What we want to see in this weekend's Texas Tech football Spring Game

Texas Tech needs big plays from the wide receivers

It has been quite some time, perhaps since Antoine Wesley in 2019, that the Texas Tech football program has had a big-play wide receiver, and even Wesley, who had over 1,400 yards that season, wasn't the type of player to make something big out of a simple play.

In fact, last season, Tech averaged just 10.2 yards per completion. That was good for only 123rd nationally and last in the Big 12.

There just haven't been many Tech receivers in the past few years who have been explosive enough to take a 7-yard pass and turn it into a 50-yard completion. And those who have had that physical ability haven't been good enough receivers to get open consistently.

That's why this Saturday, let's see if we get some big plays from the receivers. After all, upgrading the explosiveness of the pass catchers was a priority this offseason.

Washington State transfer Josh Kelly has turned heads in the spring. He averaged over 15 yards per catch last year as he topped the 900-yard mark for the Cougars. Also, Caleb Douglas, a transfer from Florida has the ability to make plays down the field.

It would also be nice to see speedster Dre McCray make more plays in the passing game. Last year, he was a dynamic kickoff returner but the team struggled to utilize his speed in the passing game. Let's see if he has taken a step in that regard.

Of course, last year's receivers were limited by Morton's injured throwing shoulder which prevented him from having the arm strength to push the ball down the field. But it is also fair to say that the receivers didn't help Morton by routinely turning short passes into long gains. So, on Saturday, let's see if there is more explosiveness from that group because that has to be an area of improvement this season.