CAUGHT ON THE DEFENSIVE
RED RAIDERS’ ABILITY TO SLOW DOWN FOES ONCE AGAIN A BIG QUESTION MARK
T exas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury fielded a stern question from a reporter at Big 12 Media Days in July concerning the lack of defensive success for the Red Raiders.
With all the necessary resources at hand in a state abundant with standout defensive players, “Why can’t you get 10, 15, or 20 who can hold your opponents to 30 points or less a game?”
“That’s a great question,” Kingsbury said as a few media members chuckled. “I wish I had the answer. Like I said, that’s something we work on. We haven’t been good enough defensively, and we’ll continue to try and recruit the right players and develop them and get better.”
Kingsbury spent different parts of that news conference answering questions about his defense, which gave up 43.5 points per game in 2016 — ranking 128th nationally — while solidifying the program’s lowly defensive reputation.
No matter how many points the offense scores and whether or not it produces more firstround NFL Draft picks at quarterback, it always circles back to defense in the Hub City.
Seeking continuity
But Kingsbury noted one reason the Red Raiders can take steps toward respectability on defense: consistency.
It’s worth noting how much of a revolving door the defensive coordinator position has been in Lubbock. David Gibbs is the program’s eighth defensive coordinator since 2007, but he’s going into his third season.
Kingsbury also hopes the reps all the young defensive players had last year pays off in 2017. Stratford product Jordyn Brooks starred at middle linebacker with 86 tackles as a freshman.
But maybe it’s a familiar face that makes a difference for the Red Raiders on defense — junior linebacker Dakota Allen.
He wowed as a freshman in Lubbock out of Summer Creek High School, but was dismissed after a home burglary charge. As a sophomore, he landed at East Mississippi Community College, the program famous for being the subject of the Netflix series “Last Chance U.” Allen, featured in the show’s second season, now has a reprieve at Texas Tech.
“Dakota’s a guy who made a mistake after his freshman year and went to junior college and paid the price,” Kingsbury said. “Did everything right. Earned his way back and was a tremendous player for us his freshman year. We expect him to pick right back up from where he left off.”
New gunslinger at the helm
If Texas Tech’s reputation on defense is faltering, the one for the offense continues thriving. The Red Raiders return seven starters from last year’s topranked passing offense.
Sure, a first-round NFL draft pick in Patrick Mahomes II now plies his trade in Kansas City. But Kingsbury believes Nic Shimonek can continue Lubbock’s great tradition of gunslingers.
Shimonek is a fifth-year senior who switched a prostyle offense at Iowa for Texas Tech’s brand. He’s been around the system, waited his turn and even showed what he was capable of in relief work last year.
“Our team loves him because it’s not many players in this day and age that would stick around for their senior year to get their time and he did,” Kingsbury said. “That carries a lot of weight with our program.”