SB Nation - Seth Doege

Quarterbacks, Defenses, Intangibles And Other Stuff About Texas Tech

ccmachine — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:18:07 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

Seth C, from SBN's Texas Tech site Double T Nation, is aboard the Machine today to give a fan's perspective on this weekend's opponent. We've seen crazy things happen in Lubbock during Oklahoma's last two trips there and now a team that's been snake bitten over and over this season travels to play in the Twilight Zone.

CC Machine: Tell us about the quarterback situation at Tech. What's going on between Potts and Leach and how healthy is Sheffield? Who should we expect to see Saturday morning?

Seth C: Leach mentioned earlier this week that he regrets pulling Taylor Potts out and putting in an injured Steven Sheffield. Sheffield was clearly not ready to go and despite his early season magic, without an offensive line that will adequately protect him, he's simply not as effective as when he had an ankle that wasn't broken. To answer your question, I think you'll see Taylor Potts for the entire game on Saturday, barring an injury. If Potts is injured during the game, I think Leach will probably turn to redshirt freshman Seth Doege.

CC Machine: The Red Raiders are dead last in the conference in rushing. Is that because of inability or is it just pass-happy game planning?

Seth C: The rushing numbers do look abysmal this year and there's lots of reasons why those number don't look so good. I mentioned this in my Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose as Texas Tech has lost a total of 283 yards to sacks this year. Compare that with 2008 where the Texas Tech offensive line gave up a total of 113 yards for the year. I'd also add that the line is giving up 2.7 sacks a game and to do the math quickly, that's a little over 10 yards a sack. That will hurt a running game quickly. I'd also add that Texas Tech is only averaging about 2 attempts less than last year, so it's not as if the running game has changed dramatically. The offensive line has also struggled in replacing 3 starters from last year, and despite thoughts that the team would have no issues replacing those guys (I'm sure that Sooner fans can relate), there has been consistency issues along the line. For the first time, in quite some time, the offensive line is starting the same unit for what appears to be 3 consecutive games and there's the thought that that consistency will pay off a bit with an improved running game this week.

CC Machine: This game features the Big 12's top passing attack against the conference's best pass defense. Share some intangibles that could work for and against Texas Tech in this matchup.

Seth C: If there's one intangible I'm counting on this week, it's the fact that the receiving corp is littered with guys who have the potential to make plays. The previous two years, it was a one-man-show with Crabtree and this year, it's really been a combination of guys who have stepped up at various points of the season to lead the team in receiving. Conversely, you could say that having a lead receiver generally means that you've got at least one player that an opposing defensive coordinator has to account for during the game. The fact that there are 10 players with 17 or more catches for the year should demonstrate that it's not just one guy. I also keep thinking that the running backs are due for a break-out game catching the ball out of the backfield. Last week, the passes to the running backs were telegraphed and just didn't work. I'm hoping like hell that Potts and Leach make a determination if they need to stay in for pass protection, and if not, then get those guys in open space, especially Baron Batch.

CC Machine: How in the world did this team lose 52-30 to A&M?

Seth C: For me, it was the defense and this is really symptomatic of the entire season. Quarterbacks who have the ability to scramble for first downs have had quite a bit of success against Texas Tech. Whether it be Case Keenum, Jerrod Johnson or Zac Robinson, all three guys were more than capable of seeing that the Texas Tech defense was dropping all but the front four into coverage, leaving huge chunks of yards for the quarterback to easily get first downs. Third down conversion rates for Texas Tech's four losses are 50.00% (Texas); 52.63% (Houston); 57.14% (Texas A&M); and 50.00% (Oklahoma St.). There's also something to be said for the fact that DE Brandon Sharpe hardly played against Texas A&M and he is Texas Tech's best pass rusher. I don't think he would have made a huge difference, but he's still a big part of getting to the quarterback and not having him hurt some.

CC Machine: When it comes to Texas Tech football most people immediately think of the fast paced spread offensive attack. However, Tech has made significant strides of the defensive side of the ball the last two years. Tell us about some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Red Raider defense.

Seth C: The biggest strength lies in the pass defense, and really all facets of pass defense. The Red Raiders are tied with the Sooners for 2nd in the nation in sacks. This is in large part credit to the defensive ends, including the aforementioned Brandon Sharpe, Daniel Howard and Rajon Henley. All guys play with fairly high motors and I think that's been a big key to their success, aside from being talented, in that they are all hard workers. I also think the entire secondary has done a pretty good job of not giving up many big plays (this again goes back to playing it safe, typically in a cover-2 scheme) and the cornerbacks have been really good. The unit is 3rd in the Big 12 in passes defended at a little over 6 a game. The biggest difference has been an increase in overall athleticism across the board. I think the safeties, Cody Davis and Franklin Mitchem, are overall more athletic than their predecessors and corners Jamar Wall and LaRon Moore have been much better at defending the pass. Fortunately for Oklahoma, it looks as if the hit that laid out OSU's Zac Robinson will keep Wall out for this weekend's game.

Post Game Thoughts :: Oklahoma St. Cowboys Edition

Seth C — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:00:39 -0000

by Brody Schmidt - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas Tech's Detron Lewis (17), fends off Oklahoma State's Andre Sexton (20), and Markelle Martin (10), during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. Oklahoma State defeated Texas Tech 24-17. Lewis had 6 receptions for 75 yards in the 24-17 loss to Oklahoma State. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

View full size photo »

SBN Box Score :: Post Game Quotes

The Result :: Not Good Enough: That may be the meme for the entire season, "just not good enough." Every loss is frustrating, but as I watched the game last night I couldn't help but think that the defense played good enough, the offense was slow, but played good enough, etc. There are always plenty of plays during a game to point to that evidence the loss, but I thought the difference in the game was the pick-6 that Sheffield throws that puts Oklahoma St. up by 2 touchdowns. If that doesn't happen, then I'm not sure we're talking about a loss this morning, although it was certainly the motivation that Leach needed to sit Sheffield down for the remainder of the game. That's not to say that I put the loss on Sheffield's shoulders. If the receivers catch a few more passes, I also think the result is a bit different. I will say that the resiliancy of this team is remarkable and my season long meme may not be palatable to most, but my summer-meme will be that this team will be hell on wheels in 2010.

