OFFENSE

Last season, offensive coordinator Neal Brown inherited two veteran quarterbacks who had started and won games in the Big 12 in Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield. Brown doesn’t have that luxury this season. Entering the 2011 campaign, the four scholarship quarterbacks on Tech’s roster vying for the starting job — Seth Doege, Jacob Karam, Scotty Young and true freshman Michael Brewer — have attempted a combined 66 career passes.

Doege, the favorite to win the position, is a West Texas native who patiently waited his turn behind Graham Harrell and Potts and has three full seasons of practices and infrequent mop-up duty under his belt. “Any experience is good experience,” Doege says. “Just coming out here and knowing what to expect. We want to play fast. We want our tempo to be great and, especially because this is the second year (with Brown’s offense), I’m a lot more confident in what I’m doing.”

Though the open quarterback job has received most of the attention, Tech’s biggest uncertainty on offense is not who takes over for Potts, but who replaces receivers Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis. The duo combined to catch 25 touchdowns in 2010, and a relatively inexperienced group is going to be counted on to duplicate that production.

Fortunately for the Red Raiders, the burden of having to replace their starting quarterback, leading rusher and top two receivers is lessened somewhat by the fact the team returns all five offensive line starters.
 

DEFENSE

Tech is on its third defensive coordinator and defensive scheme in as many years. Following the dismissal of James Willis in December, Tuberville hired TCU safeties coach Chad Glasgow to bring the Horned Frogs’ 4-2-5 scheme to Lubbock. Results were mixed during the spring, but Glasgow was satisfied with the progress.

Glasgow inherited a roster better suited to his 4-2-5 than Willis’ 3-4, which should make for a smoother transition. The move to a two-linebacker system masks the team’s lack of depth at the position, while playing to its relative strength at safety.

The Red Raiders are inexperienced on the defensive line, but the team looks to have more options up front than it has in several years. Heralded junior college transfer Leon Mackey headlines a group of eight incoming defensive line recruits who should immediately bolster Tech’s depth.

SPECIALISTS

Matt Williams — who became Tech’s kicker after winning a halftime kicking contest in 2008 — graduated, and the player Williams replaced in 2008, Donnie Carona, is the likely candidate to take over for him in 2011. As a true freshman in 2008, Carona opened the season as the team’s starter but was replaced after four of his PATs were blocked in the first six games. Now a senior, Carona has seemingly corrected the trajectory issues that plagued him as a freshman, which he described as “mostly mental.” Ryan Erxleben will be the punter, a role he handled in 2009 after Jonathan LaCour was suspended.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Even with a new starter at quarterback and key losses at receiver, the Red Raiders’ offense is expected to improve in its second year under Brown. So, as has often been the case over the last decade, Tech’s success in 2011 will largely hinge on the performance of its defense.

The Raiders don’t look like Big 12 contenders, but another bowl appearance is very likely.