The Thought:
The Texas Tech offense will take a major step back in this upcoming season. This is the first year in my recent memory that there has actually been solid proof that the offense is not as good or as deep as the defense. There are questions at the quarterback position as there are two inexperienced quarterbacks and a true freshman in the running for the job. The Red Raiders’ receiving core has also taken massive hits with four of last year’s starters graduating and two other contributing receivers leaving the team.
The Take:
My first reaction when I thought this was that the defense was going to be much better than the offense this year because of the aforementioned reasons. Once I dug a little deeper, I saw that maybe everyone is just overreacting about the offensive questions. Think about it this way, there are so many weapons on this team still. You have an entire offensive line that is returning from last year and two good running backs and two true freshman that are hungry and are able to step up if needed. You also have weapons at receiver in TJ Vasher, Jadeion High, and my dark horse to become the next great slot receiver, Brandt Schilling who already know the offense well. These are just three of the many weapons we have on that receiving core. Also, no matter who starts at quarterback, he’ll put up decent numbers and get the ball moving. One of the big knocks on Nic Shimonek was that he wasn’t mobile. I think McLane Carter or Jett Duffey will start because of their legs, not their arm. This team needs to get the read option working again, and if it can do that, I believe that this offense could take a step up this year, not a step back. You also can’t forget the wizard himself, Kliff Kingsbury. He has more of a grip on this offense than anyone on this staff. He also has hired a good offensive coordinator in Kevin Johns that will implore more tight ends and fullbacks to counter the 8 or 9 defensive backs that Iowa State or Texas will put on the field against you. This team will be much more balanced this year. They will have the personnel in place to run the ball more, and they will also still have weapons on the outside to throw the ball to when they need it. Watch out Big 12, Texas Tech is here to play.