Texas Tech Football Prepares for First Trip to West Virginia [VIDEO]
The #16/#15 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0) will look to extend their winning streak to seven games this Saturday in their first trip to West Virginia (3-3, 1-2). Texas Tech is tied for first place in the Big 12 Conference with Texas (4-2, 3-0) & Baylor (5-0, 2-0). Oklahoma is nipping at their heels with a (5-1, 2-1) record after losing to Texas at the Cotton Bowl.
Texas Tech freshman quarterback, Davis Webb (#7 pictured above), earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors today after leading Tech to a 7-point win against Iowa State. I asked Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury about the status of his three quarterbacks (Webb, Baker Mayfield & Michael Brewer). "Yeah, Baker, we'll get him over here today and see how he feels. Davis is good and Mike's good. So we'll see if we have all three available this week. We should know by the end of the week," Kingsbury said.
As far as if Mayfield or Brewer could reclaim the starting quarterback spot after recovering from their respective injuries, Kingsbury added, "It's hard to have a competition in week 7, which make it's tough because you don't have enough reps. You're trying to get one guy ready for the game. So they've been very supportive of each other. We'll get as many reps to each guy as we can, and play the one that we feel gives us the best chance to win a game every week."
I also asked Kingsbury what West Virginia does well on defense. He talked about their use of multiple defensive sets (click video for rest of response):
Sophomore defensive lineman Branden Jackson said the game to West Virginia will be a homecoming for him. "I've been to Morgantown many times. It's about 30, maybe 40 minutes away (from McKeesport, PA). It's nothing but a hop, skip and a drive down the road. I just heard you guys say that it's homecoming (for West Virginia). That's pretty cool, because that's my homecoming. First time I get to play in front of my family, so I'm excited."
Just like with Texas Tech, West Virginia's student section is known for generating a lot of noise during games. Jackson said they will bring their 'A-game' with the Red Raiders in town (click video for answer).
Holding West Virginia's offense to short possessions will be a key for the Red Raider defense, "The key to keeping their offense off the field is get them behind schedule," Jackson said. "West Virginia, they move fast, but you can't go fast if you're not moving accordingly. If we get them a little bit behind schedule, they'll have to change up a little something, and that's where we can get after them and send some stuff their way that they're not expecting."
Texas Tech at West Virginia kicks off at 12p EST/ 11a CST this Saturday, October 19. The game will be televised on FOX Sports 1. Countdown to Kickoff with Steve Dale airs from 8a-10a on SportsRadio 1340 The Fan.