enough games to qualify for the official Big 12 individual statistics.

But that number is a bit deflated by the fact that two of his games were cut short as he was knocked out of the WVU and OU games late in the first half.  In the games in which he played at least three quarters, Bowman averaged 381.3 yards per game through the air, 50 yards more than Grier averaged.

That number is almost certain to fall this season because Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, which featured a 60/40 pass/run ratio has given way to David Yost’s offense, which ran the ball a handful more times than it threw it last year at Utah State.

However, it would make sense for Yost to throw it a bit more than he might be accustomed to this year given that Bowman is his offense’s biggest strength and the running backs the biggest question mark.  Also, USU QB Jordan Love ran the ball 43 times last year, a number that Bowman will come nowhere close to.  So expect Bowman’s right arm to remain rather busy this fall.

Meanwhile, there doesn’t appear to be another QB in the conference that will be a prolific passer.  The one candidates that might threaten Bowman for the passing title could be OU’s Jalen Hurts, but he has never proven to be an especially accurate passer, Baylor’s Charlie Brewer, who only threw for 381 more yards than Bowman last year despite playing five more games, and Iowa State’s Brock Purdy who has lost a ton of weapons on offense, including his leading receiver Hakeem Butler.

Last year, OU’s Kyler Murray led the conference with 4,354 yards in the air but he played an extra game than any other Big 12 team but Texas.  Hurts may get to play in 14 games this year but expect his offense to be much more centered around the legs of RB Trey Sermon.  That should give Alan Bowman the inside track to the Big 12 passing title.

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