Jones AT&T Stadium (Photo by: Chance Chambers)
By Chance Chambers
The Texas Tech Football season kicks off Sept. 4 as the Red Raiders take on the Cougars in the season opener in Houston.
The Red Raiders look to get back in action after finishing the 2020 season with a 4-6 record. According the Texas Tech athletic webpage, the team made some key hires and changes for the upcoming season.
One major change included the hiring of Sonny Cumbie as offensive coordinator. Cumbie, a former Texas Tech quarterback, spent time under Mike Leach and Kliff Kingsbury as an assistant. According to the athletics page, he was hired in 2014 at TCU as offensive coordinator. Head coach Matt Wells brought Cumbie back on staff after the 2020 season with a larger task as offensive coordinator for the Red Raiders.
Fans also look forward to seeing transfer quarterback Tyler Shough suit up for the team. Shough previously played at the University of Oregon, where he helped the Ducks defeat USC in the Pac-12 Championship in 2020. Shough transferred to Texas Tech after the 2020 season. According to the depth chart, Shough will be up against Henry Colombi, Maverick McIvor, Donovan Smith, and Behren Morton in the battle for starting quarterback.
Texas Tech alumni and avid Red Raider football fan Scot Mayfield said he is excited with the talent he sees on the team.
“I think our offensive line will be improved, I think our running back stable is very good, and I think our receiving core is very good,” Mayfield said. “So, I am very optimistic about the upcoming season.”
Mayfield said the Texas Tech offense will be one to watch next year as they will try to air out the ball downfield more. With the return of Cumbie comes the return of the air-raid offense, which was popular in the Mike Leach era.
“I am extremely excited,” Mayfield said. “I can see us going much more vertical than side to side. That was a frustration from last year.”
According to the schedule, Texas Tech will start non-conference play against Houston, then move on to games against Stephen F. Austin and Florida International–both in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders will then travel to Austin to face Texas in the first Big 12 matchup of the year. This game is followed by another tough road trip to Morgantown to take on West Virginia.
(Photo by: Chance Chambers)
Mayfield also talked about how competitive the Big 12 can be, citing big finishes from Oklahoma and Iowa State.
“Well OU is definitely the easily toughest game,” Mayfield said. “Their talent, their coaching staff, they’ve been there and done it.”
The Red Raiders will face Oklahoma Oct. 30 in Norman, according to the schedule. The following week brings a matchup against another top Big 12 contender in Iowa State.
From there, Texas Tech will face Oklahoma State in Lubbock and then finish the season against Baylor in Waco.
Although the Red Raiders face a tough schedule, senior Jacob Rodriguez said he expects the team to put up a fight in the Big 12. He said he looks forward to how the new offense will look.
“We’re going to go back to our roots of throwing the football around a bit more,” Rodriguez said, “and scoring some points.”
Rodriguez also said he is excited to see what Wells can do with this new staff. He said he hopes Wells brings a winning energy to the team.
“Establishing more of a winning attitude and a winning persona for the football program,” Rodriguez said. “The last decade I would say has been relatively modest in the way we approach the football program.”
Rodriguez said overall he is excited for this next season has to offer, and is ready to watch Shough take the stage.
“I feel like we have the talent, and the coaching staff, and the overall support to do well this season,” Rodriguez said. “We just need to put it all together.”
Be sure to catch the Raider’s season opener on Sept.4 at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
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