SB Nation - McKinner Dixon

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

Seth C — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:29 -0000

by Dave Weaver - AP

Nebraska's Chris Brooks (1), is brought down by Texas Tech's Cody Davis, in the second half of their NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Texas Tech beat Nebraska 31-10.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

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THE DEFENSE

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 defensive 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
DE	Ryan Haliburton	6-4/245	SO
	Aundrey Barr	6-3/238	RS FR
	Christopher Knighton	6-3/240	RS FR
	Kerry Hyder	6-3/255	RS FR
DT	Colby Whitlock	6-2/287	SR
	Chris Perry	6-4/300	JR
	Pearlie Graves	6-1/278	RS FR
	Myles Wade	6-2/340	JR
LB	Bront Bird	6-3/240	SR
	Brian Duncan	6-1/240
	Tyrone Sonier	6-2/225	JR
	Sam Fehoko	5-11/220	JR
	Brandon Mahoney	6-2/203	RS FR
	Dion Chidozie	6-1/194	RS FR
CB	LaRon Moore	5-9/200	SR
	Taylor Charbonnet	5-10/175	JR
	D.J. Johnson	6-0/170	SO
	Yashua Williams	6-3/181	RS FR
S	Franklin Mitchem	6-2/198	SR
	Cody Davis	6-2/200	SO
	Brett Dewhurst	6-0/193	JR
	Will Ford	6-1/186	SO

If it's not incredibly clear, the weakness of this team will be at defensive end. I've mentioned this a couple of times and for 2 years straight, Texas Tech is losing quite a bit of production from the defensive end position. The key to all of this is that no one has seen any of these guys play on the collegiate level, other than Haliburton, who has done reasonably well in some spot duty early in the season and filling in for Howard, Sharpe and Henley during the early part of the season when there were so many injuries.

The strength of the defense will be up front with the return of Whitlock and Perry, who should form a formidable front and I think there's plenty of talent behind them in Graves and Wade. Much like Jacob Karam, Graves travels with the team and that's an indication that his personality in infectious and reading the tea leaves, he is going to be a player next year. I'd also mention that I do not see any of these tackles moving to defensive end. Perhaps that changes during the spring, but for the time being, I think this is your 2-deep.

Linebacker also returns 2 of the 3 starters from this year. Marlon Williams has been servicable, but he's been virtually non-existent for the better part of conference play, this past weekend's game excluded. You can expect Sonier to fill Williams spot at WLB. I'm also intrigued by Mahoney and Chidozie, who perhaps represent a change in the type of linebacker that Ruffin McNeill wants, which are projectable athletes who can run. If you see a change in philosophy, I think it starts at linebacker and continues to the secondary.

Jamar Wall will be the only player that needs replacement in the secondary next year and Johnson will have to step up his game during the offseason. I think the staff is enamored with his athletic ability, but you saw against TAMU how athletic ability can only carry you so far, he's got to be better from a technique standpoint as well. Ford should also take a step in the right direction this offseason and I may be in the minority, but I'd like to see more Charbonnet and expect Y. Williams to get some time next year as well. All in all, a pretty experienced group returning next year.

Lots more after the jump.

Don't Sleep On

DT: Britton Barbee (6-2/296; SR) and David Neill (6-5/280; JR)
DE: Jonathan Brydon (6-3/220; SR)
LB: None
CB: Jarvis Phillips (6-0/189; RS FR)
S: Jared Flannel (5-11/167; JR); Aaron Charbonnet (5-11/201; RS FR); Andre McCorkle (6-2/204; JR); Daniel Cobb (6-1/211; RS FR) and Terrance Bullitt (6-3/182; RS FR)

I think the only guys that I'm comfortable stating could make an impact from this group is Cobb and Bullitt, although I like Barbee and Neill from a depth perspective

Recruiting

POSITION	PLAYER	STATS	RR	STARS
DE	Kedrick Dial	6-5/215	5.6	3
DE	Jackson Richards	6-4/245	5.8	4
DT	Coby Coleman	6-3/290	5.7	3
DT	Lawrence Rumph	6-4/270	5.7	3
LB	Zac Winbush	6-2/200	5.5	3
DB	Urell Johnson	6-1/185	5.6	3
DB	Desmond Martin	6-0/173	5.6	3
DB	Russell Polk	5-11/200	5.6	3
DB	Tre'Vante Porter	6-0/185	5.7	3
DB	Brandon Smith	6-1/175	5.6	3
AVERAGE			5.63	3.09

If additional recruits are added, I think it's on the defensive side of the ball, namely at defensive end or linebacker. The one guy that I think could get some burn next year is Rumph, especially with the lack of defensive end. Keep in mind that Rumph was luke-warm when he committed to Texas Tech, so I would not count on his commitment until he's actually signed. I think you could also see Richards make an impact next year and Dial is another player who might make a difference next year. Richards is one of the more higher rated players of the class, he's a mature player and already has the size to play defensive end on the collegiate level. At this point, I'd imagine that it's about technique more than anything else. The sleeper of this group might be Martin, who was highly impressive in his film and possibly Porter.

