PREVIEW: EASTERN WASHINGTON

GAME INFO

Location: Lubbock Tx

Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium

Time: 3:00pm CST

Watch: FSN

Listen: Texas Tech Radio Network, Tunin

EASTERN WASHINGTON

2017 Record: N/A

2016 Record: 12-2

Last Meeting: Won 49-24 (2008)

All Time Record: Tech Leads 1-0

The Red Raiders open the 2017 season at home against the Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday September 2nd at Jones AT&T Stadium.

The Eagles enter the season ranked #5(FCS) after coming off of a 12-2 season that ended in loss to #13(FCS) Youngstown State in the FCS Playoff Semifinal.

This will be the first season for head coach Aaron Best who takes over after 16 seasons as the Eagles offensive coordinator. Best takes over for Beau Baldwin, who accepted the offensive coordinator position at California after 9 seasons with the Eagles; during which Eastern Washington won 5 conference titles and a National Championship in 2010.

Eastern Washington returns junior quarterback Gage Gubrud who led the league with 5160 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. He will have less to work with after losing three receivers including Cooper Kupp who was drafted in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp led the FCS in receiving last season.

Defensively, Jeff Schmedding returns for a third season as the defensive coordinator along with most of his starters. Last season the defense was effective at creating turnovers but struggled in stopping the run; allowing 26 rushing touchdowns and 193.6 yards per game.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

OFFENSE

Nix Shimonek will get the start for the Red Raiders. The key will be how well Shimonek can make smart decisions and take care of the ball. Eastern Washington finished with 17 interceptions last season so clean, smart football will be important. Mclane Carter is listed at the #2 spot with Jett Duffey at #3. If all goes well I would expect to see all three quarterbacks take snaps Saturday afternoon.

This will also be a good test for the young offensive line. The Eagles were effective in the pass rush last season with 35 sacks. Kingsbury attributed poor offensive line play to the lackluster running game last season so it will be good to see if the unit has improved in creating gaps for Stockton and company.

DEFENSE

When asked about the defense Kingsbury said that the number one priority will be stopping the run so naturally that's what we should watch for. Can the front seven make tackles and plug up holes effectively? Can the secondary minimize the damage when the running back does break through? Stopping the run will be crucial in how successful the Red Raiders are this season.

This will also be a good chance to see if the defense can create turnovers against the high powered passing attack that Eastern Washington will bring in on Saturday. Gage Gubrud won't make many mistakes but If the defense can capitalize on when he does it will be a huge step in the right direction.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This will be the debut of Australian Punter Dominic Panzzolo. Panzzolo punts both rugby and traditional style and by all accounts is incredibly accurate. This will give Tech more flexibility especially if the protection breaks down. Plus you never know what tricks Kingsbury had up his sleeve and to have a punter as diverse as Panzzolo only provides Tech with another weapon.

Michael Barden will focus solely on the kickoffs and no longer will be in charge of punts. Barden struggled with punts last season and should benefit well from the change.

Clayton Hatfield will return as the field goal specialist. Hatfield excelled at field goals but struggled with extra points last season. This will be a good chance to see if he has worked out the kinks this year.

FINAL NOTE

Eastern Washington is no pushover. They had two players drafted in the NFL last season and Gage Gubrud is about as good as they come at Quarterback. That being said, Tech should win this game and win it handily. Don't be surprised if Eastern Washington puts some points on the board as they did in 2008. The key will be how well the Red Raiders can play fundamentally.

PREDICTION

Texas Tech 52 Eastern Washington 21

THREE AND OUT: PRESEASON EDITION

1. D’vonta Hinton is no longer with the team.

Kliff Kingsbury confirmed during a teleconference that D’vonta Hinton is no longer with the team. Kingsbury declined to give any details regarding the circumstances. Hinton had a breakout season in 2015 as a freshman after starting all 13 games and recording 53 tackles. Last season Hinton played in four games before missing the rest of the season due to personal issues. The defensive back position is stacked with Jordan Brooks and Dakota Allen and the loss shouldn't hurt too much as long as injuries are kept to a minimum.

2. MCLANE CARTER WILL BE THE BACKUP QUARTERBACK.

Kingsbury talked quarterbacks to the media. Nic Shimonek is undoubtedly the starting quarterback for the Red Raiders this season. Mclane Carter will be the official backup and Jett Duffey will come in as the third string. When asked, Kingsbury didn't seem to concerned about getting Mclane Carter any playing time during Saturday's game against Eastern Washington. To paraphrase, Kingsbury says that Carter is a JUCO veteran who isn't just out of high school. I expect that Carter, being the more experienced quarterback, would be ready to take over if Shimonek goes down but if all goes well I wouldn't be surprised if we get to see a few snaps from Duffey this week. Kingsbury also said that the bye week will be helpful in Duffey’s development and I wouldn't be surprised if he earns the backup spot before the Arizona State Game. On another note, Xavier Martin is expected to redshirt this season.

