Texas Tech football: 3 Red Raiders that have been pleasant surprises in 2020

Jacob Morgenstern

To say that anyone on the Texas Tech defense has been stellar this year would be a stretch.  After all, Tech ranks last in the Big 12 in total both total defense and pass defense.

But one player who has given us more than we expected when the season began has been Jacob Morgenstern.  So far, the outside linebacker has made 13 tackles with three of those being for loss giving him the second-most stops behind the line of scrimmage on the team.

Remember that the New York native was primarily only a special teams player while at Duke.  In fact, during his two years with the Blue Devils, he was credited with only eight tackles total.

But this year, he’s playing in a defensive system that better fits his skill set as he’s not being asked to play inside LB.  Thus, he’s been free to make plays using his athleticism and speed.

Morgenstern has already had two multiple-tackle games this year with four against Texas and three against Iowa State.  What’s more, against the Longhorns he had a blocked punt and in each of the last three games, he’s had a tackle for loss.

This is a player who isn’t going to jump off the stat sheet at us, at least not with the numbers he’s put up so far.  He isn’t going to threaten for All-Big 12 recognition nor is he going to be a player that the casual fan knows by name.

But he is making some impactful plays and not just in the kicking game.  He’s proving to be a key cog in what Tech is trying to do defensively and it’s the first time in his college career that he’s had a regular role outside of being a special teams ace.

That was all we expected of Morgenstern when he came to Lubbock because that’s all he had been at Duke.  But he’s made the most of his opportunity and he’s carved out a nice role for himself as a starting linebacker.