On Monday, the Texas Tech football program issued a troubling injury report, noting that several starters are questionable for the upcoming game against Washington State, and one player has been ruled out for the season.
The atmosphere surrounding the Texas Tech football program has soured further following Saturday’s narrow escape against Abilene Christian, especially as they gear up to face Washington State. This is highlighted by a concerning injury report released on Monday.
A significant setback is the season-long absence of outside linebacker Joseph Adedire, who has been ruled out due to a knee injury. This news is especially disheartening for Red Raider fans, as the team struggled to pressure the quarterback in their last game.
While Adedire has recorded only two career sacks, he boasts 7.5 tackles for loss over two seasons and was expected to be a key pass rusher this fall. He did not participate in the ACU game and will not play this season.
Additionally, star running back Tahj Brooks is listed as “questionable” with an arm injury. His absence would significantly impact the offense, as his backups, junior Cam’Ron Valdez and redshirt freshman Cam Dickey, are largely untested. Brooks had 27 carries in the last game while Valdez and Dickey had just one each.
The injury report also includes starting safety C.J. Baskerville, who is “questionable” due to a shoulder issue. His potential absence would be a severe blow to a secondary that struggled against an FCS team, especially against Washington State’s “Air Raid” offense, which could exploit this vulnerability.
Lastly, outside linebacker Harvey Dyson is also listed as “questionable” with a foot injury, further complicating the team’s situation ahead of Saturday’s game.
Although Dyson struggled in his first career start against ACU, he was considered Tech’s top pass rusher during fall camp, making his absence challenging for the team. Additionally, injuries to Adedire and fellow outside linebacker Dylan Spencer have left the Red Raiders pretty short on edge rushers.
Unfortunately, the injury list continues to grow. Quincy Ledet, the starting nose tackle, is now “questionable” due to a knee injury. He managed to play against ACU, despite being labeled questionable beforehand, and recorded two tackles. Hopefully, he can push through for the match against Washington State.
Also listed is top cornerback Brayln Lux, who sat out against ACU. After the week-one victory, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire expressed optimism for Lux’s participation against Washington State, but that’s uncertain due to his thigh injury.
John Curry, a backup linebacker, is also questionable with a shoulder injury. However, this is less concerning since Tech has standout linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Ben Roberts covering the inside linebacker positions, and Curry only made one tackle in the last game.
Lastly, outside linebacker Charles Esters, who missed the ACU game, has been ruled out for the match against Washington State due to a thigh injury. This means that Tech will definitely be down three outside linebackers and might be missing another if Dyson is unable to play.
In total, eight players from the defense’s two-deep roster could miss the game against Washington State—far from ideal for a unit that struggled on Saturday night. Let’s hope the Red Raiders’ training staff can work their magic this week to get as many players ready as possible for Saturday night’s matchup.
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