Texas Tech football: Red Raiders that have not met expectations thus far

Alan Bowman

Let’s begin with the most obvious disappointment, Alan Bowman.  Entering the year, there was a healthy debate among fans as to how many starts Tech would get out of their sophomore QB given his injury history and it appears that those who were banking on the low end might be correct.

But we didn’t expect that number to be cut short by ineffectiveness.  However, he’s played so poorly in his last two-plus showings that he’s already been benched in favor of Utah State transfer Henry Colombi.

What’s odd is that Bowman got off to a nice start to the year.  Against Houston Baptist and Texas, he averaged 377.5 yards passing and a completion percentage of 66.3.

But since then, he’s fallen apart.  In his last two outings, he’s failed to complete more than 59% of his passes and he’s been unable to move the offense with any consistency (though he had only one full drive against Kansas State before leaving with an ankle injury that came off of low hit).

In his last 12 drives, Bowman and the offense have produced no points.  In fact, the last time Bowman was at the helm when the Red Raiders put points on the board was when SaRodorick Thompson galloped 75 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter of the Texas game.

But what’s been most disappointing in the way Bowman has played is the fact that he’s simply looked uncomfortable in the pocket.  Perhaps it is the residue from all of the injuries he’s sustained, perhaps it is because of his lack of live-action reps in the current offensive system, or maybe it is because of his limitations as a player but he doesn’t appear willing to hang in the pocket long enough to properly execute the offense.

Time and again, Bowman has chosen to get rid of the football to his first read, even if that receiver is covered.  And if he does go away from his first read, he simply checks the ball down to the RB in the backfield.  That’s why he’s been unable to lead the offense to any success in recent weeks.

In 2019, Jeff Duffey played well enough at QB to keep Tech in most games but he did not play well enough to produce victories.  The assumption was that Bowman would not have that problem in 2020 but so far, he’s played worse than Duffey did last fall.

Last year, Duffey averaged 315.1 yards per game while completing 65.1% of his passes while amassing a passer rating of 143.6.  This year, Bowman has averaged 284 yards per game in the three games he didn’t leave due to injury.  His completion percentage is just 64.7 and his passer rating is 131.3.  Additionally, Bowman has been intercepted four times, which is just one fewer than Duffey threw in nine games last year.

In other words, Bowman has been a downgrade at the QB position and that is a shock.  It’s also a reason for this season’s awful start.