And I don't know if it's just me, and I hate to lose, but the fact that the team gave good effort for the entire game gives me solace. It doesn't make it right, but at the very least, it gives makes me sleep better at night.

The Storylines ::

Sheffield Is Not the Best Ever and Potts Is Not the Worst Ever: I think we've all heard the phrase that the truth is somewhere in the middle between 2 opposing viewpoints and I think this applies to the quarterback situation. I think Tech92 mentioned this earlier in the week (giving credit, but not linking) that Leach is just as confused about the quarterback situation as the fanbase is. Sheffield's 2nd interception for the night, the pick-6, had nothing to do with his ankle and everything to do with making the assumption that this pass that's been there all game was going to get jumped and returned for a touchdown. I'm not pinning the loss on Sheffield and Potts had plenty of moments where he didn't appear to make all of the right decisions, but I think the key here is that both quarterbacks have their pros and cons and as great as Sheffield looked previously, he's not perfect. And to add to that, he's obviously not the same with the ankle injury. I think it's also unfair to Potts not to mention that his spark in the 2nd half, the same type of spark that Sheffield gets credit for, was the reason why Texas Tech as able to come back into the game so quickly. That arm that we've all heard about was on display during that second to last drive. All-in-all, each have their issues and as Captain Mike Leach said after the game, it's more about consistency:

On Taylor Potts and the Texas Tech offense:
"I thought he was OK, but it just wasn’t real dynamic and we turned the ball over and were close to others. Hit a few of our opponents with a couple too many footballs, so I figured we’d put Sheffield in and see how that went and he kind of sparked things. That basically went pretty well other than a turnover when we put them on the two or something. They’re both inconsistent and at some point we’ve got to just be consistent; and be consistent at other positions. We dropped too many balls. We missed some holes at running back. Up front I thought we had great protection at times and then there’d be key times when we weren’t so great."

Sheffield's ankle isn't right, Potts had to come back too quick from a concussion and QB Seth Doege's future looks bright, but just isn't ready this year. What I can say definatively is that there will be an epic quarterback battle in 2010.

Bane of My Existance -- The Running Quarterback: Perhaps "bane of my existance" is a bit harsh, but this is the defensive conundrum that Ruffin McNeill faces is tricky. With the running quarterback, or perhaps the quarterback that can run if necessary, there's not point in putting a defensive lineman as a spy because the QB can out run the lineman. I would also say that right now, I feel the same way about the linebackers at Texas Tech, sans Marlon Williams. He seems like he could keep pace, but even then I'm not completely sold that he could keep pace with a QB. If McNeill brings a safety up then the team runs the risk of giving up a big play over the top, although I'd truly have to wonder if Robinson could hit a receiver in stride more than twice in a game. If McNeill puts 8 players up front, then Gundy goes 4 wide, a linebacker is forced to cover a slot receiver, and we've all seen what that entails. McNeill has always played it safe in the secondary and much of the success that the secondary has had this year and the previous years can be attributed to that philosophy. Bringing up a safety leaves the defense vulnerable, but at the very least it hopefully stops the QB from running. I think the eventual answer is that with the increased speed of the linebackers this option for an offense becomes less and less likely. If McNeill's recruiting trends are any indication, then speed at the linebacker position is a high priority. Right now, it's a question of having the right personnel and that may take at least 1 more season for McNeill to get the guys where he wants them.

Tired Defense: Can I just be the first one to say that I really don't think the defense was really tired. I think this was more of a situation of Oklahoma St. doing what they do really well, which is eat up the clock and run the ball. I really didn't think the defense looked overly taxed the 2nd half, but I did think that the quarterback draw play plagued the Red Raiders, which wasn't a function of a tired defense, but rather not having the personnel. There's a lot of depth on this defense. The announcers (particularly the play-by-play guy) really played up the tired excuse, which I found to be convenient and lazy assumptions. And if the defense is tired, wouldn't the offense be conversely tired too? Perhaps I'm just being a bit sore about the entire thing, but the offense is out there working and I'm waiting for an announcer to be a bit bold and talk about how tired the offense is after going on an 8 minute drive.

Someone Really Asked This Question: I'm not real sure how to respond to this, but it appears that some reporter actually asked Leach if Zac Robinson, who was pretty good running the ball, but was 9-21 for 90 yards and a touchdown if Leach thought Robinson was the best quarterback he's seen.

On if Robinson is the best quarterback he’s seen:
"I think he’s a good one. I wouldn’t go that far, I think he’s a good one. We’ve seen some pretty good ones. The fella from Houston; Texas and so it goes. I’ve liked him from early on. I liked him just back when they had that little deal when they were splitting time between the two of them. I thought he was pretty good then."

Rebuilding: Am I a bad fan if I've resigned myself to think that the 2010 version of Texas Tech is going to be much better than the 2009 version? Of course, I'd love to see this team finish with 2 wins to finish out the year and I think that playing well is a spring-board to the next season, but I think this team next year will be much more prepared to battle for a Big 12 Championship. Other than the defensive end position, almost every position returns a starter or player with significant playing time. The rough spots that this team has encountered and battled back from, which include early suspensions, numerous injuries to key positions, quarterbacck uncertainty, etc. But this team is pretty damned close I think to something really special next year. I'm going to enjoy what's going on now, but I think this year, as tough as it's been will serve the team well next year.

The Offensive MVP :: WR Detron Lewis: He showed how special he can be and physically he's a dominant player, or perhaps has the ability to be a dominant player. I'd love to see Lewis get the ball 3 or 4 more times during a game in open space.

