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Texas Tech football: Red Raiders will beat Kansas tonight if…

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 20: Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gets by Keith Loneker Jr. #47 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the game on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 48-16. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - OCTOBER 20: Ta'Zhawn Henry #26 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders gets by Keith Loneker Jr. #47 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the game on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Kansas 48-16. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

…Pooka is kept below 100 yards rushing

Pooka Williams is to Kansas football as wind is to a windmill.  Thus, keeping him from going off is rather important.

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This year, he’s run for 100 yards three times.  In those three games, KU has averaged 38.6 points per game.  In the three games he failed to crack the century mark, the Jayhawks scored 15 p.p.g.

Therefore, it is easy to set a goal for the Red Raiders of 99 yards or less for Kansas’ star.  And to do that, Tech could follow the example set by TCU.

In their 51-14 win over KU in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs got off to a 38-0 lead by halftime.  Therefore, Pooka was a non-factor with a season-low 8 carries for 12 yards.

Forced to play catch-up and throw the ball to have any hope of getting back in the game, KU ran the ball with Pooka just once in the second half.  Though he is a capable receiver who has 18 receptions this year, Tech would much rather see him utilized as a pass-catcher than as a workhorse on the ground.

Of course, jumping out to a big early lead will serve multiple purposes for Tech.  It will discourage what partisan crowd is actually on hand (the first half attendance should be respectable given that this is KU’s homecoming and apparently, there are still people that care about a college homecoming) while also diminishing any fight the home team has.  But most importantly, it will keep the home team from using its best weapon in the manner that it wants.

Jordyn Brooks, Riko Jeffers, and the rest of the linebackers are going to have to be quick to get to the edge of the line of scrimmage tonight because that’s where Pooks makes most of his living.  It will also be important for the safeties to be strong run-stoppers and tackle better than they did last week against ISU’s Breece Hall.

If that happens and Pooka doesn’t run wild, Tech will be in great shape.  When he doesn’t reach the 100-yard mark, his team struggles to score so keeping him short of that will be vital for the Red Raiders.

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