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Texas Tech football: Predicting all 12 games in 2022

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 13: A model pumpjack sits on the sideline during the first half of the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 13, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 13: A model pumpjack sits on the sideline during the first half of the college football game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Iowa State Cyclones at Jones AT&T Stadium on November 13, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Receiver Trey Cleveland #85 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs a reception for a touchdown 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 Trey Cleveland #85 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs a reception for a touchdown 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) /

Texas Tech vs. West Virginia

A return home to Lubbock after back-to-back losses is just what the Red Raiders will need as they open the second half of the season.  And their opponent, West Virginia, will be one that they have recently owned.  That trend will continue in 2022.

The Mountaineers are simply going to be a run-of-the-mill Big 12 team this year.  Some also suggest that will be Tech’s fate as well.  But in this game, Tech will have the more dynamic offense and that will give McGuire’s team more room for error.

WVU is depending on Georgia transfer J.T. Daniels to man the QB position.  Can he lead the Mountaineers to a bowl win after losing the job in Athens to former walk-on Stetson Bennett?

In the end, Daniels will prove to be just a guy and that won’t be good enough in the new offense of Graham Harrell, who will be leading the Mountaineer offense for the first time.  And what’s worse for the Mountaineers is that they won’t have 2021’s leading rusher, Leddie Brown, to take the pressure off of the passing game.

But WVU still has a daunting defensive line led by Dante Stills at defensive tackle.  On the other hand, though, their secondary returns only one starter from last year and that’s where Tech will have to attack.

This game will be decided by the Tech offensive line.  If they can keep Shough clean, he should pick apart a bad Mountaineer secondary.

By this point in the season, there will be no excuses for the Tech o-line.  Either it will have gelled and proven to be a reliable unit or it will get torched by a fierce Mountaineer pass rush.

Ultimately, I think Tech’s line has the ability to be good enough to keep the Mountaineers at bay.  Tech will pick up a hard-fought and much-needed win at home to move to 4-3.

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