The Texas Tech Red Raiders sure had a lot of fun throwing the ball a ton of times with Mike Leach leading things out in Lubbock in the early 2000s. By the time 2003 rolled around, the Red Raiders really had things clicking on the offensive front.
I mean, it’s safe to say that the offense was working. That’s largely because at this time Leach’s system was fully installed and the Red Raiders were regularly posting seasons where a quarterback would throw for at least 3000 yards in a single season.
That provided plenty of opportunities for wide receivers (and running backs and the occasional tight end) to catch a ton of passes from Texas Tech’s quarterbacks. Which provided plenty of chances to rack up a ton of passing yards.
That’s one reason as to why Wes Welker became the second Texas Tech receiver to ever have a 1000 yard receiving season in 2002. And then he became the first Red Raider to record back-to-back 1000 yard receiving seasons thanks to his performances in 2003.
Texas Tech football history: Wes Welker became Texas Tech’s first receiver to record multiple seasons with 1000 or more receiving yards
Welker was remarkable during the 2003 season and he continued to be a reliable receiving threat. In total, he caught 97 passes for 1099 yards and scored nine touchdowns during the 2003 Texas Tech football season.
Through that year, Welker averaged 11.3 yards per reception and 84.5 receiving yards per game. From the outside looking in, it sure seems like TTU quarterback B.J. Symons certainly felt like he could turn to Welker on a consistent basis.
Welker had five games where he had over 100 yards receiving, including against the Ole Miss Rebels, Texas A&M Aggies, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Missouri Tigers, and the Navy Midshipmen. Welker was a huge part of why the Red Raiders put together one of the most impressive passing attacks in college football history in 2003.