The Defensive MVP :: CB Jamar Wall: For the hit alone, he gave the offense at the very least an opportunity to score in the last 2 minutes. Wall sacrificed his body on that hit on Zac Robinson for the team. I'm going to remember that play for a long time. Wall did give up a touchdown, but I think he was sure that the help would be there in plenty of time, which it was, but Franklin Mitchem just didn't make the play.

The Special Teams MVP :: PR Austin Zouzalik: We finally saw a little bit of breakout from Zouzalik, and although Zouzalik has been solid most of the year, he's been quiet. Not to mention, Matthew Williams going 1-2 and Ryan Erxleben having to punt 4 times, for a 43 yard average, although good, didn't necessarily inspire me.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.12.09

Seth C — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:50:12 -0000

2010 Schedule Madness: As you guys have already found out, Texas Tech released their 2010 schedule and, although it's not set in stone apparently, the TCU Horned Frogs game may be delayed to 2011 and 2012 as Texas Tech AD Gerald Myers has shuffled the deck chairs in order to get more television time. Here is Myers on late Wednesday per FWST's Stefan Stevenson:

"That schedule is really unofficial," Myers said. "We’ve still got some work to do on that. We don’t have the contracts signed for a couple of those games. We just inadvertently got that up on our Web site."

I think I'm firmly on the side of the fence that Texas Tech has to take chances in order to get more face time and the additional revenue that being on ESPN, ABC or ESPN2 brings to the program is a big part of this program's continued success. Since I wasn't in any sort of meeting regarding the schedule, I again assume that this simply came down to money and how much money Texas Tech could maximize out of the former opponents versus the new opponents. We discussed the disparity in coaches salaries yesterday and this is just another way to try and get that a little more even.

Sheffield Continues Improvement: LAJ's Don Williams writes that QB Steven Sheffield continues to do a little more in 11-on-11 team drills:

During Wednesday’s team period, Taylor Potts took about two-thirds of the snaps at quarterback, Sheffield about one-third and Seth Doege none, the A-J learned. That being the case, it appears likely Potts will get the start on Saturday when Tech plays No. 17 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

Sharpe Near Nation's Best: FWST's Dwain Price talks with Captain Mike Leach about why DE Brandon Sharpe is having:

"I think he's a little better than you've seen so far,'' Leach said. "There is a level of timing, and as you have success you see it and it's reinforced in your mind a little bit. You keep rolling along and it gets better and better.

"I think that's what's happening now with the timing and visualization of what can happen if you do this technique and that technique really fast. I think as he gets rewarded more, then he will improve more.''

Oklahoma St. Cowboy and Big 12 Links: Per the Daily O'Collegian, safety Victor Johnson tore his ACL on Wednesday and is out for the rest of the year . . . NewsOK's Brandon Chatman on the Cowboys chances to go to a BCS bowl . . . Rock M Nation's Bill C.'s Beyond the Box Score picks for the week (the computers say to pick OSU) . . . Phil Steel also picks the Cowboys . . . FWST's Jimmy Burch has the remedy for the Big 12 teams' woes . . . DT's Adam Coleman writes that the Oklahoma St. offense is still potent . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes that the OSU offense is led by LT Russell Okung . . . Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan previews the Big 12 weekend . . .

2010 Signees: LAJ's Courtney Linehan runs down the 2010 men's basketball signees and right now, SG James Outler is the only official signee, but also expected to send in their letters of intent are PG Javarez Willis and PF Paul Cooper. Here's Linehan and Outler on head coach Pat Knight:

Jamel Outler knew when college coaches weren’t quite honest about their plans if he played for them. He remembers some saying they had four open scholarships, even though he’d look at their rosters and see only one guard leaving this season. It made him wonder how serious schools really were if they offered one spot to four different players and agreed to take the first one who would commit.

Outler says it was never that way with Texas Tech.

"Coach Pat (Knight) was so laid-back, so relaxed, so honest," Outler said. "He was the only coach who was recruiting me like that."

South Dakota Preview: DT's Mike Graham takes a look at the Red Raiders first opponent, the South Dakota Coyotes, as this is their 2nd full season as a Division I team, but are also expected to win their conference and have the preseason player of the year in Tyler Cain.

Explanation of Tempo-Free Stats: The Only Colors (SBN's Michigan St. blog) has an excellent explanation of tempo-free stats.

Big 12 Previews: DMN . . . FWST . . . Chron . . .

Local Players Sign: LAJ's George Watson and Adam Zuvanich write about the three local players who have signed with the baseball team: Coronado's C Mason Randolph and 3B/P Hunter Scott and Monterey's P Ryan Reagor.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.11.09

Seth C — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:33 -0000

Hat-Tip to Veterans: Thanks to all of those Veterans who served this country. Send some good thoughts and mojo our veterans way today or tell them how much you appreciate them. And a special hat-tip to my old man, who was a corp commander at TAMU, graduated as a commissioned officer, originally stationed in Salt Lake City, UT, and did a tour in Vietnam.

Coach and Mad Dog: The Dagger's Eamonn Brennan is previewing the interesting teams leading up to the start of the season and yesterday he previewed the Tulsa Hurricanes. Tulsa is where I went to law school and I also attended almost every home basketball game because when I was at school there, Bill Self was the head coach and you could tell he was a special coach, destined for bigger and better things. In any event, Brennan wrote the following:

According to the ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia, Tulsa has two insane basketball fans with whom I would very much like to shake hands. Known as "Mad Dog and Coach," which sounds like a dumb sports talk radio show, the duo celebrate their love for Tulsa basketball in interesting ways. Mad Dog (real name: Ken Penn) has been attending games since 1977, where he wears a rubber snout and barks at the opposing team. (Note: This man is fully grown.) Meanwhile, Coach does what you'd expect, I guess: dresses up in a suit and tie and paces the Tulsa sideline screaming at officials. Some people will take any excuse to dress up in a suit.

This is absolutely true and amazing all at the same time. Mad Dog is a real person and he does wear a dog mask. If I remember correctly, he works for the school in some capacity. I've actually talked with Mad Dog and he's a good guy. I'd also add that Coach is a real live person and he might be a bit off, but I could be wrong. But yes, Coach does wear a suit, he does loosen the tie as the game goes on and literally acts like a coach as the game is being played but from what I understand is in no way associated with the team. These two guys alone are reason enough to go to a Tulsa basketball game.

