Texas Tech University Athletics
Captains Named for Baylor
October 10, 2019 | Football
Texas Tech’s four captains chosen from a group of 16 captains that were elected for the 2019 season
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells announced Thursday this week's captains as the Red Raiders travel to Waco for the first time since 2007 to face No. 22 Baylor in the Texas Farm Bureau Shootout inside McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
Of the 16 captains elected prior to the start of the season, Douglas Coleman III, Terence Steele, Eli Howard and Adrian Frye will represent the Red Raiders during the coin toss against the Bears. It marks the second trip to midfield this season for all four standouts.
Coleman, a senior safety from Zachary, La., enters the weekend as the FBS leader in interceptions with five, all of which have come in the past three games. He picked off a pair of passes against both Arizona and Oklahoma State and then added one other at Oklahoma. He is the only player in the country this season to boast two games with multiple interceptions and the first Big 12 player to do so since 2017.
Steele, a senior offensive lineman from Cibolo, Texas, has helped solidify the offensive line since his return from injury at Arizona. He will be making his team-leading 40th career start against the Bears and look to continue paving the way on the ground as the Red Raiders average 5.1 yards per attempt so far this season. Tech has also been able to lean on the line throughout its transition at quarterback as the Red Raiders have allowed only three sacks this year, which ranks tied for third in the FBS.
Howard, a junior from San Angelo, Texas, is a key cog for a defensive line that wreaked havoc on OSU last week. Howard tallied a season-high four tackles and was credited with 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry for a defense that combined for seven sacks and 14.0 tackles for loss against the Pokes while forcing five takeaways. Tech currently ranks eighth nationally in tackles for a loss per game and 30th in sacks. He will make his 24th career start and on Saturday, which ranks fourth on the defense and eighth on the team overall.
Frye, a sophomore defensive back from Houston, Texas, has been a steady starter at safety this season for Tech after a strong debut at corner last season where he earned Freshman All-America honors. With Frye and Coleman at safety, Tech has improved its pass defense from 288.3 yards per game in 2018 to 226.8 yards per game in 2019 for an improvement of 56 spots in the national rankings.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Montana State: Jordyn Brooks, Travis Bruffy, Douglas Coleman III, Broderick Washington Jr.
UTEP: Alan Bowman, Adrian Frye, Eli Howard, Jax Welch
Arizona: Xavier Benson, Ta'Zhawn Henry, Thomas Leggett, Terence Steele
Oklahoma: Jack Anderson, Travis Bruffy, Riko Jeffers, SaRodorick Thompson
Oklahoma State: Jordyn Brooks, Broderick Washington Jr., Thomas Leggett, Eric Ezukanma
Baylor: Douglas Coleman III, Terence Steele, Eli Howard, Adrian Frye
FLAG BEARERS
Montana State: Donta Thompson (Texas), Eli Howard (U.S.)
UTEP: Ta'Zhawn Henry (Texas), Malik Essilfie (U.S.)
Arizona: Travis Bruffy (Texas), Austin McNamara (U.S.)
Oklahoma: Madison Akamnonu (Texas), Dadrion Taylor (U.S.)
Oklahoma State: Dawson Deaton (Texas), Quentin Yontz (U.S.)
Baylor: DaMarcus Fields (Texas), RJ Turner (U.S.)
