![]() However, could this year see Kittley lean more heavily on the QB run game if Smith is the starter? Likely so. After all, Smith was the only viable option to start those final four games given that Henry Colombi had already been benched, Behren Morton was a true freshman with no appreciable experience to his name, and Shough was out with a broken collar bone. He registered only 155 yards and 3 TDs on 56 carries (of course, those numbers factor in sacks as well).īut we must remember that offensive coordinator and interim head coach Sonny Dykes couldn’t afford to expose Smith to injury by asking him to run the ball as often as he likely wanted to. Now, last season, we didn’t see too much of Smith’s ability to run the ball, at least by design. What’s more, his legs help give an offensive coordinator an extra edge when scheming the weekly game plan. Of course, his ability to carry the ball is a huge asset to the Red Raiders.Ī former high school wide receiver while playing for powerhouse program Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, NV, Smith is always a threat to take off from the pocket. What’s more, when you take out the Oklahoma State game in which the Red Raider offensive line was a sieve giving him no chance at making plays, (Smith was just 9-29 passing that night), he completed 66.2% of his passing attempts, a number that is more than acceptable for a starter.īut it isn’t just what Smith can do with his arm that matters. But what really stands out is that he accounted for seven touchdowns (six through the air) and only one interception. In those starts, Smith would complete 57.1% of his passes, a number that is respectable for a freshman who is facing such tough competition. After all, he played as well as anyone could have expected from a redshirt freshman, especially considering that all four of the teams he started against would be eventual bowl qualifiers, including the two teams that would appear in the Big 12 Championship Game, Baylor and Oklahoma State. ![]() That’s where the case for starting Smith this year has to begin, though. What’s more, as a collegiate, Smith has started a mere four games, all of which came at the end of last season. He was just a one-year starter in high school, his senior season, which came at Frienship High School in Wolfforth after his father DeAndre was hired as running backs coach on Matt Wells’ staff. Now in his third year in the program, Smith is still relatively green as a QB. But today, let’s discuss why it might make sense to start sophomore Donovan Smith. Recently, we took a detailed look at the case for starting senior Tyler Shough, who has to be considered the favorite to win the job. Fortunately, the QB room provides plenty of quality options. By Matthew Conner 1 month ago Follow Tweetįall camp is nearly here for the Texas Tech football program and when the players report in early August, the biggest task that head coach Joey McGuire and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley much accomplish is to find a starting QB.
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