Following the very controversial end of the Mike Leach era and the subsequent installment of Tommy Tuberville out in Lubbock, Texas Tech didn’t exactly have the same passing attack reputation, even if Tuberville (more or less) still ran (more or less) the same sort of offense for the Red Raiders.
Things were just a little different for the Red Raiders and their passing attack didn’t yield any 1000 yard receivers for a few seasons following Leach leaving Lubbock. Michael Crabtree in 2008 was the final receiver under Leach to get to that benchmark.
And then there were a few years where the Red Raiders just didn’t produce anyone who caught enough passes to have a 1000 yard receiving season. Until Eric Ward, that is. Ward was one of the first Red Raiders to help Texas Tech reestablish itself as a program that produced receivers who could rack up over 1000 yards in a single season.
Texas Tech football history: Eric Ward’s 2012 season was one of TTU’s first 1000 yard seasons after Mike Leach left the Red Raiders
In what was the 13th season where a Texas Tech receiver had over 1000 yards receiving, Ward managed to catch 82 passes that he translated into 1053 receiving yards and a dozen touchdowns. Thanks to the connection he had with quarterback Seth Doege, Ward was able to average 12.8 yards per reception and proved himself to be a consistent threat for TTU’s offense.
It’s more than fair to say that he was reliable.
During the 2012 season, Ward had five games where he had over 100 yards receiving against Texas Tech’s opponents. Against Iowa State, Ward had nine receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. When facing the Kansas State Wildcats, Ward caught 11 passes for 161 yards and two scores.
Texas gave up 126 yards to Ward on eight receptions. Meanwhile, the Kansas Jayhawks saw Ward catch 12 passes for 180 receiving yards. And then there’s the Baylor Bears, who got to witness Ward catch nine passes for 113 yards and a score.