Recruit Trending

YEAR	AVG. RR	AVG. STARS	WASHOUT RATE
2010	5.63	3.09	-
2009	5.57	3.00	2/15 = 13.33%
2008	5.63	3.13	5/8 = 62.50%
2007	5.47	2.70	2/10 = 20.00%
2006	5.53	2.89	7/19 = 36.84%

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

To explain again, the Washout Rate are players who either never made it on campus or played only 1 year. As you'll note, the 2008 class was small, only 16 recruits total (keep in mind that there will be some classes that are smaller than others and a staff is typically limited to a certain number of scholarships in relation to the number of players on scholarship) but you had guys like Joey Fowler, McKinner Dixon, Broderick Marshall, Brandon Sesay and Brandon Reid (who could return to Texas Tech after a stint at JUCO) that all never made it at Texas Tech. This was Ruffin's first class officially, but this was also the same year that he replaced Setencich. If you wanted to take a look at the year that McNeill was in place early as the defensive coordinator then it's really the 2009 class that's his first class from start of the recruiting season to signing day. In that 2009 class you only had Romario Cathey who never made it on campus and James Scott, another guy who has gone the JUCO route but has a good chance of returning to Lubbock.

Q&A With Double T Nation - Insight Into The Texas Tech Red Raiders

Jon Johnston — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:19:41 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Brandon Carter, freak, will be between Ndamukong Suh and Tech quarterbacks. Tattoos and face paint can't help him in that regard, but the battle between the two will be one to watch!

Browse more photos »

Tech seems like a hard team to gauge. They've had some internal struggles, two losses in a row to ranked teams and a quarterback change.

Instead of insinuating and grasping, it's easiest to ask people who know the answers. In this case, that would be Seth at Double T Nation, our SB Nation Texas Tech site. He joins us for a blogger Q&A.

It's hard to gauge what's going on at Tech. It seemed like things were coming apart after the loss to Houston, Twittergate and Brandon Carter's suspension. Where is this team right now?

There may not be a team that deals with drama better than Texas Tech. In regards to RG Brandon Carter's suspension, he wasn't suspended because he was on Twitter, he was suspended for what happened after the Houston game (i.e. being angry, very angry, about the loss). I thought LB Marlon Williams' tweet was inappropriate (i.e., why is he here waiting on Leach for practice), but it turns out that practice was canceled so really it's not that big of a deal.

As it turns out, giving 18 to 22 year old kids a place to voice any and every concern might not be such a good idea. If the team was in any sort of disarray, it was after the Houston loss and the lackluster first half against New Mexico. There's the thought that QB Taylor Potts still wasn't right after the hit against UT and his rough play was a result of that. In steps 6'4" and all 180 pounds QB Steven Sheffield who seems to have captured the attention of this team and has been lights out against New Mexico and Kansas State. The ship has been righted, at least for now.

Potts or Sheffield? or Both?

I like both. Potts has taken quite a bit of criticism because he's thrown some interceptions, and he hasn't been perfect, but I do not believe that his performances against Texas and Houston were the reasons Texas Tech lost. Did he play perfectly those games, certainly not, but he wasn't the sole reason for either of those losses. Potts still has a 2:1 TD to INT ratio and was part of the team was at the top of the nation in passing. I think Potts' struggles have been exaggerated a bit and I try to keep in mind that he's a 20 or 21 year old kid who got the crap knocked out of him and wasn't quite the same since.

With Sheffield at the helm, he's been absolutely electric and the team seems to have responded to his energy. The last two games, Sheffield has been near perfect, sans a couple of interceptions, one in each game. Sheffield is a bit more mobile and more likely to dodge pressure. Sheffield's arm isn't quite as strong as Potts, but he can still make all of the throws required by this offense. If I had to pick a starter for the Nebraska game, I'd go with the hot-hand in Sheffield. If I had to pick a quarterback who I think who has the better chance to lead the program going forward, I'd pick Potts. Sheffield's been great but he hasn't been tested . . . yet.

What receivers should Husker fans be watching?

All of them? Seriously, it's somewhat ridiculous to see so many receivers step up each game.

Tramain Swindall has consistently been this team's leading receiver and averaging almost 20 YPC, which is ridiculous in this offense. Detron Lewis was expected to replace Crabtree in some respects, but Swindall's been electric, and Lewis has been a tad injured and reliable, but hasn't really had a break-out game.

Alexander Torres has proven to be a very reliable receiver outside, he won't beat you deep, but he'll catch just about anything thrown his way and he's pretty strong. Lyle Leong has been relatively quite since his 3 touchdown performance against Rice, but he's still a threat.

Nebraska will still need to account for the running backs who have been really good catching the ball out of the backfield (Harrison Jeffers is averaging 10.5 YPC and Baron Batch is averaging 8.87 YPC).

