Texas Tech football: Red Raiders a no-show in Provo
Texas Tech got very little from its so-called “stars”
Outside of Brooks, this is a team without any real star power. However, there are players on this roster that were expected to be “stars” this year.
In Provo, those players gave Tech next to nothing. For instance, starting middle linebacker Jesiah Pierre had only one tackle. I heard nothing on the broadcast of him being injured so I have no clue why he was so invisible. On a night when your defense needed to step up, Pierre had the same number of tackles as running back Cam’Ron Valdez.
Starting safety Tyler Owens had only two tackles. For much of the night, he was replaced by freshman Brenden Jordan, who had only one stop himself. Remember the offseason talk about how Owens was supposed to be a massive upgrade over the guy he replaced at the end of last year, Reggie Pearson? Remember the thought that Owens might play his way into being an NFL Draft pick this next spring? That seems laughable now.
Tony Bradford, one of your “star” defensive tackles, gave you only three tackles on the night. Where was he when BYU was more than doubling its season rushing average on the ground?
On offense, preseason All-Big 12 wide receiver Jerand Bradley caught three passes for a whopping 21 yards. He’s now been replaced as your biggest outside weapon by redshirt freshman Coy Eakin (who was also silent on Saturday with only two catches for four yards).
Myles Price? Your most reliable and explosive receiver in 2023 was good as a punt returner averaging 20.8 yards per return but he caught only two passes for 27 yards. Of course, on one of those returns, he did lose a fumble, something that Tech could ill-afford.
Again, the passing game was limited because of Strong’s struggles however, there was a need for someone to win some one-on-one matchups like White did in the second quarter but no one else managed to do so and make the freshman QB’s life easier.
When you enter a game with a true freshman QB making his first start, your veteran leaders have to pick up the slack. They have to take their games to another level so that life can be easier for your young signal caller.
Tech’s veteran leaders didn’t do that outside of Brooks (105 yards and a TD on 31 carries). Right now, for various reasons, this team has to rely on a freshman QB to lead the offense, a redshirt freshman linebacker in Ben Roberts to be its leading tackler, and a redshirt freshman wide receiver in Eakin to be one of its main weapons in the passing game. That’s not how you win games in the Big 12.