Coming into this season, the Texas Tech fan-base had the same anxiety as it has always had in Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure which was one of cautiousness when it came to the defense. “If only the defense could match the offense,” was a common critique of analysts far and wide and had Kingsbury and Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs firmly on the hot seat. This led Kingsbury to devoting some time in defensive meeting rooms this off season and making the defense a personal focus this year as opposed to years’ past.
After seeing the defense win two of the three spring scrimmages, fans were optimistic but still needed to see proof of true improvement.