Texas Tech Red Raiders Roster 2019 Red Raiders Roster

Head Coach: Kliff Kingsbury        2017 Salary: $3,503,975        Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Johns       Defensive Coordinator: David Gibbs/Zac Spavital         

Stadium: Jones AT&T Stadium       Surface: Turf        City: Lubbock        State: Texas

If there was ever a coaching hot seat in college football last season, it was in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury staved off a pink slip by knocking of the in-state rival Longhorns on the final week of the regular season. Another poor performance and spot in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings may be the final straw.

One Last Chance for the Kingsbury in Lubbock?

Kingsbury is alumni darling in Lubbock, once a superstar quarterback for the Red Raiders. He is equally viewed as an offensive football genius. The problem for Kingsbury is that there hasn't been a quarterback in town skilled enough to operate his offensive scheme. There is a new gun in town who may change all that.

The Offense Will Score a Lot

Freshman Alan Bowman has won the job in his first season on campus. He is a very talented passer, but he needs to learn the college game. The Red Raiders will try to present some semblance of a running game this year, using a pair of lightening fast tailbacks, Da'Leon Ward and Tre King.

After that, the stable of stars dwindles. Tech will need new receivers to step up, plus the offensive line is experienced, but hasn't proven to be a cohesive unit. Texas Tech's offensive style, (they opened with over 50 passes Saturday against Ole Miss), will be to score. The only problem is, will they be able to stop their opponents from scoring more.

Every Other Offense Will Probably Score Too

This is where the problems started in 2017, and the holes in the Texas Tech defense don't seem to be getting filled. When you have an offense designed to run fast and throw often, your defense rarely gets a chance to catch their wind.

That was a huge problem for the Red Raiders last season. Without much depth anywhere on the front seven, as even their best defenders tired, opposing offenses took advantage. There are 10 starters back on this unit.

The problem is, these ten best defenders were last in the conference in most important stat categories. They only recorded 14 quarterback sacks all season. In a conference that had the previous Heisman winner at quarterback, and now has the preseason leader for that trophy, this stat must change.

Texas Tech did manage to play decent pass defense in a pass-happy conference, but their red zone statistics were abysmal. For the Red Raiders to have any chance at more than an also-ran, bottom of the barrel bowl game, the defense must improve dramatically.

A 6-7 record, culminated with albeit a strong showing against USF in the Birmingham Bowl, is little more than mediocrity. Another failed season may be the last for the once highly-respected former Red Raider QB. On the bright side heading into 2018, Baylor and Kansas are still playing football in the Big 12, so it could get worse for Texas Tech.