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Texas Tech football: Positions where Red Raiders will be better in 2021

ByMatthew Conner|
Dec 5, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sing the school song after the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders sing the school song after the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 14: Kicker Jonathan Garibay #46 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders kicks a field goal, held by Mark Richardson #35 during the second half of the college football game against the Baylor Bears at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 14, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 14: Kicker Jonathan Garibay #46 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders kicks a field goal, held by Mark Richardson #35 during the second half of the college football game against the Baylor Bears at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 14, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

Kicker

Finally, let’s look at a position that hasn’t been improved by the transfer portal.  But just because Texas Tech isn’t adding new talent at this critical position, it doesn’t mean that the results won’t be better than they were a year ago.

In fact, no one would blame Tech fans for believe that the placekicking has to be better just by default.  After all, even if the Red Raider kickers are just average by NCAA standards, it will be a massive step forward from what we saw in 2020.

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Between them, Jonathan Garibay and Trey Wolff connected on a mere 9 of 16 field goal attempts.  That 56.3% success rate saw Tech rank 114 out of 127 teams that played a game last season.

Wolff was the real disappointment.  After making 20-22 field goals in 2019, he entered the year on the Lou Groza watchlist, the award given annually to the nation’s best kicker. But he struggled all season making just one of five attempts before losing his job to Garibay.

Of course, Garibay made us all feel warm and fuzzy inside by hitting the game-winner against Baylor in his first game as Tech’s starting kicker.  And he would finish the year 8-11 (88%) for the year.

That when combined with the fact that Garibay has the stronger leg of the two (as evidenced by the fact that he was Tech’s primary kickoff specialist last year) is reason to believe that he will get the first shot at nailing down the kicking job this year.  However, Matt Wells has indicated that there is a true competition for that job going on in fall camp.

Still, we have to believe that whoever wins this job will be better than 56% this year.  Should that be the case, Tech might finally see some of the painfully close losses that this program has suffered in recent years turn into victories.

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