Texas Tech football: Ranking the 10 best QB seasons of “Air Raid” era

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes II #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders warming up before the game against the Baylor Bears on November 25, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 54-35. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes II #5 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders warming up before the game against the Baylor Bears on November 25, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Baylor 54-35. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
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Seth Doege #7 of Texas Tech looks to pass against D.L. White #95 and Aaron Hill #57 of Minnesota  (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
Seth Doege #7 of Texas Tech looks to pass against D.L. White #95 and Aaron Hill #57 of Minnesota  (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

No. 10:  Doege in 2012

If you gave most Texas Tech football fans three chances to guess who the 4th-leading passer in Red Raider history is, how many do you think would correctly identify Seth Doege?  Likely only the most astute.

With 8,646 passing yards and 69 TD passes, he ranks fourth in program history in both categories.  He trails only three of the biggest Big 12 legends Tech has ever produced, Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, and Pat Mahomes.

His 4,205 yards, 39 TDs, and16 INTs as a senior in 2012 start off our countdown.  That year, he averaged 324.2 yards per game, which at the time was third-best for any Red Raider QB ever.

Leading the Big 12 in completions (380) and TDs, he helped Tech to an 8-5 season and a victory in the Texas Bowl over Minnesota.  But what stands out most from his work that year was his 70.2% completion rate, second in the Big 12.  That number underscores just how accurate of a passer the Wolfforth product was for the Red Raiders.

That season, he surpassed the 300-yard mark nine times.  His best game was an electrifying 499-yard, 6 TD performance at home in a 49-14 upset of No. 5 West Virginia.  He also had a big day against Kansas with 473 yards and 3 TDs as well as 318 yards and 7 TDs in a road win over TCU.

Seth Doege doesn’t get the type of hype that Mahomes, Harrell, Kingsbury, or Symons get when it comes to his place as an all-time great.  But he was a steady QB who helped the Red Raiders to two bowl wins and his 2012 season was one of the best in program history.