Tech has been exceptional at home, horrible on the road. 2008: 4 for 5 in road games last year (losses - OU); 2007: 3 for 6 (Oklahoma St., Missouri and Texas); 2006: 3 for 6 (TCU, Colorado, and OU). Can you explain such a huge discrepancy?

I think programs that are struggling to break-through to an upper tier of the football elite tend to do this for a period of time. Last year was an exception, and I think that most teams that make it to middling bowl games tend to follow the same path that Texas Tech has (i.e. win the non-conference home games + beat the crappy teams on the road = bowl game).

I'm not sure I can explain it other than it's tough to win on the road and for a program trying to make that jump, I think it just comes down to having better players and that happens over time. And for the record I think a Texas and OU would have worse road game records if they didn't have a neutral game at the Cotton Bowl. I went to Norman last year and cannot imagine what that town would be if Texas were to ever roll into town and the same thought goes for Austin.

Last year's game was weird in that Nebraska held the ball for around 40 minutes. We don't have the same ball control passing offense we had last year (although we're working on it). Where should Nebraska attack if we're going to be successful on offense?

Even if Nebraska doesn't have the same type of offense, I think I'd stick with a similar plan of just taking what the defense will give you. Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill has had quite a bit of success relying on his offense to outscore the defense, and I've always thought that Leach and McNeill discuss prior to the game how creative he needs to be to be successful on defense.

Some games, McNeill will stunt and blitz more than others. Surprisingly, Texas Tech leads the conference in sacks, this after losing their top guys in Brandon Williams and McKinner Dixon. Most of that success is due to out-working opponents and I think the Cornhuskers would be wise emphasize the quick passing game. Nebraska will have success running the ball against Texas Tech and I think that the key will be if the Texas Tech offense can score quickly, taking Nebraska out of what they might do best.

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable - Week 5 Recap

RPT — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0000

This week's SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable Recap takes a look at some of the different thoughts expressed around the Big 12 blogosphere. This week's participants included Corn Nation, Bring On The Cats, Rock M Nation, I Am The 12th Man, Rock Chalk Talk, Double T Nation, Clone Chronicles, and Crimson and Cream Machine.

1. Is it time for the Big 12 to collectively pour one out for the departure of Baylor quarterback Robert "Hot Tub" Griffin? Even if your team benefits from his injury, are you sad to see one of the conference's premier playmakers done for the season?

Beergut of I Am The 12th Man sends his condolences for Baylor losing both an outstanding athlete and a role model:

I think most Big 12 bloggers have already mentioned Griffin's injury, and sent along their condolences in their own way. As I have already pointed out, Griffin's season-ending injury means my pick for first team All-Big 12 QB is done, and my pick for the upset of the year, Baylor over texas in Waco, lost its foundation. Griffin is a thrill to watch on the field when he is playing, and I think all Big 12 bloggers are college football fans at heart, regardless of our team affilitation, so we are all sad to see him out for the year. I think it is also important to note that despite Griffin's freakish athletic ability, he wasn't a brash or cocky person who talked trash or made you hate him; he let his play on the field do the talking for him, in an example of class I wish more athletes would follow. This makes Griffin's injury doubly sad, because he is a positive role model of how exceptional star athletes should act.

2. Play the role of Mythbusters for us. If you could dispel one national perception of your team, what would it be?

TB of Bring On The Cats echoes the sentiments of his colleagues in getting annoyed by the Snyder return talk:

It gets tiring to see various iterations of this theme: "Boy, K-State is bad, I bet Snyder wishes he had stayed retired!" Not because they say we are bad, because we are, but because it completely misses the boat. As bad as we are this year, it doesn't even compare to Snyder's first-first year, 1989. We hadn't won a game in three years and were thrilled when we beat a terrible North Texas team. Clearly, we are a terrible team this year, but we've won two games at this point and have at least hung around in the other two. Granted, we may have seen our last victory of the season, but rest assured that Bill Snyder has seen worse. Much, much worse.

Crimson and Cream Machine takes issue with a few perceptions, both in the long and short terms:

Well, the national perception of Oklahoma is that they are a great team that plays very well in the regular season, wins lots of conference championships but just can't seem to win a bowl game. How am I supposed to dispel that?

I guess that I could point out that Bob Stoops and his team did win the 2000 BCS Championship 13-2 over Florida State in the Orange Bowl, or the 2002 Cotton Bowl, or the 2003 Rose Bowl or even the 2005 Holiday Bowl. I just don't think those answers would suffice. Oh...wait...you mean the actual team on the field?

Well there is the perception that the offensive line if horrible and un-cohesive. I can dispel that very quickly by telling you to look at the last two games. Sure I realize that the competition was Idaho State and Tulsa but the issues with this line weren't physical they were mental. The last eight quarters of Sooner football have shown this unit to be mentally focused to reach their physical potential.

