Offense has to get back on track against TCU

After that tough second half against Baylor, this offense needs a jump start.

This Saturday is an opportunity to do just that. TCU is deserving of their ranking as the 7th best team in the nation in both the AP polls and the College Football Rankings, but their defense isn’t doing them any favors. They’re ranked 89th in Total Defense and their passing defense is 106th.

This team is very offensive oriented, so anything less than a shootout would be a disappointment on Texas Tech’s behalf. They truthfully don’t have a strength on defense, as their run defense is allowing 140.5 ypg as well.

Our weakness is the offensive line, as last week they reverted back to their pre-bye week poor play. If TCU comes with pressure, we’re going to have to make the necessary adjustments otherwise it could be an ugly performance against a team that we should score against handily.

The keys to winning this game are simple on the offensive end. We can’t become too predictable with our play calling because realistically we should be able to drive downfield with ease. I want to see some diversity in the calls as well as just flat out using our heads. Too often we’ve seen this team run some questionable plays on key downs, and there’s no room for error against this undefeated Horned Frogs team.

Another key to this game will be to figure out our quarterback situation. I believe Morton will be the guy to start the game, but if we see an uncharacteristic rough start then Shough could be inserted to save us. I don’t want to see that happen, but we have four games left and have to win two in order to be bowl eligible. God forbid we miss out on a bowl game after the hype coming into this season.

My last key to this one will be the offensive line figuring out the right starting five. Coach McGuire said they’ll be shuffling it up, and that’s what we need to do now. There’s a lot of potential here, but guys just haven’t performed anywhere near to the standards that were set entering the season.

The recent history of this matchup has seen TCU win three in a row, with the last two not being all that close. This is the best TCU team we’ve faced recently, so getting a win here would be huge.

I predict us going into Fort Worth and coming away with a 49-45 victory. I think we’ll see this offense keep up with TCU and maybe even take a commanding lead at some point. TCU will come back like they always seem to, but we will hold them off with a late turnover. Establishing the run and opening up some downfield shots is the script that I would like to see take place, but I can also see us airing it out.