Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Offensive goals the Red Raiders should reach in 2021

By Matthew Conner

Nov 28, 2020; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Erik Ezukanma (13) catches a touchdown pass in front of Oklahoma State Cowboys cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse (24) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2020; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Erik Ezukanma (13) catches a touchdown pass in front of Oklahoma State Cowboys cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse (24) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Receiver Erik Ezukanma #13 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders signals during the first half of the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Over 40% success on 3rd down

To be elite, offenses have to either be amazingly explosive and regularly score from 30, 40, 50, or more yards out or they have to be especially efficient on third down.  Last year, the Texas Tech football team saw its offense fit neither of those criteria.

While explosive plays generate the highlights and can turn a game’s fortune in an instant, the truth is that being consistent on third down is far more in a team’s control being as big plays often have a bit of randomness or luck to them.

The problem for Tech is that last year the Red Raiders were just No. 93 in the nation and No. 7 in the Big 12 on third down.  Succeeding at a rate of just 36.9% of the time, the Red Raiders struggled to find a way to stay on the field and that hurt their ability to sustain drives.

The hope here is that Shough will be able to help the Red Raiders in this regard.  But last year, he completed just 63% of his passes, which was worse than the 64.5% of passes that Alan Bowman completed.  Thus, Tech needs him to be better, especially on third down.

We also have to talk about how keeping the ball will be vital to Tech’s defensive success this year as well.  Though most believe that the 2021 Red Raiders will be better on that side of the ball, keeping them off the field as much as possible will be in Tech’s best interest.

To understand what an elite offense does on third down, let’s consider the 2016 Red Raiders, which led the country in yards per game thanks to Mahomes.  That year, Tech was third in the nation on 3rd down at 51.9%.

While that number seems impossible to ask Tech to reach this year, a great goal for Cumbie’s offense to aim for would be 40%.  Reaching that goal would have had Tech at No. 4 in the Big 12 last year and No. 66 nationally, numbers that are competitive and would give the Red Raider offense an opportunity to be one of the better units in the NCAA.

Home/Texas Tech Football