SB Nation - Aaron Crawford

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.19.09

Seth C — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:08:12 -0000

McCarthy Interview: As always, I try not to push off-topic articles on you guys, but if you enjoy Cormac McCarthy then you'll enjoy this interview in the Wall Street Journal.

Wall and Williams Back: LAJ's Don Williams writes that seniors CB Jamar Wall and LB Marlon Williams returned to practice yesterday and QB Taylor Potts took a majority of the snaps. Also, RB Aaron Crawford and IR Cornelius Douglas were out during yesterday's practice.

Tough OU Defense: DT's Alex Ybarra writes that the Oklahoma defense is still incredibly tough and head captain Mike Leach believes that it is because the Sooners are fundamentally sound:

"The biggest thing they do is the basic sound defense, the ultimate basic fundamental defense," Tech coach Mike Leach said. "They go out there with great fundamentals and energy. I think they do that as good as anybody."

And OU DT Gerald McCoy has this about the Texas Tech offense:

"Tech offense is Tech offense," he said. "It doesn’t really change much. You gotta be ready for it. They’re gonna get numbers. They’re gonna get a lot of points. We just gotta prepare for it. We’ve been playing pretty well on defense, so we’re just gonna try and continue to do that this week."

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: Oread Boom Kings (Kansas Jayhawk blog) has some of the backstory between KU head coach Mark Mangino and the athletic director . . . TR's dedfischer with an gameplan for the Texas Tech offense . . . Tulsa World's John Hoover writes his OU notebook and DT Gerald McCoy has a suggestion for Texas Tech fans:

"They throw tortillas?" McCoy said. "They better not throw me one. I'll be hungry. I'll eat it."

Actually, if Red Raider fans want to throw food, McCoy has a menu suggestion.

"They need to throw chicken," he said. "Hey, if they threw fried chicken — shoot, I'll provoke 'em on purpose. Aaahhh! Chomp!"

. . . Ha! . . . The Tulsa World also has a know the foe feature . . . NewsOK's David Ubben writes his OU football notebook as Bob Stoops stands by his former assistant, Mark Mangino . . . NewsOK's Jake Trotter writes that Big 12 spread offenses have taken quite a hit by the Oklahoma Sooner defense . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich features OU QB Landry Jones . . .

Game Tonight: Northwestern St. Demons vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Time: 7:00 p.m. :: Location: United Spirit Arena
Preview and Game Day Thread: Scheduled for 3:00 p.m. post

Cohadarevic Answers Critics: LAJ's Courtney Linehan sits down with PF Darko Cohadarevic who hopes to answer his critics with better play this year. As an aside, after reading this article, I'm not real sure what to make of Darko. I see him as a bit defensive and hard-headed. Here's a bit from the article:

That’s where the bad reputation began. He admits he didn’t really understand or care about the system coach Pat Knight drilled in practice. On rare occasions when he did pay attention, he says he got conflicting messages from different coaches, became frustrated and never quite understood what they were asking of him. By the time he settled into the Red Raider program, the season was wrapping up.

I'm trying to process all of this and for those of you who question signing JUCO players, this is certainly a feather in your cap. But then Darko wins me back with this:

"I’ve got to buy into this motion offense more," Cohadarevic said. "I’ve got to do other little stuff besides scoring: setting screens, rebounding, having deflections, helping people get open."

I really want to see all guys succeed and I hope like hell that Darko does "buy into" the motion offense and man-to-man defense, but it seems like a shame that we're even having this conversation.

Demons Hit the Road: DT's Mike Graham writes that the Northwestern St. Demons left from Natchitoche, LA on Tuesday and arrived in Lubbock on Wednesday (layover in Arlington). G Nick Okorie expects that the Demons will be very athletic:

"I expect for them to be really athletic," Okorie said. "We just have to stay focussed, the thing that can beat us is ourselves. The single thing we pretty much have to do is play defense and if we play defense we’ll win the game."

Taking a Breath :: Looking Ahead to the Texas Tech Offense of 2010

Seth C — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:30 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

2 months ago: Texas Tech running back Harrison Jeffers (10) leaps over Houston linebacker C.J. Cavness (40) as he rushes for a first down during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Browse more photos »

THE OFFENSE

With the football bye week, DTN is taking this opportunity to look at Texas Tech's offense and defense in 2010. Up today is a look at the 2-deep, the talented players who are on the roster, but have not contributed much this year, the 2010 offensive recruiting class and a look back at the past 5 years recruits and the washout rate of players who were recruited by Texas Tech.

Who Returns (2010 Projected 2-Deep)

POSITION	PLAYER	STATS	YEAR
LT	Terry McDaniel	6-7/335	SO
	Chris Olson	6-5/296	SR
LG	Lonnie Edwards	6-5/290	JR
	Chris Olson	6-5/296	SR
C	Justin Keown	6-4/302	JR
	-------
RG	Mickey Okafor	6-7/319	JR
	Deveric Gallington	6-4/350	JR
RT	LaAdrian Waddle	6-6/350	SO
	Joe King	6-6/319	SO
QB	Steven Sheffield	6-4/190	SR
	Taylor Potts	6-4/218	SR
RB	Baron Batch	5-11/205	SR
	Harrison Jeffers	5-9/204	SO
HR	Tramain Swindall	6-3/180	JR
	Adam James	6-3/216	JR
YR	Detron Lewis	6-0/205	SR
	Austin Zouzalik	6-1/181	SO
XR	Lyle Leong	6-1/165	SR
	Eric Ward	5-11/202	FR
ZR	Alexander Torres	6-2/196	SO
	Jacoby Franks	6-1/185	JR

So there's definitely some advantages to having so many injuries in a season. Right now, there's not any one position where there is not a returning starter on offense. Think about that for a minute. Almost the entire 2-deep has at least 1 start. If there was ever a reason to look forward to 2010 it's the offense. Right now, the offensive roster appears to be a well-rounded group, probably because of necessity. This doesn't take into account the various redshirts from the 2009 recruiting class that could step up and help and the other players that have experience, but just don't fit on the 2-deep.

Lots more after the jump.

