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Texas Tech football: Position groups that will be improved in 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 03: Texas Tech Red Raider mascot "Raider Red" fires his pistols during ceremonies before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 3, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma defeated Texas Tech 51-46. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - NOVEMBER 03: Texas Tech Red Raider mascot "Raider Red" fires his pistols during ceremonies before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners on November 3, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Oklahoma defeated Texas Tech 51-46. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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A Texas Tech Red Raiders assistant holds up a sign  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
A Texas Tech Red Raiders assistant holds up a sign  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

D-line

More than any other position, the defensive line is a numbers game.  Often, the key is to have plenty of decent players to roll out along the line of scrimmage rather than to have just one or two stars to rely on.

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Last year, Tech’s d-line was as thin as we’ve ever seen it and the results were as one might expect.  Years of being unable to successfully land high school prospects to replenish the depth combined with a handful of injuries to rob defensive coordinator Keith Patterson of any semblance of a true two-deep along the line.

As a result, Tech often faded in the second half as the starter wore down under the pressure of having to play 60-plus snaps per game.  Thus, the Red Raider pass defense was the worst in the Big 12 and the fourth-worst in the nation.

But this year, Tech will have plenty of suitable options to help round out its rotation.  The recruiting trail has brought three new faces in L.B. Moore, Philip Blidi, and Devin Drew, the first two being three-star high school signees and the fourth being a talented JUCO acquisition.

What’s more, 4-star 2019 signee Gilbert Ibeneme will be back in the mix after missing all of last year with an injury.  He should combine with fellow 2019 signee Tony Bradford Jr., junior Nelson Mbanasor, and senior Eli Howard to give Tech some extra options at defensive end.

At tackle, the returns of Nick McCann and Jaylon Hutchings should give the team a nice one-two combo to anchor the line.  What’s more, Tech might get John Scott III back after his missed all of last year following an incident in which he was shot at a Lubbock apartment complex pool party last summer.

Next. The Texas Tech football all-decade D-line. dark

With a solid starting lineup of Howard, Hutchings, and either Bradford or Mbanasor and enough solid backups to give the first-teamers a break, the 2019 line appears to be better suited to hold up over the course of a season.  If it is, the frustrations that we experienced as last year’s defensive line was shredded week after week could be a thing of the past.

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