Which Davis Webb Will The Mountaineers Face This Saturday?

So how would you feel if you had a true freshman quarterback that completed nearly 63% of his passes, had 20 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, and gained over 2700 yards through the air? Add to that he's 6'5" and 210 pounds with a cannon for an arm. Just going off those measurables we'd all be happy, right? In a nutshell, that was Davis Webb's freshman season. It's a little more impressive when you consider he didn't play or only saw spot duty in six games last year.

Yup, just going off those numbers you would have to think the future was pretty bright. But those numbers don't tell the whole story. There were ups and downs last year. And as you would probably guess, the biggest up was against WVU, where Webb completed 72% of his passes for 462 yards and two touchdowns. Not to mention that it was a fourth quarter comeback victory for Texas Tech. The biggest down was his first start against Texas St. where he completed 44% of his passes for 310 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Everything else was somewhere in between. The completion percentage was consistently in the mid 60s, but the interceptions and when they happened were what killed Texas Tech last year.

Before I get into this year, it's pretty safe to say that the 2013 team was better and was able to make up for some of Webb's mistakes. They had that damn dirty tight end, Jace Amaro that would make any quarterback look like Tom Brady. Not to mention a pass defense that was one of the best in the Big 12.

So now in 2014 we're seeing a bit more of Dr. Jekyll. Webb has already thrown one more interception this year than he did in 2013. The overall completion percent is about the same as 2013. But he's been wildly inconsistent. And eight of his ten interceptions have come in the last three games. What I find interesting is that the majority of his interceptions have happened in the first half. Also, the majority of his interceptions happened on the Texas Tech side of the field. He also has three red zone interceptions, but has made up for those with 10 touchdowns thrown in the red zone. So if you're listening coach Gibson, get to him early. (CFBStats.com)

Red Raider fans have voiced their displeasure with Webb's performance this year, but Kliff Kingsbury is sticking with Webb. And probably for good reason as Viva The Matadors points out:

Looking back, it is that much more clear as to why Kingsbury believes in Webb.  It's because Kingsbury believes that Webb is better than Kingsbury at the same stage of their careers (give or take a game or two)...

I guess it all made that much more sense to me after doubting Beal and actually looking at the numbers for myself. The reason why Kingsbury is so danged patient with Webb, despite the recent trend is that I have to believe that Kingsbury somewhat thinks that it's just a matter of time with Webb.

Webb had to leave the Oklahoma State game with a shoulder injury to his non-throwing shoulder and I would have to believe that at least complicated things for him in the Kansas State game where he threw four interceptions. We can only hope that the trend continues for Webb. Because like Kingsbury, I believe he's going eventually get things turned around. I just hope it's not this weekend.