Don't Sleep On:

OL: Kyle Clark (6-5/277; RS FR); Blake Emert (6-5/287; JR); and Joel Gray (6-6/306; RS FR)
WR: E.J. Celestie (5-11/174; RS FR); Aaron Fisher (6-3/182; RS FR); Derrick Mays (6-0/166; RS FR) and Cornelius Douglas (5-9/193; SO)
RB: Eric Stephens (5-8/182; SO) and Aaron Crawford (5-11/204; JR)
QB: Seth Doege (6-2/205; SO) (6-4/218; SR) and Jacob Karam (6-1/205; RS FR)

Irregardless of whether or not you like Potts or not as a player, you could probably argue that Leach might put Doege ahead of Potts on the 2-deep next year, but based on last week's results, that may not be the case. Still, Leach is still undecided on some level and there's competition, which is good. There's really not any one position that's going to be lacking over the next few years, especially if some of the younger players develop as we expect. And I'd also add that although Scotty Young (detailed below) appears to be just a tremendous football player, I'd just like to remind everyone that Karam is traveling with the team every week. That says something about his personality and what the coaches think of him. Don't anoint Young too quickly. It's easy to get wrapped up in the new guy, but sometimes it's the least likely guy that can lead your football team and Karam had an impressive pedigree -- 3,291 yards / 38 TD's / 10 INT's (thinking of some guy named Sheffield). Let's also not forget that Ward was a 4-star receiver last year, came to Texas Tech early and I'm hoping that he can make a significant impact sooner rather than later.

Recruiting, The 2010 Class

POSITION	PLAYER	STATS	RR	STARS
QB	Scotty Young	6-3/185	5.8	4
RB	Delans Griffin	5-10/181	5.8	4
RB	Aaron Spikes	5-10/185	5.6	3
WR	Kadron Boone	6-1/190	5.8	4
WR	Shawn Corker	6-1/183	5.7	3
OL	Beau Carpenter	6-7/269	5.6	3
OL	Eric Lawson	6-6/320	5.5	3
OL	James Polk	6-7/290	5.6	3
OL	Denton Simek	6-6/260	5.6	3
OL	Javius Townsend	6-4/297	5.6	3
AVERAGE			5.66	3.33

I think it's safe to say that offensively, the class is probably finished. Leach is recruiting at every position and just about every one of these recruits are high quality players and this year, there are no 2-star players on either side of the ball, which is an upgrade in talent. If I had to guess which players receive early playing time, you should probably consider Boone and maybe Corker. Both are supremely talented I also wouldn't be surprised if Griffin gets a look as well. I'd also imagine that considering the depth on the offensive line, all of these guys should redshirt.

Recruit Trends

YEAR	AVG. RR	AVG. STARS	WASHOUT RATE
2010	5.66	3.33	-
2009	5.51	3.10	1/10 = 10.00%
2008	5.58	3.00	0/7 = 0.00%
2007	5.49	2.80	6/15 = 40.00%
2006	5.47	2.79	8/14 = 57.14%

Disclaimer: I'm using the Rivals recruiting rankings and each player is assigned an RR number and a star.

I probably need some explaining as the wash-out rate, which is the rate of players that either played just 1 season for Texas Tech or never really made it on campus. The reason to even judge some of these players is that the rankings can look great, but if the players do not contribute or make it on campus, then you haven't done much. I think it's also important to add that the washout rate is something that's going to happen to any college football team and the trend that you would prefer to see is the rate to be lower than it was in 2006, but I think the key is that in 2006 and in previous years, the staff had two options: take safe, but less talented athletes or take more risky, but more talented players. I think that's the reason for the high washout rate in 2006 and in 2007, however, as the team improves, I think a staff is able to recruit a higher caliber player, both personally and on the field.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: North Dakota Edition

Seth C — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:00:17 -0000

This weekly feature considers five reasons why Texas Tech will win and five reasons Texas Tech will lose to each opponent. Related: Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: North Dakota Edition.

Reason #1 :: Superior Players: It's not often that you can just make this claim, especially considering the relative parity of today's college football, especially in Texas, and that it just seems that this would wreak DTN being a bit sure of their program. However, North Dakota is in the second year in the jump to Football Championship Series and this Saturday's game is what could be termed as the most high profile game for the Fighting Sioux. Previously, the Fighting Sioux were Division II (albeit a very good to excellent program in Division II), but were only 6-4 last year. I don't like predicting blow-outs because I hate underestimating the opponent (hence the "Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose" posted yesterday), but facing Texas Tech seems like a huge uphill climb for UND.

Reason #2 :: Reliance on the Running Game: In a game like this one, there's two schools of thought. On one hand, I think you have Captain Leach wanting to make sure that his passing offense sees plenty of repetitions in order to be properly prepared for the Rice game next week. The other school of thought is for the running game to take control of this game, early and often and take some time off the clock. If this game turns out like I think, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see 30 to 40 touches by the running backs by the end of the game. I think this game will also tell us quite a bit about the fate of the running backs and perhaps a semblance of a rotation and answer some questions. I think we're all curious about whether or not Eric Stephens will redshirt this year and how will Leach & Co. rotate Batch coming off a fall camp shoulder injury (i.e. should he really play at all) and how many carries will Harrison Jeffers receive, as well as how game-ready is Aaron Crawford.

Reason #3 :: Solid, Yet Not Spectacular Defense: This isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for the defense, but I don't think that anyone believes that the Red Raiders have a dominating defense. For me personally, I know Texas Tech does not, but that's not to say that Texas Tech cannot have a good defense. Not great, just solid. By playing a second year FCS team, you'd have to think that you'll see huge doses of Ruffin McNeill just letting his athletes win the individual battles and not give up any big yards. I have no doubt that the defensive line will win the battles up front and the second team should prove to be incredibly effective against UND and so long as Texas Tech can win this battle, then there shouldn't be much to discuss on Sunday. Again, it will be interesting to see who gets in the game and who doesn't from a rotation standpoint, although I'm expecting we'll see a bevy of defensive players.

Reason #4 :: North Dakota Inexperience: When you look at what returns for UND, you can't help but note that the Fighting Sioux are woefully inexperienced in a number of important key positions. Leaving the defense out of the conversation all together, the offense is what's lacking. Last year's leading rusher, Josh Murray is no longer with the team. Last year's quarterback graduated I believe the top receivers graduated. That leaves UND with a returning quarterback with 4 passes last year, a running back with 21 carries last year and the leading returing receiver had 21 catches. Now, this offense has got to keep pace with a Texas Tech offense that averaged over 40 points a game last year.

