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Texas Tech football: Breaking down Jett Duffey vs. Jackson Tyner

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 10: Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks to pass during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 10: Jett Duffey #7 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks to pass during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on November 10, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

Who should play?

We have to look at this dilemma from both a coaches’ and a fan’s perspective.   After all, the two viewpoints are almost polar opposites.

There is one trait that every football coach from Pop Warner to Geroge Halas to Vice Lombardi to Jimmy Johnson to Kliff Kingsbury have shared…they despise turnovers, especially in the passing game.  That’s why legendary UT coach Darryl Royal used to say that when you pass, only three things can happen and two are bad.

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So for that reason, two different coaching staffs have evaluated Duffey and both have been hesitant to turn to him in critical situations unless they had no other options.  Even when the other options have been McLane Carter, true freshman Alan Bowman and now Tyner, both Kingsbury and Wells have feared the Duffey turnover bug more than they have loved his game-breaking athleticism.

On the other hand, fans hate boring football.  If we are going to lose, we’d rather lose 65-55 than 45-14.  That’s why we’d rather see Duffey.

The truth is that neither QB is going to pull off an upset of Oklahoma unless Lincoln Riley has done something to anger God himself over the last two weeks.  But we know that Tech isn’t going to win many games in the Big 12 putting up just 11.3 per game like Tyner did in his starts at Rice.

This is the most high-scoring conference in the nation.  Games in which the victor doesn’t crack 20 points, like Tech had last year against TCU, are as rare as Halley’s Comet.

The Red Raider defense is better but to ask it to hold OU, OK State, Baylor, Texas, or Iowa State to 25 points or less each week is unrealistic.  That’s why it would seem like Duffey would give this team at least a puncher’s chance.

In the Big 12, there are more possessions per game.  So if Duffey throws a pick or two, he may still have enough opportunities to redeem himself by making some plays.  That’s why it would be nice to see Wells go with the more explosive option.

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This is a QB battle in which only one player has an elite skill and that’s Duffey and his running.  What’s more, in game-action he’s had better passing numbers than Tyner by a substantial margin.  That’s why eventually, it would not surprise anyone to see Duffey get the lion’s share of the reps, even if Tyner starts out.  For all of his flaws, he still has the ability to make big plays and put points on the board.  That’s not something Tyner has shown and it’s what this offense needs as the toughest stretch of the season begins in the worst place possible.

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