Texas Tech football: Players to watch against UTEP

WR Erik Ezukanma

Tonight feels like the game where redshirt freshman Erik Ezukanma will show us on a Saturday what he’s been showing his coaches and teammates all offseason…his incredible talent and physicality.  The 6-foot-3, 210-pound outside receiver was the star of fall camp, at least on offense, but he had just four receptions for a quiet 29 yards in the opener.

Part of that could be attributed to the fact that Montana State played an extremely soft alignment in the secondary designed to keep from being beaten over the top.  Therefore, Bowman was able to find his slot receivers and running backs for short and intermediate passes all afternoon.

Of the 40 passes the Tech QB completed, only ten went to outside receivers.  Playing opposite of Ezukanma T.J. Vasher was tied for the team lead with six catches.

UTEP might be just the opponent Ezukanman can exploit.  The Miners have two new starters at corner and three new starters overall in the secondary.

The tallest defensive backs to play for the Miners last week were six-feet.  That means Ezukanma and Vasher will both have huge size advantages.

Expect Vasher to draw plenty of attention as will the Red Raider inside receivers.  In addition, Tech’s trio of “Y” receivers (which primarily line up on the same side as Vasher) Dalton Rigdon, Xavier White, and McLane Mannix accounted for over 200 yards and two touchdowns last week so expect the right side of the formation to receive plenty of attention tonight.

That could mean some one-on-one opportunities that Ezukanma should be able to exploit.  With Arizona on the schedule next week, it would be ideal for the former 4-star signee to show the Wildcats that he is a weapon not to be taken lightly.  If he can prove tonight that the Tech offense has playmakers at both wideout positions, it will be tough for Arizona to dedicate too much of their attention to just one side next week.  So let’s see if Ezukanma has his first standout performance as a Red Raider in his second collegiate start.