Reason #5 :: Pressure Offense: Speaking of scoring 40 points a game, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that there's the idea that the Texas Tech offense is going to be moving at a fast pace and it's going to be upt to the UND defense to push Texas Tech back on their heels. Having never watched a UND game, I'm not sure that this is an accurate statement and the proliferation of spread offenses is everywhere, but the Texas Tech offense is being run by one of the originators of the spread and I get the feeling that Leach is going to want to put UND back on their heels very early.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.01.09

Seth C — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:59:03 -0000

Odds and Ends

I Can Smell Football: The calendar has rolled into September and that means we're getting really close. So excited for an actual game. Lots of links to get to this morning.

Tech-Knight Photos: Totally Texas Tech with some good photos from the Knights of Columbus Tech Knight event. Lots of old-timers including ten former quarterbacks from Texas Tech.

Texas Tech Football

Ready to Start: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the players are ready to start the season and LG Brandon Carter needs a release:

"We’re kind of like a caged animal right now,’’ senior guard Brandon Carter said. "Everybody’s ready to be released. I think we’re the most excited team in the country right now. But when it comes time, we have to control that rage. We have to play disciplined and make sure we don’t have any penalties.’’

And Captain Mike Leach likes the cohesiveness of this group:

Asked what surprising him in August, Leach said, "The overall cohesiveness of the group, which I expected, but that’s further along than I thought. I’d say the level of play of our young class overall, our incoming class, they’re playing at a high level. The biggest thing is they’re not intimidated by anybody, which is impressive for a group that age.’’

Texas Monthly Q&A with Leach: Hat-tip to BON's DimeCoverage, here's three videos (one, two and three) of Leach answering questions during his Q&A session with Texas Monthly.

Finally, Someone Gets It: FWST's Dwain Price has a short notebook this morning, but for once, a mainstream media member understands that the offense is going to be just fine. Seriously, we're not worried in the least. Here's Price and QB Taylor Potts:

In the previous five quarterbacks’ first season as the starter, they each enjoyed success. How much? Cody Hodges in 2005 had the fewest completions with 353, and Kliff Kingsbury in 2000 threw for the fewest yards (3,418) and touchdowns (21).

Potts is confident he can be as prolific as predecessor Graham Harrell, who was 412-of-617 for 4,555 yards and 38 touchdowns in his first season running the offense. He added that holding back the excitement of finally becoming the starter is one of the challenges he’s facing.

"I can’t wait to start," Potts said. "I’ll try to be on an even keel throughout the whole game and not get too up and not too down."

Batch Leads the Way: DT's Alex Ybarra talked with RB Baron Batch, who is still hoping for that seemingly difficult to achieve 1,000 rushing season:

"I definitely think that’s a possibility," Batch said of reaching the elusive number. "At the same time I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m just gonna take it one game at a time. At the same time, it’s always good to have personal goals, and that’s definitely one of them."

And backup RB Aaron Crawford is ready to hit the field:

"Great learning experience," he said. "Life isn’t perfect. You have your ups and you have your downs, but it’s not what happens for that moment. It’s on how you respond to it. Are you gonna take it in a negative light? Or are you gonna take it in a positive? Fortunately for me, it was positive."

Riveting Big 12 Teleconference: The Big 12 football coaches had their media teleconference yesterday, including Captain Leach discussed the following: 1) not getting nervous before games, but anxious; 2) ,a lengthy question by some guy at the Oklahoman asking about how college football has changed, and Leach's initial response was, "Well, what about it?" Leach did go on to answer the question; 3) replacing Crabtree and Harrell (again); 4) how QB Taylor Potts has developed; 5) who will emerge for Texas Tech (i.e., he hopes it's a collective effort, although Leach seems to forget names of his players).

Getting Excited About Winning: If Coach Leach gets a little excited about a win, he wears a cowboy hat, if Oklahoma St. happens to do well this year then T. Boone Pickens just might wet his pants.

2010 Recruit Tidbits: Nice article about DB Urell Johnson, who is the #10 rated player in Louisiana:

"You could see the love of the game," Powell said. "He plays with a lot of passion. When you look at Urell on film, he jumps out because of the athleticism and speed.

"He’s extremely athletic. You’re looking at a kid that has won the state long jump and the triple jump. He’s a hell of an athlete to be honest with you. He runs extremely fast. He’s a combination of great size and speed."

. . . a Q&A with RB Delans Griffin . . . if you haven't already heard, QB Scotty Young had a pretty good first half:

"The line was blocking real good, Scotty [Young] was on point, and everybody had a great game," Alexander said. "I’m loving this right now. It’s a great honor to be a part of what’s going on here with Scotty and Bud [Sasser] and [Ismail Evans] and all the guys."

But in what was just 24 minutes of action, Young was able to spread the ball around to all of his weapons. All three of his completions to Sasser went for touchdowns. They connected for touchdowns from 20, 13 and 9 yards out.

Young finished his night at halftime, racking up 265 yards through the air on 13-of-18 passing with six touchdowns.

Big 12 Links: Rock M Nation with the BTBS preseason rankings and despite not being able to add more than four digits at any one time, my initial BlogPoll was on par with the numbers in that Texas Tech is, right now, the #22 team in the nation . . . CT's Dave Matter with a Big 12 football notebook . . . BON's Billy Zane with a post that has nothing to do with Texas Tech, it's just really well-written and a joy to read . . . Per ESPN's Tim Griffin Oklahoma Sooners former TE Brody Eldridge is now the starting center . . . Oklahoma St. Cowboys CB Perrish Cox was arrested for driving on a suspended license . . .

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.28.09

Seth C — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:36:43 -0000

Odds and Ends

Day Off: Other than this daily diatribe, I'm taking the rest of the day off so no additional stories. However, feel free to look back at what was on DTN this week including the depth charts for the offensive backfield, the receivers, the offensive line, the defensive line, the linebackers and the secondary.

