3 Red Raiders who could be trouble for Texas football

Myles Price, WR

Slot receiver Myles Price is the true x-factor in this Red Raider offense. Coming out of The Colony High School in the Dallas Metroplex area, Price was an under-recruited athlete in the class of 2020. He did receive 14 Power Five offers, however, none of them were from your perennial recruiting powers.

Price made an immediate impact In Lubbock. He started three games as a freshman and finished the 2020 season as Tech’s third leading receiver. He continued in that role as a sophomore, finishing with 38 catches for 523 yards.

Price is looking to take that jump forward as a junior and put himself on the national radar during his first season in Kittley’s offense.

Through three games this season he has hauled in 12 passes for 167 yards and two scores.

Price is listed at 5-foot-10 on the official Texas Tech website, though, you would be hard-pressed to convince me he stands taller than 5-foot-8.5. That is certainly not a knock on the junior wideout as he uses his stature to his advantage playing out of the slot.

Price has lined up out of the slot during 89 percent of snaps this season. He is a very creative route-runner who gets in and out of his breaks quickly and is a very slippery player to tackle. Price is a problem with the ball in his hands and is a threat to break a big play any time he touches the ball.

He will get his fair share of touches on Saturday. Kittley has proven he likes to get the ball to his playmakers in space. The onus will be on the Texas defense to sprint to the ball and wrap up as a team.

63 percent of the yards Price has gained this season have come after the catch.

Too often this season have I seen Jahdae Barron and Jaylon Guilbeau playing eight yards off of a receiver only to allow an easy catch and run. This is an unacceptable coverage strategy against a guy with Price’s skillset.

Look for No. 1 on the Red Raiders to cause a lot of problems with the ball in his hands on Saturday.