Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Players that need a strong finish to 2020

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 31: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners on October 31, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 31: Jones AT&T Stadium is pictured before the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners on October 31, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
LUBBOCK, TX – OCTOBER 20: Alan Bowman #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders calls signals at the line of scrimmage during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX – OCTOBER 20: Alan Bowman #10 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders calls signals at the line of scrimmage during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks on October 20, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

Alan Bowman

It certainly feels as if we are witnessing the make-or-break moment of QB Alan Bowman‘s career as a Red Raider.  After being benched earlier this season, he’s now likely the starter for the final two games of the year, and how he performs could determine his fate in Lubbock.

At some point, Tech has to figure out the QB position if this program is ever going to return to relevance.  The inability to do that in the post-Patrick Mahomes era is the main reason why this program has fallen to the bottom of the Big 12 hierarchy.

But what is going to be different about 2021 is that there are going to be viable options on the roster other to compete with Bowman.  Four-star incoming recruit Behren Morton is the most highly-regarded QB commit Tech has landed since Graham Harrell and current true freshman, Donovan Smith is a dynamic dual-threat QB with a huge arm who must not be counted out in this offseason’s inevitable QB competition.

Thus, it would behoove Bowman to put his best foot forward to close out 2020.  After all, playing well in actual Big 12 games would be the best way for him to get a leg up in the race before the competition begins.

While everyone in the nation should be able to torch the Kansas defense, Bowman will face a huge test next weekend in Stillwater.  The Oklahoma State defense is tied for tops in the conference in scoring defense at 17.8 points allowed per contest and that’s not going to make life easy for whichever Tech QB gets the start.

But great challenges provide great opportunities and should Bowman put his best foot forward against the Cowboys, it would do wonders for his potential future with the Red Raiders.  Right now, his stock might be at its lowest point of his college career but he has two opportunities to improve the way his coaching staff views him.  Thus, the final two games of 2020 could be the two most important games of his football career.

Home/Texas Tech Football