Texas Tech Week One: Make Vanilla Elite

The Red Raiders have arrived at the first game week of the most anticipated season since 2008. Joey McGuire’s team has been the subject of a ton of off-season headlines. McGuire is on the record stating, “We are fixin’ to shake up college football.” The new-look roster has been dissected throughout the Spring. But now, a Texas Tech week one opponent in Arkansas-Pine Bluff will give everyone their first look at this team. What should we expect from this much-hyped team Saturday night in Lubbock?

Texas Tech Week One: Make Vanilla Elite

Schematically Should Be Vanilla

In addition to plenty of new players making their debuts, it will be the first look at play-calling from new offensive and defensive coordinators. Mack Leftwich joined the staff after spending the last two seasons as Texas State’s offensive coordinator. When he arrived in San Marcos, Texas State offenses ranked 110th in the country for scoring at only 21.1 points per game. Leftwich quickly transferred the offense into one that would go on to average 36.7 points per game in 2023 and then 36.5 points in 2024. Meanwhile, Shiel Wood takes the helm over a defense that was in need of major work. Wood has been a defensive coordinator at a different school for the last four years. He has moved frequently because he has made a big impact from the moment he arrived on staff. Wood’s defenses have ranked inside the top 35 for total defense in all four seasons since he was first named a co-defensive coordinator at Army in 2021. Since then, he made stops as the defensive coordinator at Troy in 2022, Tulane in 2023, and then last season in Houston. In a game in which the talent is as one-sided as it is, we shouldn’t see a ton of complex schematic work on either side of the ball. But just because the scheme is plain doesn’t mean it can’t deliver great results. When you have high-quality ingredients, a chef must let the flavor shine with simple and effective preparation.

Suffocating Defense

Vanilla can often be used as a synonym for plain. If anyone has ever watched a Texas Tech football game in the last 25 years, they might describe the defense as plain. A defense so bad that offensive coordinators can take the week off. While that side of the ball has had its moments, overall, it has been a major weak point. But this is the first time it has brought in this much proven talent, especially along the defensive line. On paper, this is the most talented defensive line the program has had in those bleak 25 years. It is headlined by Stanford transfer David Bailey. He is already projected as a first-round draft pick in the Spring draft. Bailey is joined on the line by one of the best returning conference linemen, Lee Hunter, and All-MAC player Skyler Gill-Howard. Meanwhile, the linebacking group is headlined by returning linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and Georgia Tech transfer Romello Height. The front seven should be physically dominating, not just to start the season, but in Big 12 play as well.