Ben Roberts of the Texas Tech football team on the progress in the spring and summer
The Texas Tech linebacker was a Freshman All-American last season with 107 tackles. Now he is considered a top player on defense
The inside linebackers, led by Ben Roberts and Jacob Rodriguez, are the position groups that inspire the most confidence on the Texas Tech football team for the 2024 season. Roberts was named Freshman All-America last season with 107 tackles and Rodriguez was named the Independence Bowl’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Is there room for improvement? You bet there is.
As pass rushers, they left a lot to be desired. This also applied to all inside linebackers. At this position, the Red Raiders had three players each record half a sack last season.
“They weren’t too happy about it,” Roberts said last week, “but it’s hard to get a sack, and one of our focuses this year is to become better pass rushers. Yes, we’ll be good pass droppers (into coverage), but the most important thing for me and Jacob right now is to become better pass rushers.”
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Fierce debates flared up in the February report of the Texas Tech football team
In February, Tech’s coaching staff rewatched every game of the 2023 season. Joey McGuire said the goal is to figure out what the Red Raiders are doing well and what they aren’t doing well — as a team and as individual players — and course-correct accordingly in the spring and summer.
They sparked “some heated discussions,” McGuire said, and came to many conclusions. As for the inside linebackers, they asked themselves one question: Should they work on Roberts and Rodriguez to develop pass-rush techniques? Or should they not ask them to do something they are not designed to do?
“We had 1.5 sacks from the inside linebacker position,” McGuire said. “OK, they’re not good pass rushers. So we either have to get one more — instead of four, five or six. That puts pressure on the secondary. Awesome. Or we don’t rush the linebackers.”
McGuire said coaches are having “consolation talks.” They have confidence in them. They know where the staff will be.
“We have a call called Giants that puts a lot of pressure on the linebackers,” McGuire said. “(Defensive coordinator Tim) DeRuyter really likes that call. It’s a good call for running, but he also likes it against the pass. So I said, ‘If that’s the case, then in practice we need to change our training methods to help the linebackers be more effective in the pass rush, or we shouldn’t be calling it as much as we do.'”
Roberts was a high school safety who has grown significantly to his current height of 6’3″ and weight of 230 pounds. Rodriguez spent much of his football career playing specialty positions, including quarterback in high school, and is now 6’1″ and 230 pounds.
When asked if they feel more comfortable dropping into coverage and then getting back on the ball, McGuire said, “No doubt. They feel more comfortable. I think they’ve come a long way in the spring. But they feel more comfortable dropping back and then getting back on the ball.”
“I love coverage,” Roberts said, “because that’s what makes the most sense to me. When it comes to pressuring the passer, that’s something totally new for me. Last year was the first year I did that. Hopefully we can do better this year.”
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How the Texas Tech football team refined the pass rush moves of their inside linebackers
While McGuire played at Baylor, Bears linebacker Terrel Bernard recorded 16.5 sacks, all but one in his final three seasons. Bernard was selected to the first or second team All-Big 12 in each of those three seasons, then was selected in the third round of the draft and became the starter for the Buffalo Bills.
McGuire said Bernard is a natural pass rusher. He believes Tech linebacker Mike Dingle can be that, too. It’s also a strength of linebacker Bryce Ramirez, who has played on the edge in the past.
McGuire has not given up hope that the rest of the group will develop the skills needed to get to the quarterback.
McGuire said Tech invested time this spring in one-on-one pass-rush drills that pitted linebackers against running backs, the pass protectors they frequently face.
“You only have a limited amount of time to practice,” McGuire said, “and the linebackers have a lot to do. How can we get extra reps? … It’s not enough to just say, ‘Hey, this call, they’re going to get free. The call will let them get free.’ Well, if you play a good offensive line, the call is not going to let them get free. What lets them get free is their technique to pressure the passer.”
Roberts is well aware of this. And that’s why he’s working on it.
“It’s just about doing the same thing over and over again,” he said. “Getting started. I know in our indies (individual drills) or just in the walkthroughs, there’s a lot of emphasis on making sure you’re doing every little thing — you’re getting your chop, your rip, your reach in the walkthrough. Even if you’re not competing against anyone, just work on those moves.”
