Texas Tech football: What Alan Bowman has to prove in 2020

6 of 6

Alan Bowman #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

He can beat Power 5 teams with consistency

One of the biggest concerns about Bowman thus far is the fact that he’s been able to rack up huge stats against non-Power 5 teams while often struggling in other games. In fact, there’s a stark contrast between what he’s been able to do against major opponents and those not in one of the five main conferences.

More from Wreck'Em Red

In four games against teams from outside the Power 5 leagues, his average completion percentage has been 75.9%. In those contests, he’s averaged exactly 400 yards per game while throwing 12 touchdowns and only one interception.

But in his seven games against major conference opponents, a different picture emerges. His average completion percentage falls to 60.7% while his yards per game is just 341.6 (when you take out the two games he left due to injury). Most problematic is the fact that he’s thrown nine picks in seven career games against Power 5 teams.

What’s more, the only Power 5 teams he’s beaten are Oklahoma State and Kansas. He looked like he was on his way towards engineering an upset of Oklahoma in Lubbock in his final game of 2018 as he had 227 yards and two TD passes in the first half while staking his team to a lead at the break. But still, we can’t assume that game was going to fall Tech’s way and he’s yet to secure a critical win outside of helping the Red Raiders beat Houston and Oklahoma State in back-to-back weeks as a true freshman.

Next. The all-time Houston-area Texas Tech football team. dark

A record of just 2-4 in games against major opponents is not going to cut it. That projects to just a 4-8 record over the course of a 12-game season and we lived through that type of futility last fall. Hopefully, Bowman’s return will usher in better times in 2020.

Home/Texas Tech Football