3. Give us the name of one player on each side of the ball on your team that everyone else in the conference may not know about or fully appreciate.

Husker Mike of Corn Nation sends some love the way of an emerging deep threat (and Name of the Year candidate) in the Nebraska receiving corps:

On offense, it's Curenski Gilleylen. He's the deep threat who's averaging nearly 32 yards a catch. Last year, he had the dropsies. This year, he's made some great catches on some huge gainers. Worry too much about the short stuff, and Gilleylen will beat you deep.

Alright, I redact that statement about Gilleylen winning Name of the Year. That honor could very well go to Rock Chalk Talk's defensive nominee in this category:

DE Maxwell Onyegbule. A lot of different directions I could go with this one, but I'll go with Max O. He's been dominant so far this season, finally showing the talent and ability he's only shown flashes of before this season.

Clone Chronicles talks up its under-the-radar tailback:

Alexander Robinson. I would hope everyone else has heard of him, but I don't read much about him at all. For a guy that's 10th in the nation in rushing yards so far, that's really too bad. We've heard all the hype about Helu in Nebraska, but Robinsion is a mere 9 yards behind him in total thus far.

Seth of Double T Nation finds a hidden gem and a silver lining from Tech's exodus of ends:

On the defense, how about DE Daniel Howard. I've had an obvious man-crush on Howard for the better part of the summer and part of that is because you can tell the guy is a hard worker, and although he's not as gifted as the more well-known defensive ends who left early for a various of reasons (Brandon Williams, McKinner Dixon and Brandon Sesay) he is by far one of the hardest workers you'll see at defensive end. And that's not one of those back-handed compliments (i.e., he's scrappy therefore he's a good player), but Howard is a legitimate threat and an offensive tackle cannot afford to take a play off against Howard. Thus far in this young season, Howard has been the steadying force at defensive end as Texas Tech has battled injuries, pulling in 19 tackles and 3 sacks.

4. OU vs. Da U: Who ya' got?

Here's what I had to say at Rock M Nation:

Give me Oklahoma. I know the competition hasn't been top notch, but the Sooner offense seems to have gotten its act together since Week 1. Furthermore, Miami wunderkind Jacory Harris got a dose of reality last week when the speed and aggressiveness of Bud Foster's defense at Virginia Tech completely threw Harris and the Miami offense off rhythm. The bad news for Miami is that Oklahoma has that same kind of speed, a better defensive line, and a somewhat similarly respected defensive mind in Brent Venables.

5. Give us your Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Storyline of the Week for last week.

Offensive Player of the Week: In all, five players garnered nominations, and this week's honors were nearly split between two Missouri Tigers. The combined success of a prodigious Friday night in Reno made the award a race between Danario Alexander and Blaine Gabbert, with Alexander defeating his quarterback three votes to two. Other nominees included Jerrod Johnson, Brandon Banks, and Alexander Robinson.

Defensive Player of the Week: It's a tie for defensive player of the week, as conference award-winner Earl Thomas of Texas and Kansas' Chris Harris each received three votes. Texas' Emmanuel Acho and Missouri's Sean Weatherspoon each earned individual votes as well.

Storyline of the Week: As sad as it is, the tear in Robert Griffin's ACL is the runaway winner. As I type this, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe "runaway winner" was a poor choice of vocabulary.

6. Power Poll! Rank the teams 1-12 based on who would win on a neutral field.

Team (Average ranking)

1. Texas (1.000)
2. Oklahoma (2.000
3. Oklahoma State (4.250)
4. Nebraska (4.500)
5. Missouri (4.625)
6. Kansas (4.875)
7. Texas Tech (7.125)
8. Texas A&M (7.625)
9. Baylor (9.750)
10. Iowa State (10.000)
11. Kansas State (10.750)
12. Colorado (11.500)

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable :: Week 5

Seth C — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:45:42 -0000

This is the fifth installment of the 2009 edition of the SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable. Rock M Nation is once again serving as hosts, and as such, we will have a recap post of the different responses around SBN later in the week.

On to the questions!

1. Is it time for the Big 12 to collectively pour one out for the departure of Baylor quarterback Robert "Hot Tub" Griffin? Even if your team benefits from his injury, are you sad to see one of the conference's premier playmakers done for the season?

I hate that this happened to Griffin. Perhaps it's just me, but I absolutely love playing other teams best players and I take no solace when a player is injured. Add on top of that the fact that Griffin was an unbelievable player who is simply dynamic and you've got me a little sad by the fact that I won't get to see Griffin play in November in Cowboys Stadium against Texas Tech.

2. Play the role of Mythbusters for us. If you could dispel one national perception of your team, what would it be?

Defense? Sure, why not. The Texas Tech defense has been beleagured for years and the truth of the matter is that it's been much deserved for the most part. Even last year when Texas Tech made a big jump in national recognition, the defense still ranked 79th in total defense. We're not talking about a huge improvement, but in this very young season, Texas Tech is ranked 61st in total defense while playing Texas, the #5 ranked team in total offense in the NCAA, and Houston, the #2 ranked team in total offense. Perhaps the best news is that the rush defense, which can sometimes be a indicator of a good defense overall, is ranked 29th in the nation, however, that number is probably skewed because of the 4 teams the Red Raiders have played, none of them are truly strong rushing teams.

