Stock Up: Pass defense

The pass defense showed up in a big way against Texas Tech on Saturday, allowing only 367 passing yards and especially limiting the deep balls from gunslinging Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II.

While 367 yards is still a pretty high total, it’s well below Tech’s average passing yards per game, especially when playing at home. 

After struggling some in the first quarter, the secondary did step up and helped disrupt some passes, and in the final seconds of the game, cornerback Kris Boyd snagged an interception to seal a Texas victory. 

The defensive line also took advantage of Tech’s offensive front, frequently putting pressure on Mahomes in the pocket. This good performance against a top offense bodes well for future games, and Texas should be able to continue to rely on the defense to continue disrupting the pass for the rest of the season.

Stock Down: Jerrod Heard

After leading the team in receiving yards earlier in the season, wide receiver Jerrod Heard has been effectively absent for the last two games. Against Texas Tech, he dropped a well thrown deep ball and ended the game with zero receptions.

Heard’s drop is part of a noticeable trend among the Texas wide receivers. While other receivers have stepped up to pick up Heard’s slack, Texas would surely like the former quarterback to return to his early season form so that the passing game can have another weapon.

Stock Up: Shane Buechele

Texas’ running game has been the focal point the past two weeks thanks to junior running back D’Onta Foreman who had a career best 341 rushing yards against Texas Tech.

But freshman quarterback Shane Buechele earns the stock up this week after showing once again that he is a valuable asset to the Texas offense. 

Buechele passed for 244 yards and scored two touchdowns—both near-perfect passes to wide receiver Colin Johnson—and his mistakes were kept to a minimum. Buechele has provided a much needed relief for the running backs and has provided Texas with a very consistent passing game, both of which showed against the Red Raiders.

Stock Down: Ball Control

While Texas’ ground game had an incredible day with 414 total yards, ball control proved to be an issue and helped keep the Red Raiders in the game.

In a controversial call, Texas running back D’Onta Foreman fumbled the ball just before crossing the goal line, resulting in a Texas Tech return touchdown. Later in the game, Texas running back Kyle Porter fumbled, setting up another Tech touchdown. 

Texas needs to limit its ball-control mistakes so that it doesn’t give opponents any more chances than necessary.