LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 07: Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson of Texas Tech offers directions in the course of warmups just before the faculty football recreation in between the Texas Tech Purple Raiders and the UTEP Miners on September 07, 2019 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Photos)
With eight returning starters, as lots of as five new Electric power 5 transfers, and a boatload of upperclassmen set to sort the core of the 2021 Texas Tech soccer team’s defense, anticipations on that aspect of the ball are increased than they have been in ages. But are the anticipations a little bit far too superior?
After all, Tech fielded just the No. 9 defense in the Major 12 in conditions of yards authorized very last yr. That was excellent for just 99th in the nation at 444.9 yards allowed per match.
What’s additional, Tech was ninth in the meeting in the subsequent defensive classes past fall: details authorized, rushing defense, interceptions received, first downs allowed per video game, opponent 3rd down conversion share. On major of that, Tech was just eighth in the Big 12 in these groups: sacks, crimson zone protection, go defense performance.
In other terms, past year’s defense was still one of the worst in the country. Tech gave up around 30 factors in 7 of 10 games and allowed fifty or more factors in a few contests.
But lots of consider that the modest actions ahead that Tech manufactured a 12 months back on protection ended up a prelude to a important soar in the appropriate direction in 2021. In point, those people people are certain that this year’s protection will be the toughness of the crew.
However, some of us have grown skeptical of anything at all to do with protection in Lubbock unless it will come from the thoughts of head basketball coach Mark Adams. What’s far more, we keep on being a bit skeptical of Keith Patterson as a defensive coordinator.
Keep in head that in his occupation, Patterson has by no means coordinated a Electrical power 5 defense that rated in the best 75 in the nation in complete yards. His two finest successes arrived at Pitt in 2011, which was following the Major East Meeting had shed most of its football prowess, and in 2018 at Utah State which is in the Mountain West.
But this yr, Tech won’t be experiencing on a weekly basis the sorts of teams that the 2011 Pitt Panthers or 2018 Utah Condition Aggies did. Fairly, the 2021 Big 12 is loaded with top rated-finish expertise and enters the yr with two groups ranked in the major 10.
So let us not request Patterson’s protection to be the next coming of the 1985 Chicago Bears. Alternatively, we would settle for a major-5 protection in the Major 12 and just one that sits about No. 75 in the nation.
For that to happen, Tech has to enhance in some essential classes. So let us take a search at some statistical targets that this year’s protection need to try for.