The defense isn't quite there yet, but I think there's improvement.

3. Give us the name of one player on each side of the ball on your team that everyone else in the conference may not know about or fully appreciate.

Starting with the offense, how about WR Lyle Leong, who barely weighs 165 (that's his listed weight, but c'mon) and thus far he's only caught 21 passes for 263 yards and 5 touchdowns. Not bad for 4 games. Leong is one of those guys that looks like he belongs in the rec league because of his size, but in 2008 in the outdoor competiton he high jumped 6'11". Leong will get up and get the ball and he's the type of guy that you probably think you can dominate defensively because of his size, but he catches just about everything thrown his way.

On the defense, how about DE Daniel Howard. I've had an obvious man-crush on Howard for the better part of the summer and part of that is because you can tell the guy is a hard worker, and although he's not as gifted as the more well-known defensive ends who left early for a various of reasons (Brandon Williams, McKinner Dixon and Brandon Sesay) he is by far one of the hardest workers you'll see at defensive end. And that's not one of those back-handed compliments (i.e., he's scrappy therefore he's a good player), but Howard is a legitimate threat and an offensive tackle cannot afford to take a play off against Howard. Thus far in this young season, Howard has been the steadying force at defensive end as Texas Tech has battled injuries, pulling in 19 tackles and 3 sacks.

4. OU vs. Da U: Who ya' got?

Damn. I was convinced that Miami was for real . . . before last week. Now they've come back to earth a bit and although I seem like I'm a bit behind on news, it doesn't look like Sam Bradford will play. I'll take Miami and the points this week, but only because Miami's at home.

5. Give us your Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Storyline of the Week for last week.

OPOTW: This is a little unconventional, but I'd have to go with Kansas St.'s Brandon Banks, who not only had 3 catches for 90 yards, but also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. I know that's more special teams play, but that's a hell of a day and K-State could also use some love.

DPOTW: Emmanuel Acho, who had 3 TFL and one sack, while helping hold UTEP to 9 yards rushing.

6. Power Poll! Rank the teams 1-12 based on who would win on a neutral field.

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Oklahoma Sooners
3. Missouri Tigers
4. Oklahoma St. Cowboys
5. Nebraska Cornhuskers
6. Texas Tech Red Raiders
7. Kansas Jayhawks
8. Texas A&M Aggies
9. Baylor Bears
10. Kansas St. Wildcats
11. Colorado Buffaloes
12. Iowa St. Cyclones

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.03.09

Seth C — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:24:26 -0000

Odds and Ends

Sprinting Towards Tier 1 Status: Because Texas Tech raised $24.5 million, the state of Texas is matching $21.5 million in funding. This is huge, huge news. And I'll echo the thoughts of Ayleein at RaiderAde in that you have one person to thank, and that person is Kent Hance, who didn't mince words when it comes to competing and "winning" at this particular game:

"I think it sends a very strong signal that we're out on the forefront," Hance said, adding he would have been embarrassed if Tech had not come out on top.

You betcha Mr. Hance. I may be reading too much into those comments, but personally, I think Hance sees this not only as an opportunity to further Texas Tech, but also as a competition and something tells me that Hance doesn't like to lose at anything.

College Football Starts: Here's your weekend schedule and I'll be staying up late tonight catch the Boise St. Broncos and the Oregon Ducks. Cannot. Wait.

Texas Tech Football

Texas Tech Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams has some good nuggets this morning, including the notion that DE Ryan Haliburton will most likely back-up Rajon Henley at LDE due to the fact that Sandy Riley is apparently out with an injury (this may be a blessing in disguise as there will be a need for experienced defensive ends in 2010 and Haliburton is the most likely player to receive playing time) . . . still no decision on the left tackle position as Terry McDaniel and Chris Olson continue to fight for that spot, as are Donnie Carona and Ryan Erxleben . . . the staff is still not sure if they intend on redshirting WR Eric Ward (I think they need to let him get some time, especially if he's going to be the primary backup to Edward Britton and should expect some time next year) . . .

Fighting Sioux: LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes a fairly presumptuous article about how the North Dakota Fighting Sioux know that there may not be much of a chance on Saturday (I've just never heard a team admit that). Here's UND head coach Chris Mussman:

"Obviously, we know what we’re up against with that quality of an opponent," said second-year North Dakota head coach Chris Mussman, whose team opens its season on Saturday at Texas Tech. "At this time with our program, it’s probably not the best time to be playing that game, but we’re going to try to make the most of it."

The official UND website has some news and notes and UND QB Jake Landry is anxious to get on the field;

"I'm ready to finally get out and play a football game," Landry said. "We've been in camp for over a month now, and we're ready to get out there and play somebody different."

