Texas Tech Offensive Players to Watch Vs. Texas in Week 4

Texas needs to prepare for another explosive Red Raiders offense in Lubbock.

The Texas Longhorns begin their Big 12 slate against rival Texas Tech Tech on the road in Week 4. This once again will be a game of offense, as each of the last four games has combined for at least 73 points. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will need to make sure his defense is ready for Donovan Smith and the rest of the Red Raiders offense.

The Red Raiders consistently put out an incredible offensive product. Last year was no different, as they averaged 30.3 points, including dropping 35 against the Longhorns. What makes Texas Tech hard to prepare for is its constant speed and substitutions in their Air Raid offense. Having SaRodorick Thompson and Tahj Brooks in the backfield provides for a matchup problem for opposing defenses.

Make sure to stick to LonnghornCountry.com through our season preview series, where we will analyze every opponent on the Longhorn's schedule in 2022 as we have already looked at the overall preview of Texas Tech.

Now let’s take a look at the offensive weapons that Texas should watch out for:

QB Donovan Smith:

Sophomore quarterback Donovan Smith is officially taking over the reins after starting quarterback Tyler Shough got hurt in week one. Smith is known for his strong arm and the ability to throw the deep ball. So far through three games, Smith has 785 passing yards and seven touchdowns. The major concern at the quarterback position is the turnovers. So far Smith has five interceptions in the last two weeks. You can bet head coach Steve Sarkisian will make that an emphasis leading up to the game.

RB SaRodorick Thompson:

Thompson has been the number two back to start the season. He's extremely gifted and doesn’t turn the ball over (one fumble in 2021). He ran for 500 yards along with 10 touchdowns last year. Against TCU, ran for 118 yards, had 75 yards receiving, and scored three touchdowns. Thompson so far this year has 98 rushing yards on 21 carries. While Texas Tech doesn’t run all the time, having Thompson as its back is nice.

RB Tahj Brooks:

Brooks is the other running back threat that will be hard to tackle sitting at 5’10’’ and 220 lbs. Last year he ran for 568 yards with 7 touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards a carry. He has carried his Bowl game performance into this season, rushing for 132 yards and four touchdowns. Brooks is also involved in the passing game where he has 79 receiving yards on 11 receptions this season. Expect Brooks to be a major focal point vs the Longhorns.

WR Myles Price:

Price returns for his junior season where he looks to build off an excellent sophomore campaign. Last season he was Tech’s third-leading receiver with 523 yards and broke out in the Raiders' best win of the season. In the 41-38 victory over Iowa State, he had a career-high 175 yards receiving and a touchdown. He also had 75 receiving yards as well as a touchdown last year against the Horns. This season Price hasn’t missed a step with 167 receiving yards receiving and two touchdowns. 

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You can follow Adam Glick on Twitter @adamglick39

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