Texas Tech center Rusty Staats has a big task in front of him
There will be a number of Red Raiders making their debut for the program on Saturday including center, Rusty Staats. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Tennessee native is a transfer from Western Kentucky where he played for Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley in 2021.
With 45 college appearances under his belt (including 27 starts), Staats should not be overwhelmed by the moment. However, he will have to deal with one of Wyoming’s best players on a down-by-down basis.
6-foot-4, 290-pound Wyoming nose tackle Cole Godbout is a perennial All-Mountain West caliber player. Though he was limited to only seven games last year due to injury, he still made 32 tackles, had 11 quarterback hurries, 4.5 tackles for loss, and one pass breakup.
Now, he’s recovered from a foot injury that cost him the final six games of the 2022 regular season and he could be a disruptive force on Saturday. Last season, he played well against two of the better teams Wyoming faced, Illinois and BYU. In both games, he was credited with five tackles, and against the Cougars, he had 2.5 tackles for loss.
Of course, dealing with Godbout will be something that all three Red Raider interior linemen must face. Fortunately, with left guard Cole Spencer (also a Western Kentucky transfer who is making his Red Raider debut on Saturday) and right guard Dennis Wilburn flanking Staats on either side, many believe the strength of the offensive line will be up the middle.
Staats will be the key though. As the player who makes the calls for the entire line and who sets the protection scheme prior to each snap, he has a critical role to play, one that will require mental and physical excellence.
He doesn’t get to ease into things either with a tough Wyoming defensive line waiting for him on Saturday. So keep an eye on the middle of the Tech O-line to see how Staats is able to perform in his Red Raider debut.