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Texas Tech football: Red Raiders must slow the run, value the ball vs. WVU

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 09: Quarterback Behren Morton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders throws a pass 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: Quarterback Behren Morton #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders throws a pass 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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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 10: Wide receiver Xavier White #14 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs cross the field during the game against the Houston Cougars at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 10: Wide receiver Xavier White #14 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs cross the field during the game against the Houston Cougars at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Turnovers will be key

It doesn’t take a football genius to suggest that turnovers will play a major role in this or any game.  But the reality is that Tech can’t afford to keep being one of the worst teams in the nation in that category.

So far, the Red Raiders are 127th nationally and last in the Big 12 in turnover margin at -1.17 per game.  That’s no way to win football games.

Only once in the season’s first six games has Tech won the turnover battle.  That day, the Red Raiders were a plus-two against Texas in what was the season’s best win, the overtime victory over Texas in Lubbock.

Meanwhile, in two of West Virginia’s three losses, they have turned the ball over twice.  But in their best win of the season, last week’s defeat of Baylor, they won the turnover battle 4-1, a huge factor in that game.

Let’s see if today can finally be the day Tech reaches its weekly goal of three takeaways.  That’s something that defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s side of the ball hasn’t done thus far.

In fact, Tech is just 112th nationally in turnovers gained this year.  That’s been a big disappointment given DeRyuter’s reputation for building defenses that take the ball away at an elite level.

Today, Tech needs to bring the takeaways back into the equation while also protecting the ball.  If that happens, the West Virginia defense will likely have trouble stopping the Tech offense.

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