Texas Tech football: How former Red Raiders performed in 2019

McLane Carter: Rutgers

Speaking of injuries at the QB position, most remember McLane Carter for the sprained ankle he sustained in the 2018 season-opener against Ole Miss in Houston.  Cutting his second-career start short before even one quarter was over with, Carter’s misfortune opened the door for freshman Alan Bowman to establish himself as the starter for the majority of last year until his own injury gave Jett Duffey a shot to make a pair of starts before Carter stared the season finale against Baylor.

In all, Carter started just three games as a Red Raider QB and in each, he was underwhelming.  In those starts, he completed 41-87 passes (50.6%) for 533 yards, two touchdowns, and four picks with one more touchdown on the ground.

The left-handed former JUCO transfer simply lacked the arm strength needed to play the position at a Big 12 caliber level.  When he saw that he had virtually no shot at starting for the Red Raiders this year, he transferred to Rutgers where he was promised an opportunity to compete for the QB1 job.

Just like in 2018, Carter began the year as the starter in New Jersey after winning an offseason QB battle.  But also just like in 2018, he couldn’t hold down the job for long because of an injury.

In his first start of the year against UMASS, he had the best game of his career with 340 yards and two touchdowns on 21-31 passing (67.7%) but he did also have three interceptions.  But one week later, Carter’s career came to an end.

Suffering a severe concussion against Iowa after completing just 5-15 passes for 22 yards and a pick, he left the game of football permanently in October.  It is a tough reality to accept, especially for a player who had worked so hard to twice win the starting job at a Power 5 school only to see injuries rob him of his dream.