Ticket FanPosts: I think the idea of Ticket FanPosts is a great, but what I was thinking is that we could have one general post that I'll put up each week (I'll probably get around to this over the weekend) where we, as a community, can buy, sell or just give away tickets. I will ask that you guys help me figure out if you think anyone is a ticket broker. They have their own forums for selling tickets so if you're suspicious of someone, then let me know. This is for regular people who need to get rid of their tickets. I'm also thinking that here on DTN you sell your tickets for face-value or lower. I don't want this to be an avenue where people are trying to make money, but rather help out a fellow Red Raider. Also, once you've found a taker for your tickets, just exchange email addresses and let the bartering begin between the two of you.

Gillispie Will Not Coach at Texas Tech: I think there may have been an under-current of folks who thought that if Pat Knight had a tough year this year, Billy Gillispie's name would come up as a possible replacement. Ummm, I don't think that's an option any more as Gillispie was recently arrested for suspicion of DUI. I don't think there's anything wrong with having a few drinks, but there's no reason to get behind the wheel, and I think that's not an image that Gerald Myers wants attached to his career as athletic director at Texas Tech.

How Not to Post a FanPost: You're going to have to allow me some latitude here.

I was checking out all things Texas Tech and ran across the LAJ's blog RaiderBuzz, which is supposed to be a blog about what's being said about your Red Raiders. The problem with all of this is that whoever is in charge of posting content on this blog is just copying and pasting someone's work and adding a link. I posted a comment asking why this isn't plagiarism and I still haven't received a response and whoever is doing this is continuing to plagiarize other people's work.

I have an English degree from Texas Tech and as a result, this sort of thing bothers me to no end and rather than just rant about how there's a difference in blockquoting someone's work or making sure that everyone knows who is the original source, I thought that this is a perfect teaching opportunity on how to write a FanPost.

Don't do this.

FanPosts are supposed to be your own original thoughts, and you guys have truly stepped up the content lately.

And if someone from the LAJ is reading this, please stop plagiarizing. Have some original thoughts. Copying and pasting entire articles, even if it's from the Bleacher Report (I hate the Bleacher Report and refuse to post anything from the Bleacher Report), is not the way to run a blog. I'm sure I'm making friends left and right, but I would think a newspaper would know better.

Texas Tech Football

New Mexico Lobos Game Moved and to be on FSN: This is tremendous news for out-of-towners like myself as the official site announced that the New Mexico Lobos game will be moved to 2:30 p.m. but it will be on Fox Sports Net.

Special Teams Receiving More Attention: LAJ's Don Williams feature this morning is on special teams coach Eric Russell and the increased work that unit is receiving this fall. And I love and hate reading things like this:

"We spend a lot more," said Dewhurst, who was a key performer on Tech’s kickoff coverage last season. "When (Russell) wasn’t here, we only had one little period — we just did the team part. Now we have three periods. Since we’ve gotten (closer to) the season, it’s more team, but when we first started, it was so many different drills and techniques."

Safety Franklin Mitchem, who had most of his 15 tackles last year on special teams, said the time spent on teaching technique should pay off.

"I don’t think any of the (special-teams) drills are favorites; we get pretty winded," Mitchem said. "But I think the drills will help us focus on our technique in the game, because we haven’t really focused on technique this much (in the past)."

New found commitment. I. Love. It.

Potts is the Latest Wonderful QB: DMN's Kevin Sherrington feature this morning is on QB Taylor Potts who may be the NFL-type of quarterback that everyone seems to want Texas Tech to have, although Captain Mike Leach has no idea what the NFL actually wants in a quarterback. And Potts' job sounds like it should be pretty easy:

"I just need him to make the players around him better," Leach said. "Make the routine plays.

"Just focus on his job."

Texas Tech Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams writes that decisions are being made about the lineup including S Julius Howard being part of the substitution package for six defensive backs, along with freshman S Will Ford . . . DE Daniel Howard is still the stand-up linebacker (i.e. the Joker) and LB Bront Bird is the second option (this has me scratching my head this morning) . . . the offensive line has been cut down to eight players (LT Chris Olson and Terry McDaniel, LG Brandon Carter and Lonnie Edwards, C Shawn Byrnes and Justin Keown, RG Mickey Okafor, RG/RT Joe King and RT Marlon Winn) . . . RB Aaron Crawford is back practicing full-speed and he and WR Tramain Swindall are practicing with the scout team . . .

Lewis Wants Crabtree to Sign: FWST's Dwain Price talked with WR Detron Lewis, who would just like for Michael Crabtree to sign his contract:

"We need him to play and I want him to play,'' Lewis said. "I don't know what's going on.''

Snip

"I was looking at when he got drafted and I was thinking, depending on the year he had (with the 49ers), that would help a lot of our receivers out,'' Lewis said. "That's because basically when we come out they think we're just "system'' receivers anyway.''

Yea, all of this.

Wall Ready for Senior Season: DT's Adam Coleman talks with CB Jamar Wall, who is happy to be back on the field after being injured for most of the spring. Wall spent the spring trying to be as productive as possible:

"Tried to break down different things everyday," Wall said. "Looking at myself, how I performed my sophomore year starting to my junior year starting. What I did good, what I did bad. Things that could help me be a better player."

In addition to the usual lifting and weight training, Wall said studying film not only helped him keep pace during the spring, but it made him a smarter player.

This was his plan all along, however. He said it was his decision to have surgery, in hopes it would prevent the injury from nagging him. So Wall seemed prepared to go a few months without being on the field.

"It helped me develop a better aspect of the game," Wall said. "I couldn’t practice, so I had to get it mental. By getting it mental and being able to put it on the field, may as well make me a better player."

Motivation: DT's Alex Ybarra writes that the lack of attention for Texas Tech is motivation for the team to prove doubters wrong, although RG Brandon Carter doesn't care much:

"I don’t think we’re really worried about that around here," Tech offensive lineman Brandon Carter said. "I think everyone within the family here at Texas Tech, we all believe in ourselves and we all believe we can win every time we step out on that field."

While LB Brian Duncan is focusing on the defense being better than last year:

"As a whole, we are most definitely going to stop the run," middle linebacker Brian Duncan said. "We’re most definitely taking pride in the run. We’re taking it personal when teams score on us. We’re trying to get shut outs every game. The intensity and the running on our defense, swarming to the ball every time, we’re gonna pick that up."

