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The Red Raiders have a very good running back corps returning for the 2013
season headlined by 2011 recruits
Kenny Williams and
DeAndre Washington in addition to redshirt freshman Quinton White and
utility back SaDale Foster. It is here that former Texas Tech head
coach Tommy Tuberville and company left their most lasting impact.
Tech doesn't have a running back set that simply supplements what is expected to
be a prolific passing attack. The running game should be strong in its own
right.
his junior season after rushing for 824 yards and five touchdowns last season.
He could potentially break the 1,000-yard rushing mark this upcoming season if
the new coaching staff tags him their primary back.
Williams is going to face tough competition though. Washington is back after a
torn ACL late in the 2011 season sidelined him for the entire 2012 campaign.
Washington was one of two former preferred backs once Stephens fell in 2011, but
things have certainly changed. There's a lot of competition in front of
Washington as well as behind him.
It's White's time to shine after a standout career at College Station (Texas)
A&M Consolidated High School and a redshirt season. It's likely the freshman
could have played last year if he had not broken a foot midway through fall
camp.
Williams gives the Red Raiders a true power back. Washington brings an element
of speed to the situation and White showed flashes last August.
The good news doesn't end with those guys though.
Foster returns for his senior season after a breakout game against West Virginia
and an overall successful season one season removed from Riverside Community
College in California. He finished third in total rushing yardage last season
with an impressive 451 yards in his own right.
Depth is stacking up against Foster though as White begins to burn eligibility
and the reemergence of Washington. Look for the 5-foot-7, 187-pound senior to
potentially play some inside receiver in addition to running back to maximize
his effectiveness in his final year.
Kliff Kingsbury's staff recruited Tyler Middleton from Navarro College
to sure up depth behind the front four backs, and he will likely factor in
somewhere once he arrives on campus this summer.
A lot of the offense's success in 2013 will depend on sophomore quarterback
Michael Brewer, but the first-year starter has a solid running back
stable on which to rely.
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PRESSURE IS ON: Washington was Tech's second-most productive
running back in 2011 and eventually, in the wake of Stephens' season-ending knee
injury, emerged as the team's starter late in the season. Unfortunately,
Washington sustained a similar injury in his first career start and as a result
spent the 2012 season on the sidelines. He has the ability to be a starter but
so does Williams, and the latter has 11 starts and a full season as a feature
back under his belt. Regardless of who starts, the Red Raiders' stable of
running backs will all play, so it's not as if Washington is in danger of not
seeing the field. But if he wants to be Tech's RB1, he'll need to start making
his case this spring.
BIGGEST QUESTION: How will the team's running backs be used?
The Red Raiders have three proven running backs on the roster in Foster,
Washington and Williams and a promising redshirt freshman in White. They can't
all play at the same time and there are only so many carries to go around.
Foster played slot receiver on the JUCO level, so it isn't outside the realm of
possibility that he could see some time there this spring. Four running backs is
hardly a logjam, but things will get a bit more competitive in fall camp with
the arrival of JUCO transfer Tyler Middleton.