Football Notebook - Sheffield Practices! OMG!! LAJ's Don Williams football notebook details that QB Steven Sheffield took some snaps at quarterback, while QB Taylor Potts took a majority of the snaps. Here's Williams:

The Avalanche-Journal later learned Sheffield took a few snaps in the 11-on-11 team period, but the large majority went to Taylor Potts. Seth Doege, who started Tech’s last game but was replaced by Potts at halftime, didn’t get any snaps in team period, the A-J learned.

Williams also talks with DC McNeill regarding the difference between RB's Kendall Hunter and Keith Totson:

"If you had to say a difference, 5 (Toston’s uniform number) is probably more of a slasher guy with speed, and Kendall’s a shifty guy with speed," McNeill said. "But both of them really can run the football, inside the tackles and outside."

Coaching Salaries: Good find by Barking Carnival, USA Today tracked down, through the Freedom of Information Act, the assistant coaching salaries for college football. As you would expect, Texas is at the top of the list, along with Tennessee. BC has a good Big 12 conference breakdown. And yes, this is a situation where there are those that have and those that do not and that gap is widening each and every day.

Not surprising, Ruffin McNeill is Texas Tech's highest paid assistant coach:

Ruffin McNeill: $325,000
Matt Moore: $236,000
Carlos Mainord: $190,000
Lincoln Riley: $190,000
Charlie Sadler: $180,000
Dennis Simmons: :189,800
Eric Russell: $185,000
Brian Mitchell: $180,000
Clay McGuire: $160,000

Wall Thinks About Bryant: ESPN's Tim Griffin talks with CB Jamar Wall and will miss playing OSU's WR Dez Bryant, the best receiver in the Big 12:

"It’s a disappointment because I like the challenge," Wall said. "Playing against him gives you a chance to show how well you can play."

And Wall talks about the change in the defense from two years ago with Lyle Setencich was replaced by DC McNeill:

"Everything about us has been changed with him transforming us," Wall said. "He brought a different mindset to our defense. He’s pushing us, but knows what he can expect from us."

The difference could be seen in the Red Raiders’ most recent victory, a 42-21 triumph over Kansas. Tech produced six sacks, nine tackles for losses, 10 deflected passes and forced two fumbles.

"You can see 11 guys swarming to the ball," Wall said. "It’s a bunch of small things, but it gives us a different demeanor. It’s all because of Coach Ruff."

McNeill's Defensive Improvement: DT's Alex Ybarra and FWST's Dwain Price each write about the aforementioned defensive improvement DC McNeill has brought to Texas Tech (please click on the DT story for what might be the best Ruffin McNeill photo ever). CB Jamar Wall comments again his passion for playing for McNeill:

"His enthusiasm and the love he has for us, you can see the passion in his eyes every time he talks to us," Wall said. "For someone to be that passionate about his team and that he would do that for us — run through walls or take a bullet for us — it just makes you play harder. I mean if he’ll do it, why not do it for him?"

And Captain Mike Leach loves what McNeill has brought to the defense:

"That's when we made the change and played harder (on defense),'' Leach said. "Ruffin brings a lot of enthusiasm and inspiration.

"He's got a lot of enthusiasm personally and I think it rubs off on the players. We have a more inspired unit out there.''

I don't think we should ever discount how much the players love playing for McNeill. McNeill certainly has his faults, but he seems to be a tremendous father figure for the players, which probably plays a huge factor in recruiting.

Lofty Goals: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Red Raiders continue to have the same lofty goals of a possible Cotton Bowl birth. McNeill acknowledge that November may be the most important month for football:

"We talk to them about the month of November being what people remember, trying to make sure we put together a great month of November,’’ defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said after Tuesday’s practice. "That’s what we talk to them about as a whole. But as coach (Mike) Leach does, we still go back to one game a week, and the most important one is the one this week against Oklahoma State.’’

And WR Alexander Torres is focused:

"Our biggest goal right now is that we have three games left in the Big 12 Conference, and our goal obviously is to win them all,’’ flanker Alex Torres said. "We are not going to try and worry about what other people do and who beats who and this and that. We are just going to try and think about what we can control and to get out there and practice like we want to play.’’

Oklahoma St. Cowboy and Big 12 Links: TR's dedfischer scouts the OSU Cowboys . . . NewsOK's John Helsley has an Oklahoma St. notebook . . . BCSE's Robert Cessna with a Big 12 notebook . . .

Neglected Video: Fox34 with a look at Oklahoma St.:

Improved Fitness: DT's Mike Graham writes that the basketball team has improved their strength and conditioning over the course of the offseason. Here's SF Mike Singletary:

"I wanted to be quicker, and I wanted to be faster, I wanted to jump higher and stuff like that," Singletary said. "We felt like 215, 217 (pounds) would be a great weight for me. Last year I played at like 230. We just felt that was too heavy. It was just a combination of weight training and a combination of dieting and watching what you eat. Just eating a lot of things that are good for you."

Also of note, C Robert Lewandowski gained 8 pounds over the offseason, which is encouraging and given what I perceive to be Lew's work-ethic.

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.

Random Big 12 Conference Thoughts

Beergut — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:17:27 -0000

Anyone else still get the feeling that texas hasn't been tested yet? I don't understand the media contention that their offense is getting 'untracked' when they can't break 300 yards of total offense against Oklahoma State.
Nebraska's offense is doing a terrific job of wasting a great defense this season. I haven't watched them enough to know what all of their issues are, but you'd thnk with a defense like they have, they'd be able to just line it up and run power at the opposing defense all day, and they'd score enough to win games with that defense. Maybe their issue is on the offensive line....?
If Kansas State ends up winning the Big 12 North, there are going to be a lot of reporters who look stupid. Remember the guy who asked Bill Snyder if the task of rebuilding the Wildcat program was so huge, it might kill him?
The texas-Oklahoma State game felt a lot like the 2005 Tech-texas game. You had a highly ranked texas team facing an upstart that thought it was ready to compete with the big boys; just like in '05, the upstart found out quickly it didn't belong on the same field. The good news for OSU is that '05 Tech team used that experience to propel them to an 11-win season in 2008. The bad news for State is that their version of Michael Crabtree, WR Dez Bryant, probably won't be around next season to help State take that next step.

