Grading the Red Raider defense
The defensive line: D
The most disappointing aspect of the defense on Saturday was the fact that the Red Raider defensive line was essentially neutralized by a Kansas State o-line that has five new starters this season.
In fact, the Red Raiders managed only one sack and three QB pressures. But in fairness, KSU did attempt just 22 passes on the day.
But where the line was most exposed was in the ground game. Entering the contest, the Wildcats were last in the Big 12 in rushing at under 80 yards per game. But on Saturday, they ran for 198.
Time and again, the Red Raider D-line was unable to set the edge and keep Vaughn from getting loose. What’s more, Tech managed to come up with just four tackles per loss all day and that falls at the feet of the line, which was unable to be a disruptive force.
The linebackers: D
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The Red Raider linebackers were also non-factors for the most part on Saturday. Of course, you would think that when a team runs the ball 42 times as K-State did, the linebackers would play a huge role. But Tech’s didn’t.
Middle linebacker Krishon Merriweather did lead the team with seven tackles. But the next most impactful LB was Colin Schooler, who had just four stops.
Meanwhile, Riko Jeffers was unable to make an impact given that he was ejected in the first half after being flagged for targeting. That was a huge loss for the defense.
In all, the linebackers had just three tackles for loss. What’s more, they came up with no sacks and they were repeatedly beaten to the edge by Vaughn. It was not a strong showing from a group that was actually rather impressive at times against the Longhorns a week prior.
The secondary: B
Granted, the KSU receiving corps is less than dominant. In fact, it might be the worst in the Big 12. But the same could be said about the Texas Tech secondary.
In all, the Red Raider defensive backfield held up its end of the bargain in Manhattan. No KSU wide receiver had more than two catches or 16 yards and they failed to get loose like so many receivers have against the Red Raider defensive backs in recent years.
Of course, one of the game’s biggest plays came as a result of a mistake by Tech safety Eric Monroe, who didn’t have the good sense to just push KSU tight end, Briley Moore, out of bounds rather than trying to punch the ball out of his hands from behind on Moore’s game-changing 66-yard catch and run in the fourth quarter.
Still, this game represented a nice step forward for the Red Raider secondary. There were no free-running wide receivers as we’ve seen so often this year. There were no egregious pass interference penalties as has become the norm for the Tech defensive backs. And were it not for the complete brain cramp by Monroe, the Red Raider secondary might have earned an “A”. As it is, they still deserve a nice “B” for their pay in Manhattan.