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Texas Tech football: Red Raiders add Duke grad transfer LB

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leaves the field after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leaves the field after the college football game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on October 05, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Thursday, the Texas Tech football program picked up a commitment from grad transfer linebacker Jacob Morgenstern, formerly of Duke.

Good football teams almost always seem to have quality special teams play.  Unfortunately, that’s an area of the game that has been an issue for the Texas Tech football program for years.

To try to help remedy that issue, Matt Wells is bringing Duke grad transfer Jacob Morgenstern into the fold.  The 6-foot-4, 215-pound outside LB from Connecticut is known primarily as a special teams contributor and he could help the Red Raiders sure up their kick coverage unit.

Last year, Morgenstern earned the Bill Keziah Award as Duke’s special teams player of the year according to his bio on the official Duke football website.  He was credited with five special teams tackles, which led the team.

But often, quality special teams play isn’t just about who makes the tackle.  As is often the case with the other aspects of the game, special teams coverage requires every player on the kicking team to be in the right place in relation to his teammates to ensure that huge return lanes are not opened up.

That was a problem for the Red Raiders in 2019 as they ranked just 125th out of 130 teams in the nation and last in the Big 12 by allowing an average of 26.5 yards per return on kickoffs.  And you can point to two big returns that turned games against the guys in the Scarlet and Black.

In the double-OT loss to Baylor, Tech gave up a 60-yard kickoff return to open the second half.  At that point, Baylor had managed just three points in the game but after being set up at the Tech 36 to open the third quarter, the Bears marched into the endzone in just five plays to take a 10-6 lead.   That return energized what had been a lethargic crowd and gave the home team a spark that would help carry them to the win.

It got worse in November’s 30-27 loss to Kansas State in Lubbock.  That night, one of the turning points in the game was a 100-yard kickoff return TD by the Wildcats Josh Youngblood to put his team ahead 20-10 in the third quarter.

Of course, this problem also bit the 2018 team.   In the first game of the season, Ole Miss got a 94-yard TD return from Jaylon Jones on the second possession of the game to put the Rebels up 14-7 after Tech had tied the game by answering Ole MIss’ game-opening TD drive with a score of their own.   That play proved costly as it provided the first six of 17 unanswered points that put the Red Raiders in a hole they would never climb out of.

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Thus, don’t overlook the impact that a player like Morgenstern could make for the Red Raiders.  By taking over a spot on the kickoff and punt coverage units, he can not only give a starter like Riko Jeffers a breather but he can bring some much-needed special teams coverage ability to a program that has seen the kicking game prove to be it’s demise far too often.

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