Red Raiders Must Rely On Defense Vs. WVU
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LUBBOCK, Texas -- Since taking over as head football coach at his alma mater on Dec. 12, 2012, Kliff Kingsbury has wowed Texas Tech fans with an offensive production which has produced more than 500 yards of total offense 27 times, including all four games the Red Raiders have played this season.
However, if Kingsbury and his team want to send an anticipated sellout crowd on Homecoming Day home with a smile, the former Red Raiders quarterback is going to have to find a way to keep No. 20 West Virginia out of the end zone.
"I think our fans give us a great home field advantage," Kingsbury said. "Our players feel comfortable and feel proud in playing before the home crowd. It's also a fast track, but so are some of the other places we play at.
"So far our kids have done a great job of protecting that stadium (AT&T Stadium)."
That was not the case two years ago when the Mountaineers (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) came to town and returned back to Morgantown with a 37-34 victory thanks to a game-winning field goal by now-senior placekicker Josh Lambert.
However, Kingsbury's defense was at its best when the Mountaineers made their first trek to Lubbock back in 2012. The Mountaineers were coming in as heavy favorites and a No. 4 ranking following a victory against Texas.
But, it was the Red Raiders' defense which stole the show as it confounded and confused WVU starting quarterback Geno Smith en route to a 49-14 triumph.
"I think everybody was fired up for that game," Kingsbury said. "The crowd was electric and our players really fed off of it. Our defense made some plays and we were able to take advantage of those opportunities."
Could history repeat itself when the two conference rivals meet at noon Saturday?
"I hope so," Kingsbury said. "I thought we played well enough to win (at Kansas State) on Saturday. Especially in the first half. But, Patrick (Mahomes) wasn't at full strength with the shoulder, but he hung in there."
Now, Texas Tech (3-2, 1-1) finds itself with its back against the wall. Another setback will make it nearly impossible for the Red Raiders to capture the conference title and will send it into next week's encounter with Big 12 preseason favorite Oklahoma on a two-game losing streak.
In order to keep that from happening, Tech's defense must find a way to control a Mountaineers offense which has shown the ability to run the ball consistently and has made a habit of throwing the football downfield.
"Obviously, we have got to do a better job of stopping the run. If we can make them more one-dimensional it will allow us to do some things on defense that will make those long passes a little more difficult. But, I am sure that is what the other teams that they played have tried to do and it didn't work out for them."
Stopping the Mountaineers on the ground means stopping WVU's two-headed monster of senior Rushel Shell and junior college transfer Justin Crawford.
Crawford leads WVU with 331 yards and two touchdowns on 60 carries while Shell isn't far behind with 244 yards and three scores on 51 touches. Adding to the Red Raiders' problems will be senior quarterback Skyler Howard, who has completed 98 of 149 attempts for 1,272 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions, and freshman Kennedy McCoy.
Howard's numbers aren't eye-popping (32-106, one touchdown), but the Mountaineers' signalcaller has shown a propensity to pop off a big run when West Virginia needs it most. McCoy, who has received little playing time behind Crawford and Shell, provides the Mountaineers with that unknown ingredient that could come into play on Saturday.
If Tech, which is giving up 38.6 points and 445 total yards of offense each game, sells out to stop the run, look for Howard to go to his go-to receivers -- Daikiel Shorts, Shelton Gibson, Ka-Raun White and Jovon Durante.
Shorts leads the team with 24 receptions for 318 yards and two touchdowns while Gibson has proven to be the team's 'home run hitter' with 19 catches for 458 yards and a pair of scores. White is third on the team with 16 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown, but it was Durante who had a huge game in WVU's 17-16 come-from-behind victory against Kansas State.
"They really put a lot of pressure on your secondary," Kingsbury said. "If you bring them up to stop the run, they throw it over your heads. If you play to stop the long pass, they will kill you with the run or with bubble screens or short crossing routes."
Words that could just as easily be used to describe the Red Raiders' offensive attack.
"It will be fun on Saturday. They're a good team. Dana (Holgorsen) does a good job schematically. Last year than ran it 57 times against us. I don't know what they call it, but they push the ball.
"Last year we weren't very physical and they took it at us. Hopefully, we will change that on Saturday."