GAME INFO
Location: Lubbock Tx
Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium
Time: 3:00pm CST
Watch: FSN
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
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