Story by
What's next for Texas Tech football's running backs after Quinten Joyner injury?
- Story by
- What's next for Texas Tech football's running backs after Quinten Joyner injury?
Joey McGuire started planning for life after Tahj Brooks back in December, when the Texas Tech football team's all-time leading rusher opted out of the Liberty Bowl game against Arkansas .
Against the Razorbacks, the Red Raiders let their then-freshman tandem of J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey handle the load. The pair produced 240 yards across 35 total touches, each carrying the ball 15 times in the loss. Those two will now be the leading backs for Texas Tech in 2025 after USC transfer Quinten Joyner suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week's scrimmage.
Advertisement
Joyner was expected to split time and carries with Williams and Dickey in the three-headed monster McGuire has referred to as "the committee." The plan, Tech running backs coach Garret McGuire said Wednesday, is to still utilize multiple backs, just using two primary guys rather than three.
"We're not gonna miss a beat," Garret McGuire said. "... We're not gonna bat an eye. No one's feeling sorry for us. We definitely don't feel sorry for ourselves."
The injury also moves redshirt freshman Adam Hill up in the rotation. To give Tech another body at running back, they've moved true freshman Michael Henderson III over from the defensive back room.
Henderson, who joined the running backs on Tuesday, was a dual-threat player for 6A power Wylie East. Recruited by Tech to play defense, Henderson also ran for 1,150 yards on 126 attempts in his senior season, a year after totaling 800 all-purpose yards as a junior. Henderson was a summer enrollee for the Red Raiders, finishing out his high school track career.
Advertisement
"We kind of knew this was coming at some point," McGuire said. "We got thin in some areas, so we kept him on the defensive side of the ball, but we were always thinking of cross-training him. That was early in June, we talked about it."
With the injury so fresh, not every aspect of how Joyner's absence will impact the Red Raiders has been mapped out. McGuire didn't have an answer on Wednesday, but did say that Williams — who has been expected to handle the bulk of kickoff and punt return duties — may be used on special teams less now.
"I think that will probably limit him a little bit on teams," McGuire said. "Cam as well. Cam was doing a phenomenal job for us on teams, but it also just gives opportunity to put the ball in other people's hands."
Williams emerged as a big-play threat late in the season, showcasing his skills with 125 yards rushing and 36 receiving against Arkansas , garnering the visiting team offensive player of the game in the Liberty Bowl. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Williams is on the smaller side of potential go-to backs.
Advertisement
"Don't tell him he's too small or he'll hit you right in the mouth," McGuire said of Williams. "But you can see it. He put that on tape last year. So this isn't just me seeing spring and fall camp. He did that versus big time opponents."
Dickey and Williams both had sparing opportunities throughout their freshman years with Brooks rarely coming off the field. McGuire thinks his two sophomore backs are more than capable of handling that load together in offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich's offense.
"Coach Leftwich averaged 76 plays a game," McGuire said. "Tahj Brooks last year averaged 66 plays a game. If you tell me Cam Dickey and J'Koby Williams can't play with their hair on fire 38 plays a game, then we probably got the wrong two guys, and I know they will."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Here's Texas Tech football's plan at running back without Quinten Joyner