Batch Ready to Play: ESPN's Tim Griffin writes that RB Baron Batch is ready to play after his recent shoulder injury:

"I've been hurt before, but that was a definite eye-opener," Batch said after a recent Texas Tech practice. "I was going in as the team's starting back and then I was thinking that it might all be gone that quickly. The injury wasn't what scared me as much of the thought of all the hard work I had put in to get where I was going down the drain."

I'm sure I'm right in line with the rest of you guys, but Batch is one of my favorite players and he's just so level-headed and a tremendous representative of this team.

Neglected Audio and Video: KAMC has a quick story and some reaction from recent Texas Tech verbal commitment, Tre'Vante Porter . . .

Big 12 Links: Over the Pylon previews the Big 12 . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin looks at the freshmen to watch in the Big 12 . . .

Scouting the Enemy: If you thought that Barking Carnival just liked poking fun of Texas Tech, you're wrong, they're equal opportunity offenders as the State of the Union tour continues with the Texas A&M Aggies . . . Rock M Nation Beyond the Box Score projections for the Aggies . . .

Depth Charting // The Offensive Backfield

Seth C — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:13 -0000

via spotted.lubbockonline.com

View full size photo »

Offensive Backfield

Quarterback	Running Back	Fullback/Tight End
Taylor Potts (15) JR; 6-5/218	Baron Batch(25) JR; 5-11/205	Ryan Hale (5) SR; 6-1/227
Steven Sheffield (1) JR; 6-4/190	Harrison Jeffers (10) RS FR; 5-9/204	Omar Castillo (89) RS FR; 6-6/257
Seth Doege (7) RS FR; 6-2/205	Aaron Crawford (32) SO; 5-11/204	Gerardo Acevedo (36) JR; 6-1/197

Quarterback: Although there was some question about who would be the second team quarterback, this position has remained fairly static almost the entire spring and fall. Taylor Potts is your unquestioned quarterback and unless something devastating happens, he should be your guy. Everything that's been said about the guy is true. He's big, has a strong arm and may be a little stiff in the pocket. He could force some passes next year, but he'll also be able to make some passes that few quarterbacks have been able to make in Captain Leach's system. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tad bit nervous about Steven Sheffield being the second team. Not that Texas Tech fans should be afraid of walk-on's leading the league in passing. If there's one thing that Sheffield has going for him, it's that he's got a good head on his shoulders, he's efficient and he seems to keep his cool under pressure. Seth Doege is going to be good and it's just a matter of time before he gets the nod. If things go according to plan, Doege will be just like Potts in that he'll have the opportunity to start for two years, so long as he can keep Jacob Karam and Scotty Young on the sideline. Perhaps I trust Doege because he seems to have a better pedigree than Sheffield, or maybe it's the fact that Doege has been hyped as a Potts-competitor, but I like Doege and I like Texas Tech's future with Doege at the helm.

Running Back: I'm not too concerned about Baron Batch being ready by the Texas Longhorns game. I think we all know what we have in Batch and staying healthy and contributing on the field are his biggest concerns. Harrison Jeffers was the guy last year who took the team by storm by being an absolute best for the scout team. Despite Eric Stephens ink this fall, Jeffers will be the guy and he will turn some heads. Jeffers has break-away speed and can turn the corner like few running backs I've seen. Aaron Crawford should be the third back, and although he's had issues also staying healthy last year, there's no denying that when he plays he's been pretty good. We tend to forget how good he was as a true freshman and helped lead the team to a win over Oklahoma. I always feel that running back may be the most talented position since Mike Leach has arrived, and I can understand why in it's been somewhat over looked, in part because Batch was a relative unknown coming out of Midland, Jeffers was an Oklahoma recruit, and Crawford was another unknown from Tennessee. You've probably heard a time or two about how solid various Big 12 teams are at running back, but the truth of the matter is that Texas Tech is right there with the best of them. Obviously, Texas Tech isn't going to be breaking any rushing records, but the talent is there. I'm pretty sure of that.

Fullback and Tight End: I'm a bit anxious to see where and how Leach utilizes the two-tight end set. Last year, Leach used it quite a bit with Ryan Hale and H Inside Receiver Adam James. Hale returns for his senior campaign, but during the spring game, I didn't notice that the two-tight end set was utilized much at all. That's probably because both teams each had a blocking back, but that still doesn't solve the problem of figuring out which way Leach will lean. I did and still do like Omar Castillo moving to tight end. I have no idea if and where he'll really be able to play, but he should be able to lineup at tight end at some point during the season and block an opposing defensive end or linebacker. Castillo is listed at 257, but that's 257 pounds of ace-whipping material.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.19.09

Seth C — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:15:23 -0000

Odds and Ends

Possible Auburn Financial Crisis: Pretty interesting read from Chris Brown at Smart Football (did you know that Smart Football has a whole new look and is no longer at blogspot?) about a possible financial crisis for Auburn due to a booster and a member of the board of trustees being in some financial hot water. It's a good read and certainly interesting to consider the possible ramifications of something like this happening at any school.

Texas Tech Football

Stephens Impressing: LAJ's Don Williams features freshman RB Eric Stephens and Captain Mike Leach likes what he has in Stephens:

"Real good," Leach said of Stephens’ camp so far. "Smart guy. Able to put things together quickly. Just real levelheaded for a freshman. He’s been able to step in and not take that whole lack of confidence (approach). He goes out there, does what he can do, and then just learns more each day. I think he’s played impressive."

And fellow freshmen S Will Ford and S Daniel Cobb have some good things to say about Stephens:

"He’s a real shifty running back, has really good speed and he’s really strong," said safety Will Ford, another freshman. "So he’s a power back and a speed back."

Cobb, the freshman safety who dealt Stephens the first blow, had summed up his skill set this way a few days before: "He’s elusive. He’s quick. If you don’t break down (to tackle) on him, he’ll get you."

Personally, I'd love to see Stephens redshirt this year, otherwise you've got both Harrison Jeffers and Stephens on the same graduation path. I know, you always play your best players, but I can't help but think that with Batch, who's injury doesn't appear to be as serious, Aaron Crawford and Jeffers all at the helm, Stephens might not see that much time. Additionally, we constantly hear about how difficult it can be to learn the pass-blocking scheme for a running back and that this can take some time. If Crawford and Jeffers are more proficient in that area, then for myself, Stephens plays unless there is some catastrophic event. By the way, there's also a mention in the article about an Auburn assistant coach trying to come in and sign Stephens away from Texas Tech. It happened with Emory Blake and could have potentially happened with Stephens. Interesting.

