The 3-2-1: Texas Tech's defense must improve, handle adversity

This weekend, Texas Tech will finish out their non-conference schedule against Louisiana Tech, hoping to bounce back against the Bulldogs. So, what did we learn this week, what do we still not know, and what might happen on Saturday? We take a closer look in this week's edition of the 3-2-1.

1 - Texas Tech didn't handle adversity well against Arizona State

All offseason, much was made of the impact from Rusty Whitt and his strength and conditioning staff on the mental toughness of the program and how that would help the team avoid fading in the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball.

They failed their first test out in Tempe, as Coach Kingsbury and numerous players - including QB Pat Mahomes and safety Keenon Ward - felt the team never mentally recover from the turnover-turned roughing the passer call against Breiden Fehoko that would've made it a 21-9 game with the Red Raiders firmly cruising.

Instead, the defense caved in, and the offense was less effective, the game devolving into an offense-only shoot out.

As a result, the staff and team focused on creating tough situations throughout practice this week that would force the players - specifically on defense - to respond well in adversity.

The fact that happened this early in the season is discouraging, but again, it is still early, and things very well can change. They must against Louisiana Tech this weekend. This is the most important step the program must take forward.

2 - Texas Tech had one of their best practice weeks of the year

Speaking of practice, Coach Kingsbury was noticeably pleased with the way his team practiced this week, pointing to Tuesday specifically as the best day of the fall for the team on the practice field, bar-none. Players agreed with their head coach, noting the intensity, edge, and focus the team performed with on the day and week as a whole.

While it's obviously not in a game situation, it's an encouraging early sign heading into the La Tech contest that the team responded positively after the draining loss against Arizona State.

Does that mean they'll necessarily play well on Saturday? No, but the players and coaches, at the very least, are attempting to go into the game ready to make a statement.

We'll see.

3 - Kingsbury more pleased with offensive physicality against the Sun Devils

Offense certainly wasn't the major problem out in Tempe on Saturday night. If you score 55 points on the road, you're likely going to chalk that one up as a victory every single time.

But, Kliff Kingsbury does expect that unit to be one of the most well oiled machines in all of college football, so he's going to do his fair share of nitpicking and criticizing the offense when he sees any aspect of play fall bellow the standard.

The head coach wasn't pleased - at all - with the level of physicality from his receivers and offensive linemen against Stephen F. Austin, so he and the rest of the offensive staff made sure to hammer that point home before heading out to ASU.

Kliff was much happier with how his receivers got after it in blocking against the Sun Devils, noting that the O-line took a step forward with their physicality, too.

If anything, it's an encouraging early sign that this offense will adapt and rise to the challenges presented by the coaching staff.

1 - Is this Red Raider defense capable of slowing down Louisiana Tech, or anyone, for that matter?

I'll be the first to admit that I thought I saw this defense turn a bit of a corner in the season opener against SFA. They played sound, fundamental football, they tackled well, and they picked up turnovers. All good signs that are controllable, regardless of the opponent.

Then, against ASU, the bottom fell out after the Fehoko roughing call. They popped gaps in run defense, players missed pass coverage assignments, they hardly tackled at all, and they gave in.

It's worth pondering the level of impact a player like D'Vonta Hinton has on the unit seeing as he missed the ASU game with an injury, but even if he'd been a factor in the contest, it would've been rough to some degree.

Regardless, the question is which one of these performances was closer to what the real Texas Tech defense is this year?

Can this unit stop anyone with a pulse, or is the Arizona State performance a clear indicator that this season is going to be filled with more of the same?

Saturday night will give us our first real indication.

2 - Are we any closer to finding out who this team's leading receiver is going to be in 2016?

Two games into the season, the Red Raiders have three receivers with double digit receptions: Devin Lauderdale, Jonathan Giles, and Cam Batson. They've clearly become the favorite targets for Pat Mahomes so far, making them the primary candidates to be the top dog in the receiving corps early.

However, it's worth wondering if any one of them will emerge as the clear cut number one soon. Giles did most of his damage against SFA in the opener, Batson was the dynamic open field constant against Arizona State, and Lauderdale has been steady with seven receptions in both games for roughly the same amount of yards.

So, while the overall picture may have seemingly narrowed down to this trio, it's worth wondering if one of them will take that next step soon.

This will be the first game we see a pulse from the Texas Tech running game

So far through two contests, Louisiana Tech is ranked 31st against the pass and 58th against the run. They played noticeably good rush defense against Arkansas in the season opener, but they surprisingly gave up four yards a carry against South Carolina State last week.

The Bulldogs are likely going to sell out against the Texas Tech passing game, opting to back off into coverage while mixing in zone blitzes to attempt to slow down Pat Mahomes and the receivers.

As a result, I think this is the first game of the season you'll see the Red Raiders have some success on the ground. This offensive line has had a few weeks to gel and a few good chewings from Lee Hays to boot. I think the staff expects this O-line to become more and more physical as the year goes along, and the run game will develop with that.

The mix of light boxes, zone blitzes, and another step forward for this O-line should give Justin Stockton and the backfield some open holes to hit against the Bulldogs.