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Published Sep 5, 2022
Kittley, DeRuyter Takeaways pres. by Energy Renovation Center
Trevor Cobern  •  RedRaiderSports
Staff Writer
Twitter
@TCobernRRS

This afternoon, both Offensive Coordinator Zach Kittley and Defensive Coordinator Tim DeRuyter gave updates on the status of the Red Raiders heading into week No. 2 with a home matchup against the ranked Houston Cougars.

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Kittley was extremely pleased with SaRodorick Thompson's play against Murray State on Saturday night.

"He's very dynamic and you see that he does a lot. Really good pass protection and is a great ball carrier...he's really fun to watch and play. You saw a couple of those spin moves that have been paying their yields for the receiving touchdown and then the big counter run that we had when he spun out of probably a two yard gain made it a 20-plus yard gain. He's a special, special young man and I love him and am glad he's here for one more go with us."

On the TE rotation going into this weekend, Kittley plans to keep the same game plan in place of utilizing all three guys wherever they can.

"We're gonna find the best ways right now to attack (Houston). You're gonna see multiple tight end sets again and we're going to rotate those guys again based on certain play calls and how the week goes. All three of those guys bring a different dynamic to the game, but they're all versatile and they're all really good football players."

Kittley was particularly pleased with both Jerand Bradley and Loic Fouonji against Murray State and believes Texas Tech has the best receivers coach in the country in Emmett Jones. Myles Price also impressed in his blocking and physical presence on the outside for his teammates.

On an underclassman that played well near the end of the game, Kittley mentioned running back Bryson Donnell.

"Bryson Donnell came in and did a really good job and ran hard. You know, at the end of the game, we're trying to run some clock and they're packing the box on us so there wasn't a lot of great run lanes but you'll see him in pass pro a few times and he really did a great job."

On the impact that Shough's injury has on the style of playcalling that is used going forward, Kittley emphasized that nothing will be any different from what we saw on Saturday, regardless of which quarterback is under center.

"We're not going to change and I think y'all saw that. I know a lot of people were out here saying Donovan Smith is a running quarterback, and don't get me wrong, he's very talented, but he came in, and I can't remember exactly, but the first two, maybe three throws were both touchdowns so we're not going to change schematically what we do."

"They are one snap away so you have got to be prepared. Unfortunately, (the injury) happened and Donovan was unbelievable and very poised and ready for the moment and came in and just balled out, to be honest with you. So we won't change what we're doing. Just looking forward to this week."

Kittley was impressed with Behren Morton's play at the end of the game, minus the late interception.

"Behren is a stud and I think y'all saw that whenever he was out there cutting it loose.. was very proud of him. He got his first collegiate touchdown and came out there ready to go and again, we're confident in him and we ran the whole game plan with him towards the end and throughout the whole thing."

The Red Raiders will continue to utilize the running backs in the passing game moving forward, and both Tahj Brooks and SaRodorick Thompson are a huge part of that.



Tim DeRuyter took the podium next and began with how impressed he was with how the defensive line performed.

"It was really nice to see guys like Philip Blidi through the start, making plays for us...we've got some depth there and we like to keep those guys fresh. And, you know, for us to go through this league you got to have got to be a good defensive player. I just liked how active they were and how fast they played."

DeRuyter hopes to get Adrian Frye back at some point this week.

"Another veteran guy for us and he's been through a lot. He's really really smart and so he can understand tendencies and splits and stems and he knows how to play. When you lose a guy like that during the game like we did, you know, it's a drop-off. With him, with Rayshad and Malik, we felt we had a lot of good guys out there. Kobee came in and did some good things but any time you lose a veteran guy like that, someone else has to step up. We're hoping to get him back this week, but if he doesn't, I'm sure the rest of those three guys will step up and make plays for us."

DeRuyter was relatively happy with the run defense on Saturday but still believes improvement is needed. Another area that he would like to see the Red Raiders improve in is leveraging the quarterback and containing him better.

On Houston wide receiver Nathaniel Dell (50 yards, 2 TDs against UTSA last week),

"He's a terrific receiver. He's a guy that has extremely explosive, he's quick, he's fast. He understands how to run really crisp routes. Good hands, he knows where he's at all the time. They're going to find ways to get the ball to him and we have got to figure out ways to not let that happen."

The Texas Tech staff will use some of the film from last year's game in Houston to gameplan against the Cougars for this year.