What??? Honestly, I was a tad bit shocked whenever I read ESPN's Tim Griffin's rankings of the Big 12 defenses and was shocked to read that he thinks the Red Raiders have the 4th best defense in the Big 12. Now, Griffin readily admits that the drop-off from 1-3 to 4 is steep (I would also admit this) and this is only one man's opinion, but I still think that this is about right:

This is where the big drop-off starts from the top three teams. The Red Raiders will miss pass-rushing threats McKinner Dixon and Brandon Williams from last season, but have an experienced unit back. Rajon Henley and Brandon Sharpe are set to fill in as the pass-rushing threats and Colby Whitlock can be a terror at times -- particularly against Texas. Brian Duncan is a producer and the team’s leading tackler at middle linebacker. Jamar Wall is one of the better cover corners in the league. But the unit will depend on the improvement of two projected starters: redshirt freshman free safety Cody Davis and strong safety Franklin Mitchem.

Not entirely accurate as Daniel Howard should get the start next to Henley. But this is the Texas Tech defense in a nutshell and I really think the difference is how quickly will Cody Davis and Franklin Mitchem adjust to their roles and pick up their play. Overall, I do think there's an upgrade in athleticism in that the combination of Davis and Mitchem I think is more athletic that Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet with Charbonnet being the player that I think there's a slight upgrade in the athleticism. Lots to look forward to this season.

Neglected Audio and Video: Fox34 on the Red Raiders preparing for North Dakota:

Big 12 Links: Barking Carnival continues the tour with the state of the union for their pals, the Oklahoma Sooners . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin on why Oklahoma St. needs a second receiver to develop (remember that the starting tight end just left the team) . . .

2010 Recruits: Tom Lemming released his top 25 at each position and I found a couple of Red Raider commits, including QB Scotty Young as the #11 pro-style quarterback and WR Karone Boone as the #4 wide receiver . . .

Alumni: Article from Jay Paris on new Chargers offensive lineman Louis Vasquez . . .

Crunching the Numbers :: Texas Tech vs. North Dakota

Seth C — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:00:16 -0000

vs.

Game Information:
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (0-0, 0-0) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (0-0, 0-0)
September 5, 2009, 6:00 p.m. CST :: Weather: Lubbock, TX
TV: None :: Radio: Texas Tech, North Dakota :: Game Cast: Fox Sports

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux come to Lubbock for their very first game as a Football Championship Series football team. That's right, ~~last year~~ two years ago North Dakota competed on a Division II level (I'm almost positive of this) and this will be their first game as a FCS team. The Texas Tech Red Raiders will be heavily favored in this game, but this is a big game for North Dakota.

Join me after the jump for a statistical comparison of North Dakota and Texas Tech.

Team Statistics

Category	Statistic (NCAA Rank, Conference Rank)	Winner
TTU Pass Offense vs. ND Pass Defense	413.15 (1, 1) 268.30 (137, 5)
TTU Rush Offense vs. ND Rush Defense	117.84 (94, 11) 112.40 (36, 2)
ND Pass Offense vs. TTU Pass Defense	245.60 (37, 2) 242.23 (94, 3)
ND Rush Offense vs. TTU Rush Defense	145.80 (73, 4) 140.38 (61, 8)
TTU Scoring Offense vs. ND Scoring Defense	43.77 (3, 2) 26.30 (80, 3)
ND Scoring Offense vs. TTU Scoring Defense	32.10 (35, 4) 27.85 (74, 4)

Team Leaders


STATISTIC	TEXAS TECH	NORTH DAKOTA
Passing	Taylor Potts :: 23-36 : 260 : 2 : 1	Jake Landry :: 3-4 : 77 : 1 : 0
Rushing	Baron Batch :: 113 : 758 : 7	Catlin Solum :: 21 : 98 : 0
Receiving	Detron Lewis :: 76 : 913 : 3	Ismael Bamba :: 21 : 310 : 3
Punt Returns	Jamar Wall :: 1 : 0 : 0	Matt Cole :: 4 : 20 : 0
Kickoff Returns	Jamar Wall :: 20 : 477 : 0	Dominique Hawkins :: 12 : 321 : 0
Tackles	Brian Duncan :: 95	Dominique Hawkins :: 50
Sacks	Daniel Howard :: 3.0 : 23	Ross Cochran :: 2.0 : 8
Tackles for Loss	Colby Whitlock :: 5.5 : 16	Ty Boyle :: 4.0 : 14
Interceptions	Jamar Wall :: 2 : 21 : 0	Dominique Hawkins :: 2 : 15 : 0

Five Initial Thoughts

One :: FBS vs. NCAA Division II: Before everyone goes crazy, keep in mind that 2009 will be the first year that North Dakota will be a member of the FCS. That's right, last year, the Fighting Sioux were Division II and the 2008 numbers really aren't a fair comparison. I know, I'm comparing apples to oranges with the statistics of these two teams, but they are what they are. I know it's not fair to have Texas Tech "lose" a statistical battle, but this is the only FCS opponent on the schedule (compared to UMass and Eastern Washington last year) so this is the only time that the numbers will not be accurate.

