The Air Raid era is entering its 17th season on the South Plains. Far from a passing fad, as some felt at the time of Mike Leach's debut season in 2000, this style of play has become a substantial component of Texas Tech's football history.
We look back, position by position, at the most impressive individual seasons of the Red Raiders' Air Raid era.
TOP FIVE AIR RAID SEASONS: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver
1. Adell Duckett 2003
The Numbers: 69 tackles, 24.5 TFL, 14 sacks, INT, TD
The Case: Adell Duckett was, by far, the biggest bright spot on a terrible Texas Tech defense in 2003. He set program records for single-season sacks and tackles for loss while finishing third on the team in tackles. What stands out the most about Duckett's junior campaign is that he didn't just pile up stats against the bad teams on the schedule - 6.5 of his 14 sacks and 10.5 of his 24.5 TFL came in games against N.C. State, No. 23 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Texas and No. 1 Oklahoma.
2. Brandon Sharpe 2009
The Numbers: 36 tackles, 18 TFL, 15 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles
The Case: Brandon Sharpe's record-setting 2009 season was completely unexpected. The former JUCO transfer played sparingly for the Red Raiders in his first two seasons on campus and then exploded onto the scene as a senior. Sharpe broke Duckett's program record for sacks in a season thanks to a torrid six-game stretch in October and November - Kansas State, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor - where he logged 13 sacks and 14 TFL.
3. Brandon Williams 2008
The Numbers: 25 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 13 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles
The Case: Brandon Williams led the Big 12 in sacks and came close to tying Duckett's program record in 2008. Williams was remarkably consistent as a junior, logging sacks in all but four games. He logged two sacks against No. 1 Texas and finished the season with a pair of sacks and three TFL against an Ole Miss offensive line that included Michael Oher.
4. Aaron Hunt 2001
The Numbers: 83 tackles, 18 TFL, 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
The Case: Despite a foot injury that plagued him for a good portion of the season, Aaron Hunt earned first-team All-Big 12 honors as a junior after breaking Shawn Jackson's program record for single-season sacks. Hunt turned in especially notable performances against Iowa (4 TFL, 2 sacks), No. 3 Oklahoma (11 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks) and No. 24 Texas A&M (12 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack).
5. Colby Whitlock 2010
The Numbers: 57 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 2 sacks
The Case: Outside of elite players like Gabe Rivera or Ndamukong Suh, interior defensive linemen usually don't put up monster numbers. Colby Whitlock didn't fill up the stat sheet during his time at Texas Tech, but his senior showing was one of the most impressive defensive line performances of Texas Tech's Air Raid era. The Noble, Okla. product earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2010, finishing with 57 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 2 sacks.