Missouri's performance against Colorado may have saved their season; they were beginning to approach the point of no-return as a team. They stepped back from the ledge and earned a nice, solid blowout victory over the Buffaloes, on the road.
A&M has always struggled in Boulder; hopefully we can break that streak this year.
Watching the replays of Big Ten games on the Big Ten Network has me convinced we need a similar network for the Big 12, if only to show the games that are not televised during the weekend.
Of course, if we had a Big 12 Network, I'm sure we'd get complaints from Big 12 North fans that there is too much programming involving Texas schools on it.
If Kansas State wins the Big 12 North, I wonder if that will be enough to get Bill Snyder national coach of the year recognition?
Judging by fan reactions in Waco, Art Briles' team may have taken a step back from where they were last season. Losing Robert Griffin to injury was a big hit, but they should still be able to play some solid football, even without him. Perhaps Baylor is just showing how much Griffin covered up their other deficiencies?
Now featuring a defense that can't stop the run, Kansas needs to hope they can beat Nebraska in two weeks just to become bowl eligible. This is quite a step down for a team expected to contend, if not outright win, the Big 12 North.
Texas Tech now has two weeks to listen to their 'fat little girlfriends' tell them how terrific they are for beating Kansas before they face Oklahoma State on the road. We'll see if Leach can keep their attention this time.
If this season has proven anything, it is that yes, even a 7-11 clerk can pile up yardage in Texas Tech's Air Raid offense. What it has also proven, though, is that it takes more than a 7-11 clerk to win with that offense. With a constantly changing offensive line failing to gel, scholarship quarterbacks Taylor Potts and Seth Doege have looked like 7-11 clerks trying to run a college offense at times.
Jerrod Johnson is only two TD passes away from breaking his own school record for TD passes in a season, which he set last season with 21.

Post Game Thoughts :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition

Seth C — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:28 -0000

SBN Box Score :: TTU Box Score :: Leach Post Game Quotes :: Player Post Game Quotes

The Result :: Decidedly Defensive: This might be something that the entire fanbase might have felt prior to yesterday's game. Everyone was a tad bit jumpy, defensive if you will, regarding the current state of this team. I thought before the game that the defensive MVP would be Ruffn McNeill and that's probably a good place to start. Kansas hasn't been the Kansas of prior years, but they've still be pretty good. The Kansas that Texas Tech beat yesterday was dominated defensively, and you can argue over whether it was Kansas or Texas Tech that did the dominating, but 6 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 10 pass break-ups isn't a bad afternoon defensively.

Join me after the jump for storylines and MVP's.

The Storylines ::

Leach is Emotional: With Saturday's win over Kansas, Leach tied Spike Dykes for the number of wins at Texas Tech. I never thought I'd see the day where our very Captain Mike Leach showed any emotion at any press gathering, but if you ever thought there was a disconnect between Leach and the man that he replaced then I'd encourage you to watch this video of Leach after this win. Here's the text, but the words on paper don't do Leach's emotion justice:

Well, Spike's, you know, it's funny. I think the young guys don't do maybe as good a job of thanking the older guys as they really ought to. You know, when I was coming up in coaching, Spike's a guy that I always really admired. I think that I learned a lot from Spike like all of us do. Well I just really want to thank him, you know. But, you know, there's no new guys without the old guys. The old guys are what made it happen.

There's not much there with those words, but watching the video along with reading the words, you know that Leach respects Dykes and the things he was able to accomplish at Texas Tech. Leach is a fan of history and his comments lend to the idea that he respects the history of his own company.

Who Is Calling Those Running Plays: An absolutely dominating performance from one RB Baron Batch. I think there's this misconception that the lack of running game is a direct reflection on Leach and his willingness to run versus the quarterbacks checking down into a running play. I think the only thing we do know is that I believe that Leach gives his quarterbacks quite a bit of latitude offensively and if the running game isn't working, it's not always a reflection of Leach not wanting to run the ball. If you look at rushing statistics from 2008, the one constant during the 10 game winning streak was that this team ran for over 100 yards every game. That means two things: the quarterback isn't losing a ton of yards on sacks and the running backs are getting the ball.

If my math is correct, Batch ran 8 times for 7 yards in the first half. Perhaps this is a situation where QB Seth Doege didn't check to the running game in the right situations. Complain all you want about QB Taylor Potts, but there's something to be said for his ability to make the right reads and Batch acknowledged that after the game:

Q. How did it feel to rack up so many touchdowns today on a team that's kind of known for passing?
BARON BATCH: I mean, it's nice, but the touchdowns I score is a reflection of everybody doing what they're supposed to. Receivers blocking down field. Linemen doing a great job blocking the quarterback. You know, Potts did a great job checking into those runs. I don't think many of those, maybe two of the plays that we scored on were called in the huddle. But every other run, pretty much, was checked into. That's a great job by Potts just doing what he's supposed to, and recognizing what they're giving us and being a smart player.

Potts didn't have a great passing game, and we'll get to being a leader later, but I hope like hell you're not one of those people who refuse to give credit to a player for making the right calls and the right reads during a game. I have high hopes for Doege, but to me it was clear that Potts had a better command of the offense on Saturday and I think a big part of that command is repetitions. Doege will have that soon enough, but we might all think about giving Potts some love after previous week criticisms from a fanbase. His recognition of the defense may be the reason Batch rushes for all of those yards and touchdowns.

How to Dominate Defensively: Right now, I'm not sure which defense shows up for each and every game, but if Texas Tech gets the same performance last week, then the game is at the very least quite a bit closer.