Torres Backstory: We've all been somewhat wondering about WR Alexander Torres backstory and the El Paso Times Bill Knight writes a feature on Torres who is battling fellow WR Jacoby Franks for Michael Crabtree's old spot:

"Everything is going good ... going really good," Torres said after arecent Red Raider afternoon session. "Jacoby Franks (a sophomore out of West Orange-Stark) and I are battling for a job, but it's a friendly competition. We talk about the mistakes we are making, point out where the hole was. We're getting equal reps and we give each other a breather. That's the beauty of having the depth we have at wide receiver at Texas Tech."

The feature also discusses Torres walking-on at Texas Tech, his time at the Air Force Academy prep school as well as his time as a quarterback in El Paso (I had forgotten this):

"Coach (Tony) Grijalva (then the Franklin head coach) and all the coaches at Franklin helped me so much," Torres said. "They ran this wide open offense. And it helped me to play quarterback, to see where the holes are, to gain a different perspective, to see coverage differently. I think it has definitely helped me as a receiver."

Go read the whole thing.

Tech Notes: LAJ's Don Williams begins his notes article with the transfer of WR Adrian Reese to Northwestern State and best friend DT Rajon Henley says that Reese made the best decision for himself:

"It’s crazy how things happen — one day be here, and one day be gone,’’ Henley said. "It doesn’t really bother me. I think (Reese) made the best decision for himself, and I support him in anything. I still talk to him.’’

. . . the defense is trying to practice forcing fumbles . . . S Will Ford is working with the first team nickel defense as is CB Taylor Charbonnet . . . DT's David Neill, Pearlie Graves and Myles Wade have all been working with the third team unit . . . converted DT Victor Hunter is causing disruptions along the defensive line . . .

Scouting Practice: RaiderAde's ayleein has a detailed practice report from Monday night's scrimmage and DMN's Chuck Carlton checked in on practice.

Scouting the Enemy: Bring On The Cats previews the Kansas St. Wildcats running backs . . . Corn Nation expresses concern about the Nebraska Cornhuskers offensive line . . . Rock M Nation's Beyond the Box Score previews on the Kansas Jayhawks offense . . . Oread Boom Kings runs through the items that concern him about the Kansas Jayhawks . . . The Tulsa World looks at the Oklahoma St. Cowboys practice . . .

Big 12 Conference: SI.com predicts the Big 12 conference . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin predicts some things for the Big 12 . . .

Texas Tech Baseball

Top Recruits Remain: LAJ's George Watson details that all four players drafted in the MLB draft did not sign with their respective teams and will play for the Red Raiders:

The Red Raiders had four incoming recruits taken in the draft – pitchers Jay Johnson and Brandon Petite out of Canada and Robert Doran from Seward County (Kan.) College and slugger Stephen Hagan from Eastern Oklahoma Junior College.

And Spencer likes his incoming pitchers:

Spencer expects Johnson and Doran to improve their draft standing after just one year at Tech, and with Chad Bettis back in the fold as a junior and expected to be a high draft pick in 2010, Spencer feels that will elevate the program in terms of future recruiting.

As well as Hagan, who could be a huge bat in the lineup:

Spencer said he expects all incoming recruits to make an impact in 2010, especially on the mound. Hagan could be the next top power hitter in the Big 12 Conference after leading the junior college ranks in home runs last season.

5 Things // Players You May Have Forgotten, But Shouldn't

Seth C — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:30:09 -0000

Five Things is a handful (i.e., five) of thoughts about a single topic. Hopefully, discussion ensues.

Players You May Have Forgotten, But Shouldn't

There's 105 players on the fall roster, you're bound to forget a few, but these are five players that that I think are important, in some way or another, to this team's success. I'd love to hear you add to this list or add your own five.

1: LB Blake Collier

You probably won't remember, but Blake Collier played in four games in 2008 totalling all of 5 tackles for the year. Collier missed almost all of last year due to injuries and I think he was able to redshirt last year, which may turn out to be a good thing. Collier was originally recruited as a linebacker out of high school, but his tremendous speed and athleticism had coaches thinking that he would be better suited for safety. Of course, with the evolution of the spread offense, this seems completely opposite of what you would want to do with fast and athletic players, Collier is no exception. At some point, Collier was moved back to linebacker, a move that makes sense and now he's firmly behind Marlon Williams at the weakside linebacker spot. Personally, I could see Collier being a fairly useful and versatile player. He has the speed to play safety, albeit a slow safety, and enough size to play linebacker, albeit a bit undersized. The point is that Collier is going to find a place on the field this year. Perhaps in a Jordy Rowland type of role where he could cover a slot receiver or a running back coming out of the backfield.

2: QB Seth Doege

I've heard just about everything about Doege, that he was going to push Taylor Potts for the first-team offense and that Doege had "it". Then the Red-Black game happened and Doege looked pretty bad, especially in comparison with Potts and second-stringer, Steven Sheffield. I was on the field after the scrimmage and you could tell that his performance bothered him to no end, but there are a couple of things to take away from a scrimmage. First, despite the fact that there was a crowd and different players in different colored jerseys, the Red-Black game should have no more or no less impact than any of the other scrimmages. We heard almost all spring that Doege was pushing Potts, and we heard very little about Sheffield. I'm pretty sure that if Doege can shake off two significant knee injuries, then one scrimmage shouldn't be too tough. Despite Sheffield's rise, I'm hoping like hell that Doege makes it tough on Potts and Sheffield the rest of the way. Complacency is never a good thing, and to be quite honest, I think Doege is too talented to be too far back on the bench. With Jacob Karam getting some press on Saturday, it's easy to forget about the guys that you were pretty excited about three or four months ago, but Doege is one of those guys for me.

