Texas Tech’s offense has a chance to be dangerous this season, and the biggest reason is sitting in the backfield.
The Red Raiders may have the most talented running back room in the country, and that kind of depth changes everything. Cameron Dickey, J’Koby Williams and Quinten Joyner give Texas Tech a trio that can carry the offense if Coach McGuire leans into a true committee approach.
Dickey looks like the lead option. He should see the most snaps of the group, but the idea here is not to run him into the ground.
With this much talent behind him, Texas Tech does not need a workhorse setup. A rotation makes more sense, and it could make the whole offense harder to deal with.
Williams is a big part of that equation, even if he did not always get the same attention as Dickey. Last season, he posted 868 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Together, Dickey and Williams piled up just under 2,000 rushing yards, finishing with 1,992 and 20 touchdowns combined, and both cleared the 5-yard-per-carry mark.
Then there is Joyner, the wild card with major upside. He came over from USC to Texas Tech and had generated plenty of buzz in Lubbock, but a torn ACL kept him out for the entire season. Now he is healthy again and expected to be an impact piece for the Red Raiders.
That matters even more because Texas Tech has had plenty of quarterback uncertainty this offseason. A strong run game can take pressure off Will Hammond, who showed flashes in his starts, and help settle things down as the Red Raiders prepare for their first real test of the year against No. 23 Houston.
If Texas Tech gets the ground game rolling, the ripple effect could be huge. It would open up the passing game and give this offense a much better chance to live up to the talent in that backfield. If this trio performs at the level it is capable of, Texas Tech is the kind of team that can make a real push toward a national championship.
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Jordans value goes beyond reps alone. He is the defensive player receiving in-helmet communications and relaying the calls, a role that puts him at the center of the operation and asks him to keep everyone lined up and calm. Coaches and teammates have pointed to his versatility and leadership as the Red Raiders work through the early uncertainty at safety, with Jordan helping hold the unit together while the rest of the depth chart settles in. [Read more 🡒]