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Texas Tech football: How former Red Raiders performed in 2019

By Matthew Conner

BOULDER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 05: Tony Brown #18 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball after catching a pass against the Arizona Wildcats in the first quarter at Folsom Field on October 05, 2019 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
BOULDER, COLORADO - OCTOBER 05: Tony Brown #18 of the Colorado Buffaloes carries the ball after catching a pass against the Arizona Wildcats in the first quarter at Folsom Field on October 05, 2019 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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Deante Gray #20 of the TCU Horned Frogs, Joseph Wallace #97 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Deante Gray #20 of the TCU Horned Frogs, Joseph Wallace #97 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Joseph Wallace: Sam Houston State

Most would agree that defensive tackle Joseph Wallace would be the player on this list most missed by the Texas Tech football team in 2019.  That’s because he was a nice starter for the Red Raiders in 2018 and could have helped sure up one of this year’s greatest defensive flaws, the lack of depth on the defensive front.

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Unfortunately, the 310-pound tackle was another player who was dismissed from the team by Wells last offseason after which he landed at Sam Houston State.  For the Bearkats, the junior saw action in 8 games registering 21 tackles, four sacks, and forcing three fumbles.

Throughout his first season as defensive coordinator, Keith Patterson struggled to field a two-deep rotation along the defensive front seven and Wallace could have helped in that regard. In 2018, he made 37 tackles and two sacks as a sophomore while proving one of the program’s most active defensive linemen.

Without him, Nick McCann got the starting job at nose guard in the middle of the 3-man front but injuries slowed him at times this year and as a result, he finished with just 12 tackles in seven games.  Fortunately, redshirt freshman Jaylon Hutchings filled in surprisingly well with 26 tackles and a sack.

But there were times when Tech had only one true nose tackle healthy for games, such as the Arizona game in week three.  When that was the case, the Red Raider defense was vulnerable to the run and usually wore down in the second half.

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Joseph Wallace would have been a nice player to have in the middle of this defensive line to give Patterson another large and rather nimble tackle to at least give the team some quality snaps throughout games.  But like so many players on this list, the Dallas native was unable to handle his business away from the field and as a result, his former teammates were the ones that suffered.

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