3: DT Britton Barbee

Just like the other guys, Barbee is a guy that I tend to forget, and perhaps there's good reason why he's fallen off the radar a bit. Thus far, Barbee hasn't really made any sort of impact on the field and with all of the issues going on in the defensive line, you would think that Barbee is going to at the very least get a look at cracking the defensive line rotation. I know that we're all excited about the additions of guys like Myles Wade and Pearlie Graves, but I think we'd be a bit remiss if we didn't at least mention Barbee. Barbee hasn't made it onto the field, but he's making progress and the coaches are taking note. Barbee's first year was in 2006, redshirted in 2007, and was on the scout team in 2008. That scout team part is significant as Barbee was awarded the Defensive Scout of the Year in 2008 (Cornelius Douglas was the Offensive Scout of the Year). If I remember correctly, Barbee was a svelte 280 early in his career, and has beefed up to 296 over the course of this three years at Texas Tech (I even said during the Red-Black game that he looked like he had a high motor and he added weight). If Barbee isn't a big player in 2009, I can almost guarantee that he'll be a significant player in 2010. One other thing to note about Barbee is the fact that he's a pre-medicine major, which obviously leads me to believe that he's got a good head on his shoulder and that's got to be an advantage for Barbee's development.

4: RG Mickey Okafor

We've talked quite a bit about most of the other four starting offensive linemen, but there's been very little talk about the right guard spot, although this spot is being handed, at least right now, to a redshirt sophomore. Technically, this is the only position that Olson isn't a backup, although I have no doubt that he could play here if there are issues here. In any event, it appears that as of right now, offensive line coach Matt Moore is going with either Okafor or Gallington. I would imagine that true freshman LaAdrian Waddle might be the guy that Moore will eventually move to right guard, which means that you've got some real young guys at this spot. But back to Okafor, who is somewhat of a forgotten man along the line, although I think that the success of the Red Raider rushing offense is going to be awfully dependent on Okafor creating space for guys like RB's Baron Batch, Aaron Crawford and Harrison Jeffers.

5: S Julius Howard and NT Victor Hunter

Couldn't pick just five players, so this is a cop-out of sorts as I pick two players who are recently converted to new positions. Howard is one of those players who is blessed with seemingly incredible athletic ability, but just hasn't been able to put it all together to get on the field. With the crowd at linebacker, Howard was moved to safety during the spring in order to compete for playing time. Howard dropped his weight to 208 and I get the feeling that DB coach Carlos Mainord likes to have some experience in his nickel and dime packages, which makes sense. If Howard has even been remotely a good student of the game, he should have some understanding as to where he needs to be. Hunter on the other hand is a guy that was on the edge of being a linebacker and a lineman. Hunter checked in at 250 last year and mainly saw time at the middle linebacker spot in short yardage and goal line situations. The switch was made during the spring and Hunter has blossomed to 275. I get the feeling that Hunter will see similar time that he did in 2008 in that I do think he can be an effective player along the defensive line, and right now, I think he's right behind Colby Whitlock at the nose tackle position. I always like Hunter as a player, and I get the feeling that he's a good guy to have on your side.

Recruiting on the High Seas // RB Delans Griffin

Seth C — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:03:27 -0000

I'm not sure which is a bigger commitment recently, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if you could be in for a few more surprises relatively soon. The Texas Tech Red Raiders received a verbal commitment from Clinton, OK running back, Delans Griffin. This is a huge commitment and just from looking at the rankings below as well as the film after the jump, you'll see why.

The Measurables:

via vmedia.rivals.com

Delans Griffin
Position: RB
Rivals Profile
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile 78 Grade
Ht: 5'10"
Wt: 180 lbs
Forty: 4.49
High School: Clinton (Clinton, OK)

Jump as fast as you can.

The Film:

Heck yes.

Granted, the blocks and the holes Griffin's offensive line is opening up are pretty spectacular, but you can tell that he's got vision and speed to burn. Watch for yourself, and you may want to turn down your speakers.

'10 OK HB Delans Griffin (via RedshirtScouting)

The Scouting Report:

First, my general perception and then the very reliable ESPN for additional thoughts. As mentioned above, Griffin seems to have tremendous vision and and cut-back ability. The guy looks really smooth finding the hole, and it doesn't have to be much for him to find a spot, and then turn on the jets. The guy looks to be pretty special. The Red Raiders have come up with some impressive runners recently, and you can certainly add Griffin to that list.

Now to Griffin's ESPN profile:

SGriffin is smooth, natural running back prospect with the potential to develop into a productive featured runner at the next level. Has just adequate size at this time but is well-defined, wiry and has the body to play at 190-pounds to assist his inline power and durability. Shows very good pick and dart zone running skills; has great hips, foot-quickness, vision and body control. Sees the creases open up quickly between the tackles and makes sharp, decisive cuts. Very sudden in-line runner who is difficult to get a clean shot on. Reaches top-speed quickly allowing him to hit the seams just as they open and generate enough momentum to break first contact on occasion. Flashes good burst and foot-speed bouncing outside; loses very little in transition cutting laterally and can turn the corner and separate.

Make sure and click on through for the entire evaluation.

Two Running Backs?

It's been since 2007 since the Captain signed two running backs, Jared Flannel (now turned safety) and Aaron Crawford. But with the addition of Griffin, Leach & Co. have secured both Griffin's verbal commitment and fellow runner Aaron Spikes, who also looks to be a pretty talented runner. The difference between the two is that Spikes appears to be more of a Harrison Jeffers type of running back, smaller in stature but has the ability to add some weight. Griffin on the other hand looks lanky out on the field. Perhaps Griffin's commitment signals a type of player that is a little more versatile, could be split wide, perhaps be moved around a bit in motion, etc. If anything, I think it gives Leach some ability to be creative, maybe a look ahead as he tries to tweak his offense a bit.

The Player Speaks

RaiderPower's Mark Sparrow talked with Griffin and how he thinks he fits in the offense:

"I think that I’ll fit in really well with Texas Tech’s offense. I like playing in the spread offense, and I can catch the ball as well as run it. I think that’s an advantage I have to playing tail back; I can either run the ball out of the backfield or I can catch passes.

The 2010 Class:

Position	Commitment
QB	Scotty Young (6-3/185)
RB	Aaron Spikes (5-9/185) Delans Griffin (5-10/180)
WR	Shawn Corker (6-1/189)
OL	Beau Carpenter (6-7/260) James Polk (6-7/290) Denton Simek (6-4/260)
DL	Jaqwaylin Arps (6-3/230) Kedrick Dial (6-5/215) Jackson Richards (6-4/240)
LB	Zac Winbush (6-2/200)
DB	Desmond Martin (6-0/173) Russell Polk (5-11/200) Brandon Smith (6-1/175)

Delans, welcome to Texas Tech, and Git Your Guns Up!

