The 99th season of Texas Tech football is only four days from kicking off, with the Red Raiders set for a date against Wyoming Saturday. The preseason hype has been building all summer but the team has remained laser-focused on the trip to Laramie. Following Tech’s Tuesday morning practice, players Tyler Shough, Jerand Bradley, Jaylon Hutchings and Jesiah Pierre spoke to the media to preview the Red Raiders’ matchup against the Cowboys.
Wyoming has been described as a physical football team, one that is built around running the football on offense and equally being able to defend the run with its stout defensive unit. Anchoring that defensive unit are middle linebackers Easton Gibbs and Shae Suiaunoua. Gibbs in particular, was named the Mountain West Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was a force in 2022 as the Cowboys’ leading tackler. Running the football is not going to be an easy task for the Red Raiders, and execution is going to be vital.
“They fly around the football, they play really hard,” Shough said of Wyoming’s linebackers. “They’re well coached and they know what they’re doing. They’re gonna know what we’re doing. It’s a new game so they might come out with some new stuff… We gotta be physical. We gotta do the fundamentals right. I feel like we’ve got so much talent, we got really confident in our guys and confidence in the scheme. It really just comes down to being able to do our job. I really think we’re going to be able to do that.”
Wyoming’s defense shows a similar theme to that of the Red Raiders in terms of returning veteran leadership and starters. Four starters return in the secondary, with the lone non-returnee being 6-foot-4 cornerback Kolbey Taylor. A lengthy presence in the secondary, Taylor will likely see himself lined up against Preseason All-Big 12 selection Bradley. The Desoto native has been keen on how the Cowboys play out wide.
“They like to play a lot of man (coverage),” Bradley said. “It’s gonna be a great challenge going into their home because we weren’t that great on the road last year. It’s gonna be a great challenge, I’m super excited to play them. They do a lot of man, a lot of Cover 3, and we’re just gonna attack them.”
Tech’s performance on the road a season ago is not lost on the team. The Red Raiders were 1-4 on the road in 2022, a far cry from the 7-1 record they posted on home turf. Playing away from home field can be a daunting task, but starting the 2023 campaign on the road could get the ball rolling for Tech.
“Yeah, it’s always in the back of my mind,” Hutchings said in regards to Tech’s road performances last season. “It was very disappointing to win hardly any games on the road. And now, this year, we have the opportunity the first game to go win a road game. It’s big for us, I think it’ll give us a lot of momentum going into week two.”
Behind Hutchings on the defensive side of the field, Jesiah Pierre will be heading into his first game back at his natural position of interior linebacker. Pierre is a veteran fixture on the team and has played a lot of football for the scarlet and black. Now back at WILL linebacker, communication will be key in making sure he and the rest of the defense can do their jobs.
“It’s very important because it helps how we get them lined up and it helps us get lined up,” Pierre said. “Having them and us, the linebackers, me and (Jacob Rodriguez) on the same page is really important. Because if we handle the front seven, the DBs got an easier job. In the pass game, if the DBs do their thing, the front seven has an easier job. Really for us, it’s all communicating and staying on the same page.”
The wait is nearly over, fans and players alike chomping at the bit to bring the action back onto the gridiron. If there is one thing that can be confirmed however, it is that the Red Raiders are prepared to hit the field again.
“I’m prepared to go into battle,” Shough said. “It’s gonna be a tough road opponent, in a really good atmosphere. They’re gonna play hard and they got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. We’re ready for it.”