3. STOCKTON WILL START AT RUNNING BACK.

Kingsbury also stated that Justin Stockton would be the starting back for the Red Raiders. Desmond Nisby will be in the rotation as well along with Demarcus Felton and Trey King. Stockton struggled last season however Kingsbury attributes that to poor offensive line play more than anything else. Demarcus Felton stood out last year with 354 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

4. TEAM CAPTAINS SELECTED.

The Red Raiders have selected seniors Nic Shimonek, Dylan Cantrell and Cameron Batson; and juniors Jah’shawn Johnson and Dakota Allen as the team captains for the 2017 season. The captains were voted on by the team. Shimonek is described by coaches as someone who will fight anyone no matter who they are and has no problem calling out a player when necessary. Dakota Allen comes back to Texas Tech after a season at EMCC following a burglary charge. Allen recorded 117 tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery last season with the Lions and comes back with a sense of maturity and leadership that is much needed on this team, particularly on the defense.

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN.

We made it. It's been a long cold lonely off-season. Both literally as in there hasn't been a single down of meaningful football since November, as well as mentally, which is expected after a disappointing season.

The Red Raiders finished 5-7 last season with a defense that was ranked dead last in points allowed per game. Yet as we approach September 2nd, bitterness gives way to excitement and cautious optimism. Here are some talking points for the upcoming season.

Defense Should Be Improved.

Last season the defense finished 128 out of 128 in points allowed per game. Despite poor performance overall, the defense showed plenty of promise particularly from the younger players such as Douglas Coleman who's highlight of the season was a 100 yard fumble return for a touchdown against Texas.

This season David Gibbs returns a much more experienced squad led by juniors Dakota Allen and D’vonta Hinton and sophomore Jordyn Brooks. Allen returns to Lubbock after a standout season at East Mississippi Community College and should provide some much needed leadership and experience to the young group.

The secondary should show improvement as well with returning starters Douglas Coleman and D.J. Polite-Bray who had 26 solo tackles and five assists last season. The addition of JUCO transfers Octavious Morgan and Jaylon Lane should make an immediate impact on the secondary as well.

This is also the largest defense Tech has seen in years both in depth and in size. David Gibbs says Tech finally has a “Big 12 sized” defense and it will show on the field.

While I don't expect Tech to become a defensive juggernaut overnight, I predict that we will see a return to what we saw in 2012 under Art Kaufman. That season the Red Raiders finished 92 out of 124 in points allowed. When you consider that four of the seven losses last season were by a touchdown or less, any improvement, particularly in the turnover department, could put Tech back into the upper tier of the Big 12.

Nic Shimonek Is Fearless

Let me put it this way. If Nic Shimonek was on a plane and the pilot had a sudden heart attack and there was no one left to fly the plane, he would stand up and say “Well heck, I'll take a crack at it”. Whether or not he could actually land the plane remains to be seen, but if the Kansas game is any indication I’d say the passengers of Southwest Airlines Flight 207 have a pretty good chance.

If you haven't seen Shimonek Mic’d Up here's a link. Shimonek has no problem getting in his teammates faces but is also the first to criticize himself when he's off the mark (even after throwing a long touchdown pass). He seems to know where the ball will go before it leaves his hand. While it takes more than tenacity to win games, we have seen too many times when a talented quarterback struggles because of over thinking and not trusting themselves (i.e. Davis Webb and Taylor Potts).

Shimonek seems to have the talent to back up his confidence as he went 38 of 58 last season with six touchdowns and one interception. Most of those numbers came against Kansas when he came in for an injured Patrick Mahomes II and threw four touchdown passes.

Has Kingsbury Made The Change From OC To HC?

Anytime a coach goes from coordinator to head coach there is a certain amount of growing pains involved. Whether it's difficulty letting go of their day to day duties as a coordinator or trying to stay out of the way of a more knowledgeable coordinator. Most coaches get to start at the high school or lower level college first where they can work out the kinks while the pressure isn't so great. However other times (such as the case of Kingsbury) they go straight into the big time where all eyes are watching. At some point though, everything comes together and the difference in the results can be day and night.

This season is a make or break season for Kingsbury. He is taking a more active role in the defense and seems to now have a better understanding of the team as a whole as opposed to just the offense. Will it be enough? Only time will tell, but I think we will see a much more motivated and disciplined team than in the previous four seasons.

The Red Raiders kick off the 2017 season Saturday, September 2nd at Jones AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm central time. You can watch the game on FSN or listen on the Texas Tech Sports Network from Learfield through a radio affiliate or on the tunein app.