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Texas Tech football: Senior Red Raiders on offense that we will hate to see go

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 14: Tahj Brooks #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs for a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2023 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 14: Tahj Brooks #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs for a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Jones AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2023 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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A flyover is seen before the Texas Tech game against TCU, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
A flyover is seen before the Texas Tech game against TCU, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, at Jones AT&T Stadium. /

Saturday is one of those bittersweet days that we have to endure each year as the Texas Tech football program celebrates Senior Day as part of the season’s final home football game.  It seems as if it was just days ago that Tech welcomed Oregon in the most anticipated home opener in memory and now, we will see the lights at Jones Stadium turned out for the final time in 2023 on Saturday evening.

Of course, the next time the Red Raiders take the field at The Jones, the massive south endzone construction project will be complete, and the home of the program will have a vastly different look.  That should give Tech fans plenty to look forward to when the 2024 season kicks off in September.

This year, 24 players will be going through the Senior Day festivities in the pre-game but in the odd post-pandemic world of the NCAA, several could decide to return to Lubbock for one more run through the Big 12.  Still, there will be many who will take to Cody Campbell Field for the final time as members of the program and some will be tough to see go.

Today, we’ll look at the players on offense who we hate to see depart.  And what a strange season it’s been on that side of the ball for the Red Raiders.

This year, Texas Tech has been far from elite on the side of the ball that the program has been synonymous with for over two decades.  What’s more, it has been the ground game that has carried the offense for the first time since the Spike Dykes era.

Right now, Joey McGuire’s team ranks only 7th in the Big 12 in scoring offense (29.1 points per game) and total offense (399.9 yards per game).  Those numbers are unusually low for the Red Raiders who also sit at No. 9 in the league in passing yards per game (230.9).

What’s more, it is still odd to see the Red Raiders running the ball more than throwing it.  Yes, we are all fairly accustomed to the reality that the rushing game is what this team does best on offense but for those of us who grew up as Tech fans and alums over the past 24 seasons, seeing the program that made throwing the ball trendy run the ball 38 times per game while throwing it 35.6 times per game still short-circuits our brains.

Necessity is a powerful motivator though and much credit has to be given to the coaching staff for leaning on what the offense proved that it could do with consistency.  While the passing attack has been derailed by another season of QB injuries, the ground game has been a life raft for the team and though it has seemed strange at times, the only reason the Red Raiders are knocking on the door of another bowl game appearance is because everyone in the football program committed to the change in strategy that took place in the middle of the season.

So while the Red Raiders haven’t been the offensive juggernaut this season that we all want to see it be because a high-scoring offense is essentially a Red Raider’s birthright, this is a unit that has some nice individual pieces that will be missed when they leave the program.  Here is a look at the players on that side of the football that we will remember fondly.

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