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Texas Tech football: Three backups deserving of game balls vs. KSU

By Matthew Conner

Sep 12, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; A Texas Tech Red Raiders football is seen on the field before a game against the Houston Baptist Huskies at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; A Texas Tech Red Raiders football is seen on the field before a game against the Houston Baptist Huskies at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 3, 2020; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Henry Colombi (3) passes the ball during a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2020; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Henry Colombi (3) passes the ball during a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

QB  Henry Colombi

Making his Texas Tech football debut, backup QB Henry Colombi was the brightest spot of the afternoon.  Taking the place of the injured Alan Bowman in the first quarter, the Utah State transfer completed 30-42 passes for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

As the day progressed, the junior grew increasingly comfortable at the helm and his ability to use his legs (he ran 8 times for 40 yards) added a new dimension to the offense.  In fact, in the second half, he led Tech to three-straight touchdown drives coming out of the locker room, and during that time, the offense looked more cohesive and in rhythm than it has for any sustained period of time under Alan Bowman this season.

"“I thought Henry came in and played well,” head coach Matt Wells said in Saturday’s postgame press conference.  “I think early in the game [he was] maybe a little rushed in terms of his timing but I thought he really slowed down, the game slowed down for him.  He threw some balls into some tight windows, made some good decisions, made some really good checks, and scrambled.  I thought he came in and played well.”"

Considering that Colombi had yet to have any reps in a game for the Red Raiders, he equipped himself as well as anyone could have expected.  What’s more, he gave his team a 4th-quarter lead and that’s all you can ask from a second-string QB.

It was telling that Colombi got the nod over redshirt freshman Maverick McIvor.  Many thought that McIvor entered the fall with a leg up in the race for the No. 2 job behind Bowman but he has since been surpassed by Colombi and game experience may have played a role in that decision.

While at Utah State, Colombi appeared in 11 games attempting 69 passes.  Meanwhile, McIvor has never played in a college football game after sitting out last season with a broken foot.  In fact, he has played only a game and a half of football in his last two-plus seasons thanks to a blown-out knee he sustained in his senior year of high school.

Now we wait to find out if it will be Colombi or Bowman getting the start Saturday at Iowa State with Wells saying Monday that Bowman is day-to-day with an ankle sprain.  Fortunately, we saw enough from Colombi on Saturday to believe that if he is the QB 1 against the Cyclones, he cane make enough plays to keep Tech in the ballgame.

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