It has been a drastic change for the Texas Tech offense this season than what most fans would typically be accustomed to seeing. The days of the true Air Raid have seemed to dwindle down. The Red Raiders sit near the bottom of the Big 12 (11th) in passing yards/game at 219.5, coupling this with Tech also being dead last in PFF’s grading system of the passing offense (59.5), it is not hard to see that the high flying offenses of old are shifting in dramatic fashion.
This is due to a multitude of reasons, whether that be the shoulder injury to Behren Morton or the flat out amplified capabilities that Tahj Brooks has provided this season.
Taking the flip side into consideration however, the Red Raiders sit third in the conference in PFF's rushing offense grade at 84.9. Brooks is slotted at third in the Big 12 in rushing yards and has broken his career highs in carries and yards several times this season.
It has been an adjustment spearheaded by offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, who has acknowledged that at the end of the day, winning is all that matters. After a few weeks where it seemed the offense was trying to figure itself out, Kittley has adapted his side to better fit the personnel that he has at his disposal. It has not been a complete abandonment of the passing game, and the same sentiment that Kittley shared is carried along by his players.
“We still just look at it like, just do our job, whatever that is,” Tech receiver Myles Price said after the Red Raiders’ practice Tuesday. “If that means we got to block 100 times a game, then we’ll go block 100 times a game. We’re still throwing the ball some, quite a bit too. Nobody’s really like mad about it or anything. And it’s working. We’re winning. We’re definitely not mad about that.”
Though it may not be the deep shots down the field that many are used to seeing in Lubbock, the revamped offense has found other ways to get the receivers the ball. Price leads the Red Raiders in receptions, yards and touchdown receptions. It has not happened very often on long tosses, but rather in the flats in the screen game or through Run-Pass Option (RPO) plays.
“When we call RPOs, I know if I’m in the inside and it’s designed for me, I know I’m either gonna get the ball or I’m gonna have to turn up field and block,” Price said. “Pre-snap, I’m kind of looking to see, ‘Okay, could this ball come to me?’. If it can, okay, I’m ready. If it’s not, then let’s be ready to get back up field and help the running backs out.”
The Red Raiders currently sit 3-3 on the season, but are fortunate enough to now be above .500 in the Big 12 at 2-1. Both wins were highlighted by physical domination up front, by both offensive and defensive lines. With Kansas State rolling into town this weekend, Tech is facing its biggest challenge in the trenches since Oregon.
“I think they’re gonna fill the box up, that’s for sure,” left tackle Monroe Mills said. “I mean, that’s why they’ve got the No. 1 run stop defense in the (conference). They’re gonna fill the box up. They’re gonna be very, very sound in their discipline, so we just got to get great movement. That’s what it comes down to.”
Mills is no stranger to the monster that is Kansas State. Only in his second year at Tech, the Columbia, Missouri native has been in the Big 12 since his days at Oklahoma State. Mills has come into his own this season, and he was even the highest graded offensive lineman for Tech against Baylor per PFF.
To say the Red Raiders are abandoning the passing game would be a bit of a stretch. With how far Kittley’s roots run in the Air Raid schemes, it is almost impossible to say that would ever happen.
As nice as it is to have a workhorse running back like Brooks in the backfield, there will likely be times when the offense will need to depend on the air. When those times arrive, the ever-improving offensive line will have even more opportunities to show their vast skill set.
“I think it’s developing very well,” Mills said of the offensive line’s pass blocking abilities. “Jacoby (Jackson), he’s moved up and so that’s been really cool to see him step up and really put the hat on his head. I think he’s just a big body and he can really get you off really well. He’s been doing a great job, I think that’s been huge.
"This season's been a lot of growth turning from right tackle to left tackle. That's probably been the main focus. I kind of played left tackle a lot in my past years so it was just remembering the old stuff, getting back into the flow. It's been huge, learning to get back into my punch, my set, my countermoves, work on stuff like that. I feel like it's been huge and I'm pretty happy with how far I've come."
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