Texas Tech has reached the midway point of its season, enjoying the comfort of a bye week with a 3-0 record in the Big 12 in hand. The Red Raiders’ season has been full of surprises, of both good and bad variety.

Let’s dive into these surprises and how I’ve evaluated them…

Perhaps the most intriguing room on the team heading into the year, the wideouts have been exactly what they were hyped up to be and have been revolutionary in this offense.

Josh Kelly has been one of the better receivers in the Big 12, while Coy Eakin and Caleb Douglas have been solid in their own right. Each of the three have had their moments of brilliance, time and time again making plays after the catch.

One part inconsistent play and a heaping spoonful of injuries have made this unit in the trenches one of the more unpredictable aspects of this team.

By my count, Tech has started three different combinations up front in six games and has seen constant shuffling by way of injuries and just simply trying to put the best five on the field.

Maybe this group can turn the corner coming out of the bye week.

Early in the fourth quarter on a late night in Tucson, Texas Tech faced a fourth-and-short well within its own territory.

In the first two seasons under Joey McGuire, this would have almost been a no-brainer “GO,” heck, even early in the season this might have been in the same light.

Instead, McGuire opted to send out Jack Burgess and trust the defense to continue its stellar play. And while that kind of performance from the defense has not been a normalcy this season, McGuire’s willingness to back away from being so aggressive on late downs has helped out the defense and put the Red Raiders in less futile situations.

There’s a time of game when fourth down aggressiveness is a necessity, but understanding when that time is has made a major impact on what this Tech team has been able to do on either side of the ball.

The ongoing conversation around Tim DeRuyter’s defense heading into the year was about the newfound depth that every coach on the staff was singing high praise for. A ton of talent on this side for sure, but injuries have completely decimated this unit all year.

The outside linebacker room, in particular, has been the biggest victim. Jo Adedire and Dylan Spencer were lost before the season, Charles Esters was out until the fifth week of the season.

Amier Washington (albeit, non-football related) and Isaac Smith both missed Saturday’s game against the Wildcats, while Harvey Dyson has not been exempt from the carnage.

The secondary has missed Bralyn Lux for half the year, while Chapman Lewis appears to be on the mend after getting hurt against Cincinnati and missing the action in Tucson.

The group as a whole has been resilient, this proven further with how well it played against Arizona. However, the injuries keep piling up and the open week could be most beneficial for this unit to recover.

The third side of the ball has been a boost for the Red Raiders all season long, across several facets.

The kicking game, under the spotlight of the competition at kicker between Gino Garcia and Reese Burkhardt, has been a consistent force. Jack Burgess, living with the boots of Austin McNamara to fill, has been solid and that is about all that could be asked of the Aussie punter.

The kick return game when Drae McCray is dared to bring out, has helped out field position several times. Two-point conversion hits from Jalin Conyers in the opening week, then Johncarlos Miller on a swinging gate play against Arizona were monster plays in the grand scheme of the game.

Overall, a wonderful showing from this unit all around and that has been a pleasant surprise.

Based on the opening weeks of the season, Jalin Conyers seemed like he would be a bigger factor in this offense from several methods of attack. It is well-documented what he is able to do from the Wildcat, which Tech has employed him in several times this season.

This point could be nitpicky, for sure, but there is definitely a platform where Conyers can figure to make a bigger impact in the passing game if given the chance.

He had 11 receptions and two receiving touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, and has only had three catches since.

Good things happened early when Conyers had the ball in his hands, and if given the platform, there is no reason why he can’t also be one of the more dangerous weapons in this offense.

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