Two :: This Could Get Ugly: I hate predicting blowouts, but from just a glance, if North Dakota is 137th in the nation in Division II in passing defense. It could be a very long game. There's no question in my mind that Potts will absolutely get quite a few repetitions. He's going to need it because he's got to be ready for Austin in two weeks. Potts can get all of the practice time a guy could want, but actual game snaps for Potts, and the rest of the offense is imperative.

Three :: Not Great Offensively: The Fighting Sioux aren't really great offensively, which could be a problem when trying to keep pace with Texas Tech. UND isn't an offensively inept team, as it appears UND was in the top third in scoring, but that was last year, and this year UND is replacing a ton of talent offensively. I know enough about UND to know that their head coach is in his second year, that the Fighting Sioux are replacing their quarterback, their top receivers and their top running back. Not to mention, I think UND is only returning two offensive starters from last year, and although I cannot attest to knowing the UND depth chart, I'd also imagine that they're replacing almost the entire offensive line.

Four :: At One Time A Quality Rushing Attack: If you look back at last year's statistics for UND, Josh Murray is all over the place. The only problem is that Murray is the Brandon Sesay or McKinner Dixon of North Dakota football (i.e. he's no longer with the program). At the very least, this would have been something for North Dakota to hang their hat, but with a very inexperienced quarterback and a running back with only 21 carries in 2008, you can't help but think that UND is going to be up against it.

Five :: Zero Pocket Pressure: The Fighting Sioux were 115th in sacks and 140th in tackles for a loss in Division II. These guys did not get to the quarterback and despite Texas Tech having a relatively inexperienced offensive line at left tackle right guard this is going to be a huge area of concern for North Dakota. If the Fighting Sioux cannot get to Potts or at the very least put pressure on Potts then this may not be much of a competition.

Texas Tech: 2009 Projections

Bill C. — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:11 -0000

Yesterday we looked at projections for OU...today, it's off to the pirate ship known as Lubbock, Texas!

Dude. Shave.

Until 2008, Mike Leach's tenure at Texas Tech had been startlingly consistent. Starting in 2000, Leach's Red Raiders have won 7, 7, 9, 8, 8, 9, 8, 9, and 11 games. There's a slight upward trend there, but clearly after losing Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell, not to mention some key defensive cogs like defensive ends Brandon Williams and McKinner Dixon and safety Darcel McBath, Tech is likely to take a step backwards in 2009. If history is any indication, that step backwards will land them back in 8-win territory for at least a year, and as luck would have it, that's what the projections suggest as well!

2009 BTBS Projections

Date	Opponent	Proj. W/L	Margin	Record	Conf. Rec.
9/5	North Dakota	W	+36.3	1-0
9/12	Rice	W	+22.9	2-0
9/19	at Texas	L	-19.0	2-1	0-1
9/26	at Houston	W	+6.2	3-1
10/3	New Mexico	W	+21.2	4-1
10/10	Kansas State	W	+9.8	5-1	1-1
10/17	at Nebraska	L	-3.2	5-2	1-2
10/24	Texas A&M	W	+7.9	6-2	2-2
10/31	Kansas	W	+0.5	7-2	3-2
11/14	at Oklahoma State	L	-7.1	7-3	3-3
11/21	Oklahoma	L	-8.8	7-4	3-4
11/28	vs Baylor	W	+3.7	8-4	4-4

Using the one-touchdown test, if Tech is a touchdown better than expected, then the Nebraska game likely flips, and the OSU and OU games come within reach. If they're a touchdown worse, then Houston, Kansas, Baylor and ATM all become losable.

In all, 8-4 was both my gut response and the numbers' pick. You know Tech's offense will be just fine, but the production will slip at least a smidge, and the defense is an interesting mix of exciting and experienced (guys like Colby Whitlock and Bront Bird are interesting guys to watch) and thin and questionable (Will they generate any sort of pass rush? And will a relatively green secondary be able to handle the OSU's and KU's on the schedule?). In the end, I think the defense steps backwards more than the offense, and that makes the biggest difference in a three-game fall, from 11-2 to 8-4, in 2009.

Tomorrow: Off to College Station we go...

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview // Double-T Nation's Preview of the Texas Tech Red Raiders

Seth C — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:15:10 -0000

View full size photo »

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: In partnership with CBS Sports, the SB Nation Big 12 blogs are previewing each of their respective teams in the Big 12. This is Double-T Nation's entry and for all of those who are getting this way through the Texas Tech page on CBS Sports, we welcome you and hope you enjoy the content. Thanks to the Ralphie Report for compiling all of the previews and make sure and visit the Ralphie Report for a more extensive Big 12 conference breakdown.

