[ad_1]
The Texas Tech Red Raiders will face the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 regular season opener for both teams on Nov. 26 in Lubbock, Texas.
It will be the end of a 14-week season and a Big 12 Conference Championship Game berth could be on the line depending on how both teams’ seasons go.
Oklahoma is coming off an 11-2 season and a 7-2 Big 12 slate. But the Sooners failed to make the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time since his reinstatement, and the offseason featured a major coaching transition.
Lincoln Riley left the Sooners to take over USC, and the Sooners hired Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Vennells to take over. Venables was the former defensive coordinator at OU under Bob Stoops, the interim head coach in the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl victory over Oregon.
Texas Tech is coming off a turbulent 6-7 season of its own. The Red Raiders fired Matt Wells last October and hired Baylor assistant coach Joey McGuire — a former Texas high school football coach — to take over the program. Former Red Raiders quarterback Sonny Kubami took over the program on an interim basis and led them to the Liberty Bowl, where they faced former coach Mike Leach for the first time.
Cumbie is now the head coach at Louisiana Tech. McGuire hired Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Zach Keightley for the same role at TTU, while he tapped well-regarded defensive mind Tim Deruiter to run the defense.
Be sure to stick with RedRaiderReview.com as we look at every aspect of the matchup against the Sooners later in the week.
Oklahoma Sooners
2021 record: 11-2 (7-2 in Big 12)
Head coachBrent Venables
Venables is entering his first year as the head coach at Oklahoma.
Offensive seta lot of
Defense kit: 4-3
Returning starters on offense: 5
The most notable returnee is rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims, who had 32 catches for 705 yards and five touchdowns last season. The Sooners lost four of their top five hitters, top two hitters and top two passers from last season. Both starting quarterbacks transferred — Caleb Williams to USC and Spencer Rattler to South Carolina.
The Sooners expect to return three starters on the offensive line, so that’s where they’ll start under new offensive coordinator Jeff Libby, who was at Ole Miss last season.
Projected Offensive Starters:
QB Dillon Gabriel
RB Eric Gray
WR Theo Wease
WR Marvin Mims*
WR Drake Stoops
T Brayden Willis*
LT Anton Harrison*
LG McKade Metatower
C. Andrew Ream*
RG Chris Murray*
RT Wayna Morris
* Indicates a return starter
Returning starters on defense: 5
The Sooners were a top-30 unit against the run last season, while allowing a total of 60 defensive points and 109 passing yards per game. Venables and his new defensive coordinator, Ted Roof, will be tasked with installing the same system that worked for Venable at Clemson.
Weakside linebacker Dashaun White is one of the few returning starters to watch, but the Sooners have enough talent to compete.
Projected Defensive Starters:
by Reggie Grimes
DT Jeffrey Johnson
DT Jalen Redmond*
DE Ethan Downs
SLB Shane Whittier
MLB Danny Stutzman
WLB DASHON WHITE*
CB Woody Washington*
CB DJ Graham*
S. Key Lawrence
S Billy Bowman*
* Indicates a return starter
You can follow Matthew Postin on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Follow the Texas Tech Red Raiders Daily Blitz podcast over here
Follow Red Raider Review on Facebook and Twitter!
Want more Red Raiders news? Check out the latest Texas Tech news here
[ad_2]
Source link
