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Texas Tech football: 5 questions to be answered on Saturday night vs. Houston

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during a timeout huddle during the second half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Matt Wells of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during a timeout huddle during the second half of the college football game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 23, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Nov 28, 2020; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Jason Taylor II (25) returns an onside kick attempt for a touchdown past Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Krishon Merriweather (1) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2020; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Jason Taylor II (25) returns an onside kick attempt for a touchdown past Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Krishon Merriweather (1) at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Terry-USA TODAY Sports /

Is this defense appreciably better?

Perhaps the most burning question that has to be answered this week revolves around the Texas Tech defense.   And it’s a simple question.  Is this defensive really better than those of the past decade in Lubbock?

But the simplest questions almost never have the simplest of answers.  And this one is no different.

On paper, this defense is lightyears ahead of some of the defenses that this program has rolled out in the “Air Raid” era.  In fact, it is hard to point to one single position group on that side of the ball that is truly lacking.

The presence of several super seniors and the addition of at least five Power 5 transfers has bolstered DC Keith Patterson’s squad.  What’s more, Tech is going to have more depth and more quality options on defense than any time in recent memory.

But the other side of that coin is that the 2020 defense wasn’t all that great.  In fact, it ranked just 99th in the nation in total defense.

So how good can this year’s defense really be?  Returning eight of last season’s starters is nice but simply returning starters from a bad defense is no guarantee that the next version of that defense is going to be appreciably better.

Many believe that transfer safeties Marquis Waters and Regie Pearson could be difference-makers while transfer corners Malik Dunlap and Rayshad Williams are both over 6-foot-2 and give the secondary some size to cover larger receivers and tight ends, something that has been an issue for Tech in recent years.

But the linebackers and defensive linemen that Tech will trot out on Saturday night are the same players that we saw last year (with a few exceptions).  Have they taken a step forward?  Did an offseason of development make a serious difference in their games?  Those are answers we will start to get on Saturday night.

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