The Texas Tech Red Raiders took a huge step forward in 2022. They won their last four games and finished with eight wins, the most wins since 2013. Optimism is high in Lubbock, Texas right now. The Red Raiders have 14 starters returning and they want to take it to the next level in year two of the Joey McGuire Era. Here is the preview of the 2023 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Offense
This Red Raiders offense looks to take a bigger jump in 2023 than they did in 2022. Texas Tech was the second best offense in the Big 12 in yards per game and they were top five in points per game as well. Tyler Shough is back this year after only playing in seven games last season. Shough threw for 1,310 passing yards to go along with 7 passing touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Texas Tech brings back two of their top three receivers in Jerand Bradley and Myles Price. Another one of the Red Raiders targets that they brought in via the transfer portal is Drae McCray (Austin Peay). Shough has some talent at receiver to throw the football to in 2023.
As for the running game, they bring their leading rusher back in Tahj Brooks. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and rushed for 691 yards to go along with seven touchdowns. Brooks is the lead running back and he is going to be behind an offensive line that was hammered by injuries a season ago. The Texas Tech offensive line was super inconsistent last season due to injuries and inconsistent play. They brought back some pieces on the offensive line, but the biggest move they made was adding center Rusty Staats from Western Kentucky. He is going to be a vital part of this offensive line group and will help get this offensive line where it can be at.
Defense
This Texas Tech Red Raiders defense has some experience. They return six starters and have several other players who saw a significant amount of snaps in 2022. Texas Tech led the Big 12 in sacks and was a top ten defense in the red zone. Pretty big improvements for a team that was always known for having subpar defenses. Their defensive line is led by defensive tackle Tony Bradford Jr and nose tackle Jaylon Hutchings. Both last year combined for 82 tackles and 7 sacks. These two are a force to be reckoned with up front for the Red Raiders.
The linebacker core is going to be led by transfer Steve Linton from Syracuse. This linebacker group struggled from time to time last year and now they bring in a guy like Linton from Syracuse is huge. He is an outside linebacker that can put some pressure on the quarterback. This was a win/win transfer for Texas Tech. In the secondary, they are led by free safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Taylor-Demerson was third on the team in tackles last season and will be the leader in the back end. Another key part of their secondary is getting Malik Dunlap back. Dunlap led the team with 12 pass deflections a season ago. Texas Tech also added C.J. Baskerville from San Diego State which I think will be a big addition to their secondary. If Texas Tech’s defense wants to stay at the level that they were at last season, they need good secondary play.
Win Total Bet
The win total is set at 7.5 on the FanDuel Sportsbook, with the odds for the over at +118 and the under is at -144. I have never been big on Tyler Shough, which hurts the offense’s value in my opinion. With him not having a good season, the Red Raiders will have to rely on their running game which is not how they are built. I think this team will go under the 7.5 win total, because there will be offensive struggles for this team. The odds on the over are way too high so I will not take this win total, but you should stay away from the trap which is the over.
Schedule Predictions
Win at Wyoming (1-0)
Loss vs Oregon (1-1)
Win vs Tarleton State (2-1)
Loss at West Virginia (2-2)
Win vs Houston (3-2)
Loss at Baylor (3-3)
Win vs Kansas State (4-3)
Loss at BYU (4-4)
Win vs TCU (5-4)
Loss at Kansas (5-5)
Win vs UCF (6-5)
Loss at Texas (6-6)