Texas Tech football

100% red Zone efficiency on offense

Last year, Texas Tech was the worst red zone offense in the Big 12 and one of the worst in the nation.  The Red Raiders finished No. 125 in the nation in offensive efficiency due to atrocious place-kicking and poor quarterback play.

Against Ole Miss, points may likely be more difficult to come by given the fact that Tech will be breaking in a new quarterback and three new receivers.  Thus, any foray inside the Ole Miss 20-yard-line must result in points.

Tech must score on 100% of its red zone trips, whether that be either a touchdown or a field goal.  The return of a healthy Clayton Hatfield should fix the team’s kicking woes but it remains to be seen whether the other aspects of the red zone offense will be improved.

With McLane Carter at quarterback, there is reason to believe that Tech will have better success inside the twenty.  Carter’s strength lies in his sense of timing which allows him to deliver the ball on time.

That is an area where 2017 starter Nic Shimonek struggled last season as he was often uncertain with his reads and was hesitant to make throws through tight windows.  Also, Carter is more mobile than Shimonek which could help should a play break down on on the zone-read.

Additionally, an offseason of improvement from an offensive line that returns all five starters might make a difference in the red zone ground game where Tech also faltered last year.  It should further help that Ole Miss was a historically poor defense against the run in 2017.

If the Red Raiders can find a way to come away with points on every red zone trip, and can ensure that at least 75% of those trips end in touchdowns, Tech will stand a good chance at being victorious.

Play Power Football

Texas Tech and power football have not gone together since the 1990’s.  But against Ole Miss, Tech must be the more physical team, especially on offense.

This offseason, Tech hired Kevin Johns to replace Eric Morris as the team’s offensive coordinator.  Johns brings with him a reputation for being an innovator when it comes to running the ball out of the spread formation.

That expertise could be crucial today against an Ole Miss team that allowed over 240 yards per game on the ground last year.  Johns and Kingsbury must commit to running the football, especially between the tackles.

For quite some time, the Texas Tech ground game has been a fitness rushing attack utilizing sweeps and draws to accentuate the speed of the ball careers.  But today, Tech needs to line up and go right at a weak Ole Miss linebacking group.

Look for Tech to have more plays in which 6-foot-5, 225-pound inside receiver Donta Thompson acts as a tight end.  We should also expect to see plenty of 6-foot-4, 260-pound fullback Tyler Carr acting as a lead blocker trying to isolate on a linebacker and open holes for Da’Leon Ward and Tre King.

If Texas Tech is able to impose its will physically by dominating in the run game, the Red Raiders will be able to dictate the pace of the game and will have a great shot at emerging victorious.

But it still is worth looking back at where Texas Tech had success and where it struggled las year being as the team returns so many key players.  Here is a look at some statistical areas that were significant last year and an analysis of what Texas Tech must do in those categories to knock off the Rebels.