Armand Shyne will run for at least 110 yards and a touchdown
If Bowman and the passing attack are the focus of the Arizona defense, the Red Raider ground game could be in for a big day. And look for senior Armand Shyne to lead the way with at least 110 yards and a touchdown.
The grad transfer from Utah will be amped to be back in a PAC 12 stadium and he will want to give his former conference rival one more reason to hate him. What’s more, this is as close as he will come to playing in his native California (he’s from Oakland so Tucson is still a long way away) so perhaps the late start time will suit him well.
For his career, Shyne has had just three 100-yard games. One of those came in week one this year when he ran for 125 yards and a touchdown.
His career-best was 174 yards against Oregon last November as he averaged 6.4 yards per carry. That type of effort would be monumental tonight and help him steal some of the headlines from Arizona’s star RB J.J. Taylor.
This is another area where Matt Wells has promised that this team will be better than previous versions of the Red Raiders. He has said that Tech will run the ball when it wants and will impose its will on opposing defenses.
That was not something this offensive line could not do a year ago and now it is time for that group, which returns four of five starters, to show its improvement. If Tech can’t run the ball dominantly against Arizona, there will be reason for Red Raider fans to worry about its ability to run the ball in Big 12 play.
Thanks to a big night from Armand Shyne, that will not be a concern after this game. The grad transfer will return to the PAC 12 and go out with a big game in what may be his last game against the conference he was a part of for four years.