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Texas Tech football: What we want to see against Murray St.

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 09: Defensive lineman Tony Bradford Jr. #97 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leads the team onto the field before the college football game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 09, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 09: Defensive lineman Tony Bradford Jr. #97 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders leads the team onto the field before the college football game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 09, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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STILLWATER, OK – NOVEMBER 28: Wide receiver Loic Fouonji #19 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to get his hands around the ball against cornerback Christian Holmes #0 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU won 50-44. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK – NOVEMBER 28: Wide receiver Loic Fouonji #19 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tries to get his hands around the ball against cornerback Christian Holmes #0 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. OSU won 50-44. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

An outside receiver steps up

Finally, let’s look to see which outside receiver will step up and make a name for himself.  Sure, dominating Murray State won’t garner anyone All-American honors but a strong week-one showing would give one of Tech’s green outside receivers a huge boost of early confidence.

Loic Fouonji and Jerand Bradley will start.  Trey Cleveland, Brady Boyd, and J.J. Sparkman will likely play serious snaps as well.  Who will emerge from that group?

Look to see if Bradley can capitalize on a strong finish to last year as well as what was, by all reports, an excellent offseason for the Metroplex native.  Last year, he appeared in only three games but he had a huge 54-yard catch and run in the Liberty Bowl win over Mississippi State and that’s why people believe he’s on the verge of realizing his massive potential.

A former 4-star recruit, Bradley is a physical specimen at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.  Now, he gets his shot to be a starter for the Red Raiders and it will be interesting to see what he can do on Saturday night.

Likewise, Fouonji is getting an opportunity to start for the first time in his career.  The Midland native is now in his third year with the program but has caught just 13 passes for 237 yards and two TDs as a Red Raider.  It’s time for him to also live up to his four-star ranking as a signee in 2020.

This new Red Raider offense should be a receiver’s dream given that last year at Western Kentucky, new offensive coordinator Zach Kittley had a 1,900-yard and a 1,400-yard receiver.  Thus, the opportunities for a Tech receiver to become a star will be there.  The question is, who will take advantage?

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