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Texas Tech football: Statistical goals for the 2020 offense

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Offensive Coordinator David Yost of Texas Tech watches pregame warmups before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Offensive Coordinator David Yost of Texas Tech watches pregame warmups before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Running back SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs the ball during the first half of the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Running back SaRodorick Thompson #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs the ball during the first half of the college football game against the Iowa State Cyclones on October 19, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

37 rushing attempts per game

David Yost wants to run the football.  It’s why he has a tight end on the field at all times.  But last year, Tech was just 103rd nationally in rushing attempts per game at 33.1 and that was with a mobile QB in Jett Duffey running the offense for nine games.  (Though given the injury woes at QB, Yost didn’t call many designed runs last year.)

This year, the team should strive for 37 rushing attempts per game.  That would provide the offense with the type of balance that Yost prefers and the type of balance that would theoretically make it tougher for the opposing defenses to defend the Red Raider attack.

In 2019, 37 rushing attempts per game would have ranked 64th nationally.  And in 2018, when Yost had such a dynamic offense at Utah State, his team averaged 36.3 carries per game, 90th in the country.

This year, there is reason for Yost to run the ball more liberally given the depth in the backfield that his offense now boasts.  With four scholarship RBs on the roster and ready to contribute, there will be less of a concern about wearing out SaRodorick Thompson as was such a concern last year when at times, he was the only healthy scholarship RB Tech suited up.

Running the ball has become something that is almost controversial among Texas Tech football fans over the last two decades as we’ve come to derive our identity from the forward pass.  But doing so this year will benefit the team significantly by protecting the injury-prone Alan Bowman while also helping prevent the two new starting tackles from being exposed in pass protection, especially early.

So let’s see if Yost can stay as dedicated to the ground attack as he was in 2018.  If he does, his 2020 offense could be one of the most dynamic he’s had in his long and successful career as a play-caller.

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