Texas Tech gives Thomas Castellanos more snaps vs. Arizona

Castellanos never left the sideline in Cincinnati. That changes Saturday, and Pete Thamel had it first.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Sources: Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos will receive an uptick in snaps against Arizona on Saturday. Both he and Will Hammond will play significant snaps for the Red Raiders in the wake of the loss at Cincinnati this weekend.

Joey McGuire isn't pretending it was a coaching masterstroke either. On Monday the Texas Tech coach owned keeping Castellanos on the bench all game against the Bearcats: "That was a total failure by my part of not, at some point, putting him in the game and seeing what he could do." Coaches don't usually say that out loud. When one does, a QB change is already under way.

Hammond wasn't a disaster, but he didn't save anybody either. He went 24-of-37 for 227 yards, ran 14 times for 23 yards and turned it over twice, including an interception that Cincinnati turned into a touchdown. He sits 9th in the Big 12 in QBR and 11th in total offense, and McGuire's own read was that his guy had been growing before the offense 'took a step back' in Cincinnati.

Castellanos is a strange 'backup' to have. He's a fifth-year senior with 33 career starts across Florida State, Boston College and UCF, and he got that 5th year after a Kentucky court granted him eligibility. Texas Tech has mostly used the 5-foot-10, 190-pound QB in the red zone and on short yardage, though he did take the 1st snap of the 28-26 win over Houston. In other words, they've had a veteran starter sitting there all season and handed him a gadget role.

Two-QB plans usually end one of 2 ways. Either somebody grabs the job by halftime, or both guys look over their shoulder all day and the offense sputters. Against a ranked Arizona team with real Big 12 title stakes on the line, Tech can't afford the 2nd outcome. A dual-threat look with Castellanos at least makes the defense prepare for something it hasn't seen much on tape.

There's help on the way too. Running back Cameron Dickey, who has 242 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns this season, is expected back after missing 2 games with a high ankle sprain. Get the run game going, let Castellanos make some plays with his legs, and this offense might look like the one that started the year unbeaten. If it doesn't work, the Red Raiders are staring at 2 straight losses and a full-blown quarterback controversy heading into November.