Texas Tech football: Mountaineer defenders that could be a problem this weekend

The Stills brothers are a load to handle on the defensive line

Upfront, it all begins with the Stills brothers.  And whether or not the Red Raiders can keep them from living in the backfield will be the key to this weekend’s game.

First, there is senior Darius.  The 285-pounder has 9.5 career sacks, 2.5 of which have come this year.  What’s more, he has 21 career tackles for loss.  And his 5.5 this year rank third in the Big 12.

His younger brother, Dante, is a junior who has three tackles for loss this year.  And though the 280-pounder has yet to register a sack this year, he’s more than a capable pass rusher as evidenced by the eight sacks he had in 2019.

To understand just how this tandem can take over a game, we have to look no further than WVU’s OT victory over Baylor.  That afternoon, Darius registered 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss while Dante was credited with three tackles including one for loss.

Look for Darius to move all over the defensive line this week.  WVU has taken to experimenting with him at defensive end in addition to his typical defensive tackle spot and that could put him in one-on-one with Tech’s tackles, which is a matchup the Mountaineers would feel confident in.

Last season, in a 38-17 victory in Morgantown, the Red Raiders kept the Stills in check.  The brothers combined for just five total tackles (none for loss) and they registered no sacks or QB pressures. If Tech can do that great of a job against them again this year, it will be huge in giving Colombi time to distribute the football.