McIvor came out of spring camp as the most impressive backup to Bowman, but a foot injury cost him his true freshman season.

With only two redshirt freshmen backing up Bowman, the Red Raiders could be in real trouble if their starting signal-caller suffers another injury.

The Red Raider offense under Matt Wells works better stylistically with a QB like Bowman rather than a dual-threat passer like Duffey.

Bruffy consistently produced as the best pass blockers for the Red Raiders last season and without him at tackle, Bowman will likely be under fire from blitzes far too often to sustain success.

With him, this Texas Tech team should make some noise and finish much better than 4-8, but if he misses a month or more it could be curtains for the Red Raiders.

Since graduating from Tech Brice has covered the Mavericks, Rangers, and college sports for a variety of outlets.