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Texas Tech football: Spooky possibilities for Red Raider fans to consider

By Matthew Conner

LONDON - OCTOBER 31: A child enjoys traditional candle-lit Halloween pumpkins on October 31, 2007 in London. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
LONDON - OCTOBER 31: A child enjoys traditional candle-lit Halloween pumpkins on October 31, 2007 in London. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

Keith Patterson may be as bad of a defensive coordinator as David Gibbs

For years, former Texas Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs was a divisive figure among Tech fans.  Some saw him as the best DC the program had been led by since Art Kaufman in 2012 while others considered him overrated and borderline incompetent.

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The truth lies somewhere in the middle but there’s no denying that his efforts were not good enough.  In his four seasons on the job, his defenses had an average total defense ranking of 116.5 and allowed 498.6 yards per game.  Through the air, they ranked on average 123rd and gave up 288.3 yards per game.

That’s eerily close to the way the Red Raiders have performed this year.  They currently sit 116th in total defense by giving up 460.5 yards per game.  What’s more, they are 122nd against the pass by being burned for 284.9 yards each week.

In other words, this year’s defense would be right in the middle of the four that Gibbs turned out in his tenure.  Keith Patterson’s unit would be better than the 2015-16 defenses but worse than the 2017-18 versions.

When Tech made a coaching change, we hoped that life would be different in a number of ways.  Chief among them was the desire to have a competent defense.  That’s not been the case through eight games as the side of the ball that’s been this program’s shame for nearly two decades has come no closer to being an asset.

Want to lose even more sleep?  Consider that after this season, Tech will lose leading tackler Jordyn Brooks, the nation’s interception leader Douglas Coleman, and team leader Broderick Washington.  Thus, is there cause to believe that next year’s results will be any better?  It doesn’t seem so.

There’s reason to fear that Patterson simply isn’t going to be the man to fix this defense.  After all, he’s been an abject failure in virtually all of his seasons as a DC in a Power 5 conference.

Next. Legitimate concerns about the future of the program arise. dark

What we have to accept is that our recurring nightmare, the one in which we wake in a panic because we are being attacked by a maniacal killer and the only protection we have is the Red Raider defense, may not vanish anytime soon.  If ever there was something that should spook every Red Raider fan, it should be that unfortunate realization.

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