Texas Tech football: Players that have not met expectations through three games

DT Nick McCann

Sometimes we assume that a player is in for a big jump simply by virtue of being elevated to a starting role. That’s why many believed that junior defensive tackle Nick McCann was set to be an impact player in his first year as a starter.

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When 2018 starter Joseph Wallace left the program in the offseason, McCann was instantly thrust into a starting role in the middle of the defensive line. Prior to this year, the Texarkana native had 29 career tackles with one sack and all but four of those stops came a year ago.

The 300-pounder was a nice rotation piece as a sophomore but in three games this season, he’s made just one assisted tackle and that came in the first game of the year. Since then, he’s been playing banged up to the point that it was reported by the Texas Tech radio broadcast prior to the Arizona game that he wouldn’t play last Saturday.

He did take the field against the Wildcats but the only contribution he made was a defensive delay of game penalty he received for simulating the snap count of the offense. In a game that saw Arizona run for over 300 yards, Tech needed more from its defensive line across the board, including McCann.

There is little depth behind the first-year starter. Redshirt freshman Jaylon Hutchings recorded only three tackles in three games last year and thus far in 2019, he’s been credited with six. The rest of the options at tackle are all going to be undersized players like Quentin Yontz or Nelson Mbanasor who can only be counted on for occasional snaps at that position rather than at their natural position of end.

Therefore, McCann needs to give Tech more than he has through three games. Hopefully, this bye week will serve him well and allow him to recover physically, because when the rigorous Big 12 schedule ramps up next week, Tech needs more resistance in the middle of its defensive front than it received last week in the desert.