Texas Tech football: Oregon has tons of star power for Tech to contend with

Texas Tech will have its hands full with Oregon Heisman hopeful Bo Nix

Any player with multiple multi-story billboards of himself in New York City has to be a fairly big deal.  That’s especially true of a player who plays his home games on the West Coast like Oregon QB Bo Nix.

To try to jumpstart a Heisman Trophy campaign for Nix, Oregon has put up billboards in New York City, partially as an homage to the billboards they put up for former Ducks QB Joey Harrington in 2001.

Nix is one of the best QBs in the country and he leads an offense that put up 81 points last week (albeit against Portland St.).  He will be a true test for the Red Raider defense to handle.

If it feels as if Nix has been in college since the start of the Obama Administration, it is because he’s been a starter at the Power 5 level since he stepped on a campus.  He spent three years leading the Auburn offense where he made 34 starts from 2019-2021 but he never lived up to the massive expectations in his home state.

Now in his second year at Oregon, he’s looking to finally have the type of breakthrough success that has been just out of his grasp for the last four seasons.  Always close to leading his team to a conference title, he’s never risen to the level that many have expected him to as a top-20 QB recruit coming out of high school.

Last year, the Alabama native passed for 3,593 yards and 29 TDs, which were both career highs.  What’s more, he was picked off only seven times despite throwing 409 passes.

Maybe what was most impressive about his 2022 season was his 71.9% completion rate.  That’s Graham Harrell-esque.

It will be imperative that Tech puts pressure on Nix this weekend.  If he’s allowed to stand in the pocket, he will pick apart even the best defenses.

What should frighten Tech fans though is that Nix can also use his feet, just like Wyoming QB Andrew Peasley did last week.  In 2022, Nix ran for 510 yards and 14 more scores proving that he is a true dual-threat.  If Tech is going to win this game, Nix has to be held in check.  But given how well he uses his right arm and his feet, that’s going to be a tall task for the Red Raiders.