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.23.09

Seth C — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:02:06 -0000

Odds and Ends

Suing the NCAA and Having a Chance

Suing the NCAA isn't anything new, but it appears that the current lawsuit filed by former UCLA Bruin Ed O'Bannon has some fairly serious legs. I've always wondered, to myself, how the NCAA was able to continue to utilize and profit from images and likenesses from players no longer in college, and along with Nebraska QB Sam Keller's suit against EA Sports, we might just find out. I'm surprised this suit hasn't happened earlier and I'll be following this, although it will probably take years, throughout the process.

Texas Tech Football

Running Backs Carrying the Load

ESPN's Tim Griffin has an interesting look at how the "workhorse back" has essentially disappeared from the Big 12 and last year, your very own Shannon Woods led his team and the Big 12 in the percent of carries of all Big 12 running backs. Naturally, the evolution of offenses is part of the reason, and like most NFL teams, having two running backs seems to be the way lots of college teams are rolling. Next year, the tandem of Baron Batch and Harrison Jeffers / Aaron Crawford should be a big part of the Texas Tech offense, although I would expect that Batch gets roughly the same percentage of carries that Woods did last year. We might like to see Batch more than that, but I just get the feeling that this is how Leach is going to roll from this point forward, unless one of the runners proves to be unable to carry his part of the load.

Top Game of 2008

I don't think there was ever any question that the 2008 Texas v. Texas Tech game was voted by the Big 12 official site as the game of the year:

If the 2008 season was the greatest so far in Big 12 history, it started to tilt toward tremendous on the fulcrum of Texas Tech's scintillating 39-33 victory over Texas.

If you've been following the countdown, the best game of 2008 was an obvious choice. The media voters who selected the top 10 games were unanimous in their selection of the No. 1 game.

There's little to argue with the voters' decision. The Nov. 1 game in Lubbock had a buzz that reverberated through West Texas. An ABC prime-time national television audience plus a raucous Red Raiders crowd watched a game of mood swings that was decided on the signature play of the '08 season.

Harrell "Injures" Himself Doing Absolutely Nothing, to Injured List

It appears that QB Graham Harrell will have to wait a bit before starting his CFL career as he has promptly been placed on the Saskatchewan Roughriders injured list, which means that he's apparently out for at least nine games and his salary does not count against the team's salary cap:

And therein lies the key to the Riders' surprising move. According to a source who does not believe Harrell is hurt, the Riders are using the nine-game injured list to their advantage.

Harrell had an offer in excess of $100,000 if he started for the San Francisco franchise of the fledgling United Football League scheduled to start in the fall.

The Riders could not afford to attract Harrell with the $600 a week salary alloted to players joining a team's practice roster. It's believed he has a base pay of about $70,000, which is the going rate for rookie players of his stature and position, with incentives to increase the overall amount, hence the move to keep him on the team and not have it impact on the cap.

Mr. Crabtree, No Diva

San Francisco 49er WR Michael Crabtree talks with FanHouse's Calvin Watkins about all of the rumors that were flying around leading up to the draft. Crabtree apparently did every interview while at ESPN, did not cry after head coach Mike Singletary told him to get off the field and has never been late for a meeting. Is it just me, or is it weird that so many things are said about Crabtree that aren't true? Am I the only one that really wants Mr. Crabtree to focus on football and not anything else for quite some time?

2009 Top Cupcakes

ESPN's Tim Griffin ranks the tastiest cupcakes on the schedules of the Big 12 and in at #4 is Texas Tech vs. North Dakota:

4. North Dakota at Texas Tech, Sept. 5: The Fighting Sioux were a Division II team last year. They are transitioning to Division I-AA status and this game will be their first battle in modern history against an FBS opponent. That won't help them in an opener as Mike Leach tries to build confidence in his retooled offense quarterbacked by first-year starter Taylor Potts.

Texas Tech Basketball

Big 12 Schedule Released

The Big 12 has released their schedule for the 2009-2010 year and the Red Raiders start conference play on January 9th against Oklahoma St. in Lubbock. I haven't had the time to look at every match-up, but there is a three game stretch starting on Wednesday, January 27th, where Pat Knight and his Red Raiders travel to UT, TAMU and OU. That's a tough three game trip, especially in the middle of the season and might be a really good indicator as to how the season will play out.

Recruiting Stuff

I don't get into recruiting much, but I did see that Pat Knight attended a fairly significant high school tournament in Las Vegas, NV and a number of players are profiled in this linked article. I thought that this is something to remember, perhaps we'll see if Knight is able to sign anyone of these recruits. And I wonder too if it would be a fair statement that there's no way in hell that Bob Knight would be at an event like this, perhaps one of the many reasons why BK was done with coaching.

SB Nation - Aaron Crawford

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.19.09

Taking a Breath :: Looking Ahead to the Texas Tech Offense of 2010

THE OFFENSE

Who Returns (2010 Projected 2-Deep)

Don't Sleep On:

Recruiting, The 2010 Class

Recruit Trends

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: North Dakota Edition

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.01.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.28.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Depth Charting // The Offensive Backfield

Offensive Backfield

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.19.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Texas Tech Baseball

5 Things // Players You May Have Forgotten, But Shouldn't

Players You May Have Forgotten, But Shouldn't

1: LB Blake Collier

2: QB Seth Doege

3: DT Britton Barbee

4: RG Mickey Okafor

5: S Julius Howard and NT Victor Hunter

Recruiting on the High Seas // RB Delans Griffin

The Measurables:

The Film:

The Scouting Report:

Two Running Backs?

The Player Speaks

The 2010 Class:

Delans, welcome to Texas Tech, and Git Your Guns Up!

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.23.09

Odds and Ends

Suing the NCAA and Having a Chance

Texas Tech Football

Running Backs Carrying the Load

Top Game of 2008

Harrell "Injures" Himself Doing Absolutely Nothing, to Injured List

Mr. Crabtree, No Diva

Top Stories of the Big 12 South for 2009

2009 Top Cupcakes

Texas Tech Basketball

Big 12 Schedule Released

Recruiting Stuff