Texas Tech football: Donovan Smith highlights players to watch vs. Houston

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Sep 3, 2022; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders Raider Red greets fans on the Raiderwalk before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Murray State Racers at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Monroe Mills has to handle the Houston edge rush

In all actuality, the entire Texas Tech offensive line will be worth watching this weekend because Houston has a host of players capable of getting to the QB. But the player that we’ll need to keep the closest eye on will be Monroe Mills.

The right tackle will be making just his second collegiate start this week. What’s more, he’s played fewer than 75 college snaps between his time at Tech and his previous stint at Oklahoma State.

Therefore, if Houston is going to try to exploit one of Tech’s offensive linemen, it will likely be Mills. Can he handle the uptick in competition this week?

We have to feel pretty good about the left side of Tech’s o-line. Left tackle Caleb Rogers has started for parts of three seasons now and left guard Weston Wright is the team’s most experienced lineman.

But from center Dennis Wilburn to right guard Landon Peterson to Mills, there simply isn’t much experience. That doesn’t mean that Tech is in for a rough day on Saturday, it just means that those players have to prove they are ready to neutralize big-time defensive linemen.

Last week against a decent UTSA team, Houston had three sacks, six tackles for loss, and five more QB pressures. This opponent will present a tremendous challenge for Monroe Mills and his fellow o-linemen and how they handle it will be the story of the game.

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