Yesterday, the entire unit just looked cohesive, all on the same page. I thought McNeill utilized good stunts, blitzed a few times and was successful, pressured Kansas receivers, etc. Generally speaking, the defensive line was active and it was nice to hear DT Colby Whitlock's name more than once during a game. The hits that KU QB Todd Reesing took were sometimes brutal, especially the hit from DE Daniel Howard that caused the fumble. Rajon Henley stepped up his play. But the true difference maker on Saturday was again DE Brandon Sharpe. More about his play below, but there is a distinct difference when Sharpe plays and opposing offenses have to account for him. Sharpe was ready to move forward after last week:

Q. Did what happened last week have an effect on you guys just from a private standpoint, make you mad? Want to come back out there and show that you were a different team today?
BRANDON SHARPE: Yes, I mean, any time you have a loss you have to just fight back and build yourself back up. You don't just sit there and wander on and pout about it. You just have to beat yourself up, go play hard, and comes in the morning. I just want to thank the D-line and the defense because we all work as a team. We make things happen.

I think the linebackers and secondary need some mention here too. LB Marlon Williams has been relatively quiet for most of conference play. His play early in this game was a big part of this team's success and there was that late hit in the dive for that fumble in the 4th quarter, the 4th down and 1, that caused the ball to squirt down the field. Not a huge play, but Williams was going for the ball all game long. I think you also saw the relative strength of Brian Duncan and his ability to stop the run. Just outstanding from that repsect.

The secondary was huge all game long. There were certainly breakdowns, but the hits that S Cody Davis and S Franklin Mitchem had were big. Those two ran down plays all over the field and it was apparent as Davis had 10 tackles and Mitchem had 8 for the game. And CB Jamar Wall's hit on ~~Kerry Meier~~ Jake Sharp (thanks to kayakyakr) does not require a comment:

Doege vs. Potts: First and foremost, QB Seth Doege was in a tough position. The offensive line was an absolute mess in the first half. The problems he suffered were not always related to his play. Doege certainly wasn't perfect and he missed on more than a few throws, but Doege was under a tremendous amount of pressure for the entire 1st half. Leach isn't throwing anyone under the bus, here's Leach on Doege:

I think that he's -- I think Doege's well ahead of schedule. I think that Doege, you know, the toughest thing is there is this area where experience, you know, meets confidence and all those things. And I think that, you know, the biggest thing is that more reps, you know. I think that you know, practice played real well this week. And I think in the game as it started moving faster, you know, he's a conscientious guy, too. He didn't want to make a mistake. So I think things moved slowly, and our tempo was slower than it should have been.

With that being said, I was shocked to see QB Taylor Potts enter game in the 2nd half. It was painfully obvious that Doege was having a tough go at it, and I think Leach made the right decision. The Texas Tech passing offense only managed 253 yards for the game and Potts averaged a measly 4.9 yards per attempt with 1 interception that he threw behind his receiver. But Potts managed the game and I thought he managed the game well during the second half. Go read the entire post-game quotes from Leach, where he goes on a ramble that will eventually make it's way to some highlight reel, but the point that sometimes gets lost, and I would guess that Leach struggles with this issue as well, is that quarterback is a tough position to master in his offense.

Doege will be fine, but the offense certainly did respond in the 2nd half.

Offensive Line Mess and Eventual Rebound: The offensive line started C Shawn Byrnes, LT Marlon Winn, LG Lonnie Edwards, RG Brandon Carter and RT LaAdrian Waddle. Carter pulls a hamstring on the 2nd play of the game and things get messier. Mickey Okafor took over at right guard and then things started to get messy. It only took Doege getting pounded a couple of times to realize that this wasn't working. Relatively early in the first half, Wynn was moved back to right tackle after getting Doege annihilated and Chris Olson was moved to left tackle and things actually started to settle down. It wasn't until Carter made his way back to right guard that the offensive line truly clicked and the running game picked up. If there's one thing that the offensive line can say is that they persevered. It wasn't always pretty, but at the end of the day, the offense persevered.

The Offensive MVP :: RB Baron Batch: A special and well-deserved MVP for Batch. At the end of the day, Batch finished with 131 yards on 17 carries and 4 touchdowns.

The Defensive MVP :: DE Brandon Sharpe: As mentioned above, the guy is a difference maker and makes things happen defensively.

The Special Teams MVP :: Coverage Units: I think everyone one of these guys that play on this unit deserves some credit. For the day, Kansas averaged 15.2 yars per kickoff return and 0.5 yards per punt return. Not to mention, Texas Tech almost blocked a punt, and looked pretty good doing it. I think we need to see more of this aggressive type of play, but there's no doubt that from a coverage perspective, the special teams were outstanding and really limited the Jayhawks.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition

Seth C — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:44 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege throws in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. Doege came off the bench to replace the starter Taylor Potts. Texas A&M won 52 - 30. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Browse more photos »

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 :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition.

Reason #1 :: Might Be Motivated: I think Texas Tech fans could collectively hit this reason right out of the park. If this team isn't highly motivated on Saturday afternoon, then I shudder what will happen the rest of the season. I know this is supposed to be 5 reasons why I believe Texas Tech will win, but there better be a whole lot of fire from this club, both offensively and defensively. At this point of the season, it's really not about comments made about players' girlfriends or learning about transitive results in college football, it's about execution on the field. In comparison to last year, this team has really had to pull itself up a number of times, namely because of injuries or a suspension or two, and I'm hoping that this will serve the team well moving forward.

Reason #2 :: Do What You Do Best: I don't know if I need to consider the TAMU game an anomaly or if I need to base my thoughts on the collective whole of the season. For the season, this defense has been pretty good, and prior to last week was 50th in the nation in total defense, but was quickly reletaged to 78th in the nation after last week. Despite only having 1 sack last week, the defense as a unit is still 11th in the nation in total sacks. I know this defensive line can play better and I know that the linebackers can play better. I've seen it with my own two eyes. I can't say that I know any of these players, and this somewhat relates to item 1 above, but I hope like hell that the front 7 took last week's game personally. This is a pride issue with the team. I've seen DT Colby Whitlock dominate a game all by himself. I've seen the defensive end trio of Howard, Henley and Sharpe get in a quarterback's back pocket all day long. All I'm asking is for containment and collapsing the pocket. I've seen it happen many times before, let's see it again.

