It’s Year 2 for the Frat Pack – at least that’s what the media nicknamed Texas Tech. Kliff Kingsbury, the face of the Frat Pack and Head Coach of the Red Raiders, is entering his second season at the helm of the program.
Kingsbury’s tenure leaped off to a hot start in 2013 with Tech winning seven consecutive games to start the season. Then reality hit and the Red Raiders lost their final five conference games, notably playing the top four teams in the league. Tech finished the year by solidly beating the ASU Sun Devils in the Holiday Bowl and Kingsbury became only the second coach in school history to win a bowl game in their first year as coach.
What is in store for Kingsbury and the Raiders in 2014? It depends on who you ask. Tech was picked 6th in the Big 12’s preseason poll. That equates to the best of the bottom half of the league, or the worst in the top half of the conference.
In 2013, Tech assumed what now seems like their rightful spot at the top of the Big 12’s passing attacks by averaging 373.7 yards/game. A porous defense was not the only culprit in their second half struggles – Texas Tech only finished with 116.9 yards/game rushing.
In years past, when the Red Raiders have seemed unstoppable, it is because their offense relies on an efficient ground game to keep defenses honest. Last year Tech finished next to last in the Big 12 in rushing.
With plenty of experience returning on both sides of the ball, Kingsbury is expected to show improvement in his second year. With those expectations mounting, the Frat Pack’s leader sat down to address reporters at Big 12 media days and his opening remarks were, “Let’s just get to questions.â€
Offense