Texas Tech Week 12: No Letdown Against UCF

Here are the Red Raiders sitting in the playoff rankings at number six. Some think they are a shoo-in for the Big 12 title game. Not to mention, this Texas Tech week 12 showdown is against a UCF team that Vegas views as no challenge to the Red Raiders as a 24.5-point underdog. However, Joey McGuire and his staff must keep the pedal to the metal and maintain a focused approach. Due to their loss to Arizona State, there is no room for error for this team. The game plan is simple: show up on Senior Day with another focused effort, intent on sending a January message.

Texas Tech Week 12: No Letdown Against UCF

Any UCF Strengths To Be Concerned About?

It has been a relatively successful first season for Scott Frost in his second stint as the Knights’ head coach. While going bowling looks unlikely, Frost was starting the job with an empty pantry in terms of talent. Possibly their biggest loss was defensive tackle Lee Hunter transferring away to help anchor this elite Texas Tech defense. But there are a few things that this UCF team does well. It starts with a strong pass defense. It ranks 12th nationally at allowing only 168.2 yards per game. Offensively, the Knights are running the ball at an above-average clip. Their rushing attack ranks 33rd nationally at 186.3 yards per game.

What To Do At Quarterback

For the Red Raiders on offense, besides the Red Zone woes, the biggest question is how to handle the quarterback position. At his weekly press conference on Monday, McGuire spoke on Behren Morton being in a walking boot, “We’ll definitely limit movement all week to get him going on Friday. Our fast Friday would be the aiming point for where he really ramps up and gets going.” He would further add that it is a similar approach to the one they had two weeks ago. “[Morton] hates it, but he’s just going to have to hate it. But two weeks ago, he was in a boot, and we really wanted to keep him in a boot. He didn’t want to, because the boot bothers him a little bit.” During the BYU game, ESPN revealed that the lower leg injury Morton has dealt with all season is a hairline fracture in his fibula. In a perfect world, the 1-2 punch of Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams would feast against a UCF rushing defense that allows 153.4 yards per game (81st nationally). Assuming the defense held up its end of the bargain, quarterback Mitch Griffis could come in around halftime to get this game to the end without being asked to do much. But, as mentioned in the introduction, that requires this team to be locked in the same way they were against BYU.