Reason #3 :: Lean On The Running Playmakers: I would truly appreciate it if someone could just send a memo of this reason to Captain Leach. To wit -- I know that you believe in your quarterbacks and I know that you believe that you can transform just about any human into a NCAA leading passing machine, but I think it might be in your best interest and the best interest of this team if you deferred to certain playmakers on this team who tend rush the football more than pass the football. I'm not at all asking that you abandon what you do best, and we all know that that is, but there's real talent at the running back position. In the second half of the game last week RB Baron Batch had 2 rushing attempts and RB Harrison Jeffers had 1 (please ignore the fact that he fumbled -- a complete fluke). I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned the running game a time or two and even yesterday, well respected DTN reader texastfan made a similar comment about the running game. I think you help out your offensive line and quarterback immensely if you can consistently run the ball.

Reason #4 :: Pressure Receivers: The more I think about it this week, I think I'm starting to understand McNeill's decision to play off of the TAMU receivers last week. McNeill was without his star freshman S Will Ford and reliable S Brett Dewhurst, and it's likely that this pair will also be out this week as well. Despite those two being out, this Texas Tech defense still leads the Big 12 in passes defended. I'm thinking that McNeill knew that he was going to have to play S Julius Howard and CB D.J. Johnson for a good part of Texas Tech's nickel and dime packages and McNeill didn't want to expose the defense to any big plays. I've tended to notice that McNeill is much more conservative at home and without being too critical, I think we can safely say that this failed miserably. This week however, I think McNeill re-thinks his strategy a bit. We know that starting safeties Cody Davis and Franklin Mitchem are completely healthy and we also know that senior CB Brent Nickerson filled in nicely at safety when either Davis or Mitchem were injured. I know that this guy isn't the biggest guy, but he's fast and he's reliable and he's proven himself on special teams, but I'd love for Ruff to give CB Taylor Charbonnet a shot at the other defensive back spot. It's obvious that what happened last week was an abomination, let's think outside the box a bit. I think what you may be dealing with in Nickerson and Charbonnet are two intelligent players that get the system. They may not have the physical ability to play like Johnson, who is physically gifted, but young, and Howard, who has struggled to find a role for much of his career at Texas Tech, but I think they'll play more aggressively and they won't get you beat. That's Ruff's mantra, I'm sure of it and I don't think Charbonnet or Nickerson will let Ruff down.

Reason #5 :: Then Open It Up: I'm not trying to be contradictory, but I have no doubt that once item 3 above is accomplished, it's going to absolutely open up the passing game for QB Seth Doege. Leach mentioned that Doege had good tempo when he came into the game and there's no doubt that the team responded. However, Doege also didn't press, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Doege's longest pass of the night was 20 yards and his yards per attempt was 5.8 for the game. Granted, his receives didn't help him out a whole bunch, but part of Doege's success will be making plays down the field. There's plenty of guys to choose from: Alexander Torres, Tramain Swindall, Detron Lewis, Lyle Leong, Austin Zouzalike, etc. Once Kansas is backed off by the running game, Doege has to test the secondary and not just defer to either wide receiver and/or running back screens. There may be some mistakes made along the way, but playing it too safe isn't going to win this football game.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.29.09

Seth C — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:57:29 -0000

Next Week: I really hate looking ahead, but I thought I'd let you guys know that I intend on catching up a bit next week on football and basketball recruiting, basketball in general and a some more general looks at the football program. That all seems a bit ambitious, but the intent is for me to get to as much of this as possible, try to focus on the major sports and then go from there.

Stick Around: It's strange, but at the rate DTN is currently heading, DTN will eclipse the 1,000,000 visitor mark sometime next month and all of that credit goes to you guys. Once football season ends, the traffic on DTN slows down quite a bit and I know that basketball doesn't have the same following as football, but I'd love for you guys to stick around for the basketball season, tell me I'm foolish for liking Pat Knight and having unreasonably high expectations for this basketball team.

Bryce Saldi Benefit: DMN's Brandon George posted a short post about Bryce Saldi (playing for UNLV at the time), who suffered a brain injury while skateboarding this past summer and Bryce's cause has been chosen by the Pro Player Foundation as the feature benefit in their golf tournament. If the name Saldi sounds familiar to some of you, John Saldi started for Texas Tech for 4 years, 2002 through 2005.

Unnamed Source Talks, Declares Doege Starter: FWST's Dwain Price talked with an unnamed source who confirmed that QB Seth Doege is the starter. I'm giving Price the headline here, rather than ESPN or some other outlet, because he actually has a quote from the source:

One source said: "I don't think (Doege starting against Kansas) is a surprise.''

21st Commitment: LAJ's Don Williams (thanks to pcrawttu for the FanShot) details the 21st commitment to the Texas Tech Red Raiders from Olive Branch, Mississippi's Eric Lawson, a 6-6/320 guard/tackle. Here's the obligatory recruit site profiles: Rivals, Scout and ESPN. Unfortunately for all of us cheapskates, ESPN is now a subscription based site, so there's no longer any free information out there, other than the very reliable Mr. Williams. Here's Lawson:

Lawson said he’s not sure if he would visit other schools, but considers his commitment solid.

"I like the vibe I’m getting from the coaches and the staff at Texas Tech,’’ he said.

In the meantime, he’s doing what he can to be a better offensive lineman and a better college prospect. That’s the idea behind his slimming.

"I had been trying to lose the weight,’’ he said, "because my coach told me it’d be better if I lost a little bit so I can get a little faster.’’

I'll update the recruiting sidebar next week.

