5 burning questions for Texas Tech football as preseason practice begins
Preseason camp has finally arrived.
The Texas Tech football team is scheduled to begin workouts today. Throughout the week, we've taken a look at the top offensive and defensive returners, breakout candidates and new faces to the bunch.
However, there are still some key questions the Red Raiders must answer throughout the 2023 season.
Can quarterback Tyler Shough stay healthy and on the field?
Injuries have forced the Red Raiders to use multiple starting quarterbacks per season over the last half decade. Tyler Shough, Behren Morton and the now-departed Donovan Smith all got banged up last year as the offensive line gave up 41 sacks last season. Shough has played 11 games the last two years, and Tech has been successful in his nine starts (8-1). Keeping him on the field should be an emphasis.
How will the Red Raiders handle external expectations?
Tech came in fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll, the team's highest mark since the conference did away with divisions in 2011. That means eyes outside of Lubbock are on the Red Raiders for the first time in a while. Joey McGuire acknowledged this will be many of the players' first taste of that kind of expectation. The team shares the thought of how well they could do, but believing it yourself and others expecting you to do it are two different things that don't always line up.
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How quick can Tech become bowl eligible?
Unless things unravel in a hurry, Red Raider fans should be able to plan for some December football. But how quick can Tech lock up a bowl bid? The last two years have come down to the wire with Tech needing at least one win in its final two games. This year should be different. The open week comes after the road trip to BYU in Week 8. After that, it might just be a matter of which bowl game the Red Raiders can get to instead of whether they'll get to one at all.
Can the offense reach another gear?
It's safe to say the Tech offense took a significant leap from 2022 to 2023. Now in Zach Kittley's second year leading the attack, with a slew of returners, it stands to reason that the Red Raiders should be looking for more. Avoiding turnovers will help in that regard and familiarity with both scheme on teammates should pay dividends.
Is this the end of the Texas rivalry?
As of now, the Nov. 24 matchup will be the final Texas Tech-Texas football game for quite a while. Texas doesn't have a non-conference opening until 2027. Tech's earliest slot is 2029. If the two schools can agree to a future series, announcing it before the Thanksgiving week encounter would be as good a time as any.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: 5 burning questions for Texas Tech football as preseason practice begins
