It is undeniable when taking a gander through Texas Tech’s team who the “WR1” is. Josh Kelly has been a force for the Red Raiders this season, and his addition from Washington State proved to be the kind of spark the wideout corps needed this season.
Not to be outdone, however, Coy Eakin has steadily established himself as a reliable weapon on the outside.
“It’s amazing, it shows that our work pays off,” Eakin said following the Red Raiders’ 44-41 win over Cincinnati. “It was hard coming back from injury twice, especially if you break it (collarbone) three days into camp. Then, building confidence throughout the year and anytime Behren (Morton) wants to throw man, he could give me a call. I’ll show up, things like that help out a lot.”
The Stephenville product was a major plus for the Red Raiders in the first half against the Bearcats, snagging three receptions for 78 yards. From those three catches, two of them ended up in the endzone.
A pop pass from a few yards off the goal line gave Tech its first touchdown of the night.
A short crosser saw Eakin shake a defender off his backside as he torched turf on his way to a 49-yard score to knot the game at 17 all.
Pivotal plays that kept the Red Raiders afloat as they battled back from an early deficit.
“It’s a great feeling,” Eakin said. “It’s happened a couple times this season. When I came on and made the dude miss, it was just kind of like ‘Oh wow, I’ve got 30 yards of clear space.’ But it was definitely a good feeling.”
The transfer portal haul of pass catchers was headlined by Kelly, but the Tech coaching staff made quick work of adding Caleb Douglas, Jalin Conyers and Johncarlos Miller. The narratives continuously spin around the shiny new toys, the Buzz Lightyear’s, if you would.
But there is always something to be said for the Woody’s of the world, or in this case, what “Cowboy” Coy Eakin could be equated to as one of the key returners in that group from last season.
What it all boils down to, in Eakin’s eyes, is players are making plays and the Red Raiders continue winning.
“To be surrounded by guys like Josh Kelly and Caleb Douglas makes me better, because it’s like ‘Dang he made a good play,’ now I’ve gotta go make a good play too,” Eakin said. “I think I’m talking for all three of us, really the whole wide receiver room, it really doesn’t matter who gets the ball. It doesn’t matter who makes the plays as long as we’re winning games.
We’re 4-1, that’s a great feeling. If it wasn’t a receiver who had two touchdowns tonight, it would’ve been like okay, we’re 4-1, let’s go get it. It definitely makes us all better. It’s not like a competitive thing. If someone scores I’m happy for them and I know CD and Kelly are happy for me when I score. It just makes it better in practice when we compete with each other.”
