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Texas Tech football: Freshmen impress in week one

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 12: Quarterback Alan Bowman of the Texas Tech Red Raiders hands the ball to running back Tahj Brooks #28 during the first half of the college football game against the Houston Baptist Huskies on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 12: Quarterback Alan Bowman of the Texas Tech Red Raiders hands the ball to running back Tahj Brooks #28 during the first half of the college football game against the Houston Baptist Huskies on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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The field is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Houston Baptist Huskies on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
The field is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Houston Baptist Huskies on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

In this year’s season-opener against Houston Baptist, these freshmen were impressive for the Texas Tech football team.

Typically, freshmen look forward to the game each year when the Texas Tech football program faces an FCS team because it is almost certain to provide them opportunities to see the field.  Technically, that proved to be the case again on Saturday night but the difference was that the contributions of each freshman that played were essential in an all-too-close 35-33 win over Houston Baptist.

Normally, freshmen make their debuts under much less taxing of circumstances when one of the early-season games turns into a blowout.  But this contest proved to be the opposite.  And it was reminiscent of a Texas Tech game from back in 2014.

That year, the Red Raiders had to sweat out a 42-35 win over FCS member Central Arkansas in Lubbock to open the season.  Because of the fact that Tech was unable to put the Bears away, starting QB Davis Webb had to play the entire game meaning that true freshman backup QB Patrick Mahomes did not get to see the field.  In fact, he also didn’t get any reps a week later as Tech eeked out a 30-26 win over UTEP in El Paso.

Thus, Mahomes had to make his collegiate debut in that season’s first Big 12 game at Oklahoma State.  And Tech fans likely remember that on Mahomes’ first pass attempt, he was picked off after dropping the snap.  How invaluable would it have been for the then-freshman to have had some extra reps in a live game in his back pocket rather than being baptized by fire in the fourth quarter of a 10-point game in one of the more difficult road environments in the Big 12?

Now, Tech is in a similar situation with Big 12 play set to start in two weeks and no time to get any action for redshirt freshman QB Maverick McIvor, who has yet to make his college debut.  Thus, one has to wonder if that would give Utah State transfer Henry Colombi an edge should the oft-injured Alan Bowman go down at some point this year.

But while the backup QBs were not seen in week one, a handful of freshmen made their debut and performed well.  Thus, let’s take a look at the contributions of some of the newest Red Raiders in their first action for the Scarlet and Black.

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