Texas Tech football: Red Raiders that have to come up big against WVU

Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough obviously has to be better

The obvious choice for the Red Raider that needs to step up the most is QB Tyler Shough.  Not only does he need to lead his team to a win but he also needs to secure his hold on his job.

Thus far, the super-senior is playing some of the worst football we’ve seen from him in his Red Raider career.  Sure, the numbers are respectable (703 passing yards, 7 TDs, and 60.5% completions) but the four interceptions and the five total turnovers on his ledger have been backbreakers in Tech’s two losses.

What’s more, aspects of the game that can’t be measured statistically have been a problem.  He isn’t seeing the entire field and is frequently missing wide-open receivers, his pocket presence has been woeful, and his accuracy on completed passes (i.e. his ability to hit receivers in stride rather than making them have to reach or dive to complete the reception) has been lacking.

Shough has to be feeling the heat.  While he’s mature enough to handle the noise surrounding his play, he is not oblivious to the calls for backup QB Behren Morton from fans and the questions from the media about his job security.

The question is whether or not he will rise to the occasion on Saturday and play well enough to silence the chatter about his play.  This is a perfect opportunity for him to do that given the struggles of the Mountaineers’ secondary this year.

This will be only the fifth career start in a Big 12 game for Shough and just his sixth start as a Red Raider against a Power 5 opponent.  In those games, Tech is 5-2.

However, he’s only completed over 62% of his passes in only one game against a Power 5 team as a Red Raider.  What’s more, that game was against Iowa State last year when he threw the ball only 21 times.

Tech coaches love to point out how good Shough is at the power QB run and that’s fine.  However, a starting Big 12 QB must be a good passer above all else and Shough’s career 63.3% completion rate suggests that he is merely average at best in that regard.

This weekend, he’ll be taking on a suspect defense with a secondary that has been openly questioned by the WVU defensive coaching staff.  If he can’t have a great day against this team, then it is fair to wonder if he can have one against any team left on this schedule.