Texas Tech football: 3 predictions for Red Raiders vs. Texas

Tyler Shough will outplay Casey Thompson by a wide margin

Not since the days of Pat Mahomes has Texas Tech had a sizeable advantage over Texas at the QB position.  But that’s what Tech should have today as Tyler Shough will outplay Casey Thompson.

If you look at the two players, it is easy to see which one has been in big games before and which one is still figuring out who he is as a starting QB.  Shough will be making his 13th start as a collegiate and included among his career starts is a PAC 12 championship game and a bowl game.

Meanwhile, Thompson has made just one start and that was against hapless Rice.  Now, in that game, he was 15 of 18 for 164 yards and two TDs while being picked off just once.  However, the Owls’ defense is a far cry from the Red Raiders’ defense.

But while Tech fans can be confident in Shough’s advantage over Thompson, what might determine which QB gets the better of this matchup could be the respective offensive lines of each team.  That’s because each program still has yet to see its o-line prove to be stout in pass protection.

Tech is allowing 1.33 sacks per game while Texas is giving up an even 2.0.  Will that stat slant heavily in one team’s favor today?  If so, it might completely alter this QB matchup.

Still, look for Shough to be the better QB.  He has more natural talent, better receivers, and more experience.  Thus, he will outplay his counterpart this afternoon and that will be a huge advantage for Tech.