What to expect: Defense vs. K State

On Saturday, Texas Tech takes on Kansas State at 11:00 a.m. at Jones AT&T Stadium looking to gain bowl eligibility for the first time in the Matt Wells era.

Standing in the way this week, is Skylar Thompson and Deuce Vaughn.

I’ll lay it right out on the line for you folks. If Tech does not put more than five guys in the box to stop the run, you can expect a similar defensive performance as TCU and Texas.

I personally think Skylar Thompson has a better arm than Max Duggan but isn’t quite as fast, so you also have to game plan a bit around the pass as well.

I’ll look back at the stats with you when K-State gave OU a run for their money in Manhattan three weeks ago ending in a 37-31 OU victory:

Thompson was 29/41 for 320 yards and three touchdowns, no picks. K-State as a team ran the ball 27 times for a combined 100 yards on the nose. This proves that if you only game plan for the run, Thompson can beat you with his arm as well.

On the other hand, Deuce Vaughn is a really good back that has somewhat struggled this season with most defenses keying on him after Thompson was injured earlier in the year. I hate to say it, but he is due for a breakout game.

I honestly believe that if there is another game of 300+ yards on the ground and a blowout loss that comes with that, Matt Wells’ hand will be forced in the removal of Keith Patterson. I think it is especially true if it happens against K-State.

LET ME BE CLEAR: I absolutely do not want to see this happen. I think if you are a true Tech fan, you never want to see a coach or coordinator fired, because that means your program is succeeding on the field.

We have all heard the saying: “Third time is the charm.”

Will the third time be the charm for this tech defense? Will they come up with a competent game plan on the defensive side of the ball against a struggling team?

Or, will we see more of the same ole same pathetic scheme that puts five defenders in the box to stop the run?

I think we will learn a lot about this coaching staff this weekend. I think its time to actually make this season personal. You need one win to have a postseason. This will most likely be the last game all year that you are favored in and its an early game against a struggling opponent. It is time for a statement win in the Matt Wells era.

Will that statement win come this week?

We’ll find out soon enough.