Kansas Jayhawk Links: LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes that DB Chris Harris' second chance is paying off for the Jayhawks . . .KUSports.com notes that Kansas QB Todd Reesing has struggled in KU's past 2 losses . . . Kansan.com's Jayson Jenks writes that the young Kansas secondary will be tested this week . . .

Big 12 Links: Absolutely wonderful article from Corn Nation's Corn Blight, don't get a physical after a loss . . . Rock M Nation's Bill C.'s Beyond The Box Score Week 9 picks (Red Raiders beat spread?) . . .

Pat Knight Visits Purdue: IndyStar has a note that Pat Knight and the Texas Tech staff visited Purdue's head coach Matt Painter, more or less an opportunity to exchange ideas as head coaches:

"He is a good friend of mine, and it was good to see him," Painter said.

"I've always admired what his dad (Bob) has done and what Pat has been able to do as an assistant for his dad and then taking over at Texas Tech. They always send me tapes when I ask for stuff.

"It's what coaching is all about, sharing ideas. They just wanted to come up and see some other people do some things . . . maybe just pick up a drill."

Bob Knight's Birthday: LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that the basketball team and staff celebrated Bob Knight's birthday. Go check out Linehan's post for pictures of the event. I'd also add that BK spoke to the team and referenced two things that I'd love to see happen this year regarding PG John Roberson and PF Darko Cohadarevic:

For his part, Knight issued the team some words of wisdom. He warned that the best players he ever coached got just as excited for throwaway games against low-major teams as they did to play Duke. He ribbed John Roberson, who he recruited to Tech, saying the Red Raiders would be successful if Roberson stopped dribbling. And he asked, in his own special way, that Serbian-born Darko Cohadarevic continue to work on adapting to the American style of basketball.

Kinda cool in that practice ended with the teams playing the staff in what looks like a game of dodge-ball.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition

Seth C — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:15:34 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas Tech wide reciever Alexander Torres (86) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Browse more photos »

This weekly feature considers five reasons why Texas Tech will win and five reasons Texas Tech will lose to each opponent. Check back tomorrow for "Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition".

Reason #1 :: The Big 12 Has Some Good Offenses: I feel like a bit of a broken record here as we continue to talk about the offenses, generally speaking, and Kansas has one of the top 5 offenses in the nation. Averaging 475.00 yards a game and scoring in the top 10 in the nation at 35.14 points a game, I shudder to think what Todd Reesing can do after watching Jerrod Johnson last week. Reesing will be anxiously awaiting cornerbacks playing 10 yards off the ball and Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier will be more than happy to exploit a secondary that's not the least bit aggressive. In fact, prior to last week, the Jayhawks scored over 30 points a game for every game prior to the Sooners, where they scored only 13. The offense is more than capable of putting up points especially when the two Texas Tech safeties who have played on most nickel and dime packages, S Will Ford and S Brett Dewhurst, may not even play on Saturday.

Reason #2 :: Not a Bad Defense: I think there's this general perception that Kansas has a bad defense, and the Jayhawks haven't necessarily played offensive stalwarts, but the Jayhawks are 51st in the nation in total defense and have been tremendous against the run, 16th in the nation. In fact last week against Oklahoma, the Sooners only managed 85 yards for the entire game on 31 carries. That's scary for a Texas Tech offense that's struggled to consistently run all year, whether it be a seasonal perspective or in an entire game. The rushing offense was essentially non-existent in the second half last week, and if the running game isn't established early and often then I'm afraid it could cause serious problems for the offense as a whole. I don't want to discredit the fact that the Texas Tech offensive line will see it's second week starting, but generally speaking, that's going to be a tough thing.

Reason #3 :: Skill Players Out the Wazzuu: QB Todd Reesing probably doesn't get the credit he deserves and considering that he sits a-top the conference (behind Taylor Potts BTW) in passing yards a game at 314.9, connects on 64.9% of his passes and has thrown 15 touchdowns this year. The one issue that Reesing has had, which is something that Texas Tech fans can understand, is that he's already thrown 7 interceptions. Aside from Reesing is WR Dezmon Briscoe who leads the conference in receiving yards at 121.8 yards a game, but only has 4 touchdowns. Fellow WR, Kerry Meier is 4th in the conference at 90.6 yards a game and has 6 touchdowns as well. I don't think I need to remind anyone that last week, all it took was a true freshman receiver to carve up the offense and a quarterback that couldn't complete 50% of his passes against Kanas State the week before.

Reason #4 :: Hassling the QB: The Jayhawks are good for 24th in the nation in sacking opposing quarterbacks, led by Jake Laptad (5.5) and Max Onyegule (3), Dudley Drew (3) and Jeff Wheeler (2.5). Much like Texas Tech, it's a well-rounded group rather than just one player standing out of the crowd. I think Texas Tech fans are aware of the situation, but the Red Raiders aren't exactly in a situation where they can afford to lose a or any quarterback. Not to mention the fact that there's a very good chance the Red Raiders will be starting a redshirt freshman quarterback in his first game of the year. I have no doubt that the Kansas coaches will attempt to make sure that QB Seth Doege will be sufficiently pestered as much as possible.

Reason #5 :: Pounding the Ball: The Jayhawks are having trouble rushing the ball, but what they are not having trouble doing is getting the running backs into the endzone. Freshman RB Toben Opurum (9 TD's) and Jake Sharp (6 TD's) have done most of the heavy lifting in terms of scoring for the Jayhawks. The fact that the Jayhakws essentially become a dual threat team in the redzone is worrisome, especially after the performance last week. Opurum was shut out last week against Oklahoma, but has scored at least 1 touchdown against every other opponent. Again, this isn't to say that typically the Jayhawks are much of a threat to run the ball, but for whatever reason, KU is able to put the ball in the endzone. One of KU's flaws is that they've been almost unstoppable at home, putting the ball into the endzone 90.48% of their redzone opportunities, but falls to a paltry 46.15% touchdown rate on the road. The Red Raiders have to hope that trend continues.