Oklahoma football: Five questions with WreckEmRed.com

We recently exchanged questions with WreckEmRed.com, Fansided’s Texas Tech Red Raiders website. We got in five questions, and we answered a few on their site, which you can see here.

A big thanks to those guys for taking the time and all the work they do as one of the few active Big 12 sites on the network.

Without further ado, here was our conversation:

Stormin’ in Norman: It’s been a bad year for Tech football, what’s been the most glaring problem for the 2014 Red Raiders?

Wreck ‘Em Red: Honestly, it’s a long list. Quarterback play has been a glaring inconsistency throughout the entire season. To me though, the lack of physical wide receivers has been one of the biggest letdowns of the 2014 season for Tech. Jace Amaro and Eric Ward both gave us great blockers and guys that could overpower cornerbacks and safeties last year. This year, we just haven’t had that physicality on the position. The defense giving up huge numbers doesn’t help either, but that’s been expected over the past decade plus.

SiN: How patient will Tech fans be with second-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury?

WeR: I think the average fan has been frustrated with the way this year has played out. Failing to be competitive in most of our games has been uninspiring to say the least, but those who really take a close look at the program and work ethic of Kingsbury know that we will be heading in the right direction soon, it just may take a few years. Hauling in some great recruits this year helps, but results on the field will need to come soon.

SiN: Who’s a guy on offense or defense that Sooner fans might be overlooking to make an impact?

WeR: I think most OU fans know about speedy wide receiver Jakeem Grant and running back DeAndre Washington, but I think our most talented offensive player is freshman running back Justin Stockton. He has great field vision and is a home run threat. On defense, I would think just about everyone has been overlooked (mostly for good reason) but linebacker Pete Robertson has been a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal defense this year.

SiN: OU is heavily favored, but what’s one thing Texas Tech has to do if they want to compete in this game?

WeR: Well, both teams seem to have a possibility of either not playing their starting quarterback, or playing one that isn’t 100%. I think a strong start could give Tech an outside shot at winning the game, but like WreckEmRed.com has been saying all along, protecting the football and forcing turnovers is key to winning most games. If they can cause a few interceptions or fumbles by Knight (if he’s playing), they may have a shot. Unfortunately they’ve been really bad about doing that this year.

SiN: What’s the general opinion of Baker Mayfield in Lubbock?

WeR: I think the public opinion in Lubbock is that Mayfield really tried a smear campaign against Kliff Kingsbury and his staff at the end of last year. On one hand, I can see that as a walk-on, he should have had an option to transfer and be able to play immediately, but on the other hand, he decided to transfer to a Big 12 school that we play every year. Rules are rules and this was just something that he couldn’t get his way in. I don’t think it will be a warm welcome for him at all, but he won’t be on the field so I don’t see it being that big of a deal.