Texas Tech football: How Red Raiders can survive until Alan Bowman returns

Play defense at a level we have not seen in Lubbock in a long time

The early returns on the Texas Tech defense have been stellar.  Though the bar is admittedly low in Lubbock.

Tech is at No. 39 in total defense, allowing just 306.3 yards per game.  That’s good for No. 5 in the conference.

DC Keith Patterson’s side of the ball has been especially stingy against the pass, an area of tremendous struggle last season when Tech ranked second-to-last in the nation.  But this year, Tech’s 133 yards per game in the air are good for No. 9 overall and No. 4 in the Big 12.  What’s more, at 13.7 points per game, Tech is No. 19 in scoring defense.

That’s a promising sign with so many high-octane passing teams on the horizon.  Certainly, Tech is not going to hold the offenses in the Big 12 to such scant passing numbers but if they can continue to be stingy when opponents put the ball in the air, the Red Raiders may have a chance to compete without Bowman.

One area where the defense must improve is in getting to the passer.  Tech has just two sacks on the season, good for No. 80 in the nation.  As the offenses on the schedule become stronger and the QBs better, Tech has to get to the QB with much more consistency.

What’s concerning about the defense is the lack of quality depth we saw in the Arizona game.  With starting DT Nick McCann out, the Red Raider defensive line wore down in the 4th quarter when Arizona ran the ball 18-straight times to close out the game.

In the front seven, the Red Raiders have almost no ability to withstand injuries and we’ve already seen LB Jordyn Brooks and DE Eli Howard suffer minor injuries.  If Tech can stay healthy, especially in terms of its key players, and continue to show the type of progress under Patterson that we’ve seen in the first three games, the defense could be strong enough to give the Red Raiders an opportunity to weather the storm without their starting QB.