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Texas Tech football: The top Red Raider from each season of the Big 12 era

By Matthew Conner

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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Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie celebrates 45-31 victory over Cal in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Texas Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie celebrates 45-31 victory over Cal in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) /

2004: Sonny Cumbie

Our third-straight QB to be the best Red Raider in a given season is Sonny Cumbie who made the most of his lone opportunity to start, 2004.  That year, the Snyder, Texas native put up 4,742 yards and 38 TDs through the air.

Don’t forget that to get the opportunity to start after four years on the bench, the former walk-on had to bead out five-star JUCO QB Robert Johnson, the top JUCO signal-caller in the nation in 2003.  But that’s exactly what he did.

Along the way, he helped put up 70 points against both TCU and Nebraska in two of the most memorable games in Texas Tech football history.  What’s more, he engineered a huge upset of Aaron Rogers and No. 4 Cal in the Holiday Bowl to end that season.

In that game, he passed for a career-high 520 yards to go along with three TDs and no picks.  It was one of six times he went beyond the 400-yard plateau.

That season, Cumbie had two 1,000-yard receivers in Jarrett Hicks and Joel Filani.  He also had the luxury of playing next to Taurean Henderson in the backfield.  The best RB of the Leach era put up 1,126 total yards and 18 TDs to play Robin to Cumbie’s Batman.

In other words, Cumbie had a loaded stable of talent around him (including the likes of Danny Amendola and Nehemiah Glover).  But as the best player on the team that year, the once-overlooked former walk-on was the catalyst for a surprisingly good season.

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