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Texas Tech football: What we want to see vs. Houston Baptist

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 07: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Defensive back Zech McPhearson #8 high fives defensive back Douglas Coleman III #3 of Texas Tech of 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)
Defensive back Zech McPhearson #8 high fives defensive back Douglas Coleman III #3 of Texas Tech of 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) /

Improvement in the secondary

On the other side of the football lies the greatest concern for this Red Raider roster, the secondary.  That group has been remodeled this year and it is time to see if the shuffling of the pieces and one key addition will yield better results.

In all, the Red Raiders have only one starter from last year returning in the same position he played in 2019.  That’s senior corner Zech McPhearson who is Tech’s best cover man.

Thus, the Red Raiders are hoping for better results than the 307 yards per game they allowed through the air last year.  And the will be tested right away.

Last week, HBU completed 39 passes for 480 yards and 3 TDs.  They have a senior QB and a tandem of experienced and productive wide receivers that will challenge the Red Raider pass defense.

What we want to see tonight is a lack of free-running receivers knifing through the secondary as was so often the case last fall.  That’s where newcomer Eric Monroe, a transfer safety from LSU, could be key.  He’s drawn rave reviews from coaches and teammates alike during fall camp and he needs to be the steadying presence at the back of this year’s defense.

There’s precious little time for this rebuilt defensive backfield to gel with only one game before Texas comes to town to open Big 12 play.  So pay close attention to how the secondary performs as a cohesive unit this evening because that’s the biggest concern this roster has as the 2020 season opens.

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