TOP PLAYERS

Offense:
QB Taylor Potts
RB Baron Batch
OL Brandon Carter
OL Marlon Winn
WR Detron Lewis
WR Edward Britton
WR Tramain Swindall
Defense:
NT Colby Whitlock
DE Rajon Henley
LB Brian Duncan
LB Marlon Williams
CB Jamar Wall
S Cody Davis

OFFENSE: As is the case with each Texas Tech team, there is no question that the offense is led by its quarterback, and after three years of Graham Harrell, the Red Raiders usher in a new signal caller in junior Taylor Potts. It's easy of course to think that Potts will have a difficult time replacing Harrell's production, but Texas Tech has finished with the top passing offense in the Big 12 from 2008 through 2004. Something tells me that head coach Mike Leach understands a thing or two about running an offense. At receiver, the Red Raiders will lean heavily on inside receiver Detron Lewis to lead the way and although there are usually at least four receivers who receive a significant amount of passes, right now this may be a receiver by committee situation. Of course, the big question is who will replace Michael Crabtree at the flanker position and currently it's a three man race, with redshirt freshman Alexander Torres leading the group, followed closely by Lyle Leong and Jacoby Franks. Split end Edward Britton is the lone senior of the receiver corp and it would not surprise those who follow the program closely that inside receiver Tramain Swindall will contribute significantly in 2009. Most think that the offensive line lost three starters, but the truth of the matter is that center Shawn Byrnes started in 2007, lost his job to last year's starter, Stephen Hamby, but is expected to start in 2009. At left tackle, the starting job is between redshirt freshman Terry McDaniel, who showed that he is more than capable of protecting that left side, and all-purpose lineman, Chris Olson. At left guard the Red Raiders return an All-American candidate Brandon Carter and is moving from playing right guard last year. Sophomore Mickey Okafor will take over for Carter at right guard and incumbent Marlon Winn will get the nod at right tackle.

TOP GAMES

1. @ Texas Longhorns :: 09.19.09
2. Oklahoma Sooners :: 11.21.09
3. @ Nebraska Cornhuskers :: 10.17.2009
4. @ Oklahoma St. Cowboys :: 11.14.09
5. Kansas Jayhawks :: 10.31.09

DEFENSE: Texas Tech lost quite a bit of production defensively and previous years, there would have been quite a bit of worrying about replacing both defensive ends and both safeties, but with the increase in talent at Texas Tech, the less of a worry it is replacing quality players. Both defensive ends have moved onward, Brandon Williams has moved to the NFL, and McKinner Dixon declared for the NFL supplemental draft this summer, but went undrafted. Replacing Williams and Dixon will be no small task, but former defensive tackle Rajon Henley has lost weight during the off season and will solidify one end position, while the other end position will be left to Daniel Howard, a JUCO transfer, who was close on a number of sacks last year, has a motor that just doesn't quit. Look for fellow seniors Brandon Sharpe and Sandy Riley to see plenty of time alongside Howard and Henley. Inside, nose tackle Colby Whitlock returns for his junior year and senior Richard Jones will start at defensive tackle. The second and third team could consist of some of the newcomers listed below, but should certainly include in the rotation Victor Hunter, Chris Perry, Britton Barbee and David Neill. All three linebackers return from 2008, including the highly underrated junior middle linebacker Brian Duncan, who could be an all-conference performer, this year. Backing up Duncan is Sam Fehoko, who many think will be could be an impact player right now. At the weakside linebacker spot is senior Marlon Williams, although look for Blake Collier to edge his way into the lineup as he has superior speed which is obviously useful in the wide-open Big 12. At the strongside linebacker spot is junior Bront Bird, who will be fighting off Tyrone Sonier. Left cornerback Jamar Wall returns for his senior season and opposite Wall there is a three man race with LaRon Moore, Brent Nickerson and Taylor Charbonnet all hoping to nab that right starting cornerback position. The Red Raiders lose both safeties from 2008, but redshirt freshman Cody Davis should surprise many in 2009 at free safety and Franklin Mitchem looks to be the starter at strong safety. Brett Dewhurst, Julius Howard and Jared Flannel round out the veterans amongst this safety group.

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

Strengths: Quarterback position
typically performs at a high level,
quality receiver depth despite loss
of Crabtree, all starting linebackers
return and depth at defensive tackle.
Weaknesses: Lack of defensive end
depth as three ends graduated or
left the program, must replace or
improve right cornerback and
no experience at safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS: For the first time in the Mike Leach era, he's hired a full-time special teams coach, Eric Russell, and the talk during the spring and fall practices is that there's a noticeable difference in the attitude of special teams this year. Quite possibly the feel-good story of 2008 returns in plackicker Matt Williams, who was plucked from the stands to kick a field goal to win free rent, will return as the guy to kick short-yardage field goals and extra points. Donnie Carona returns to take care of the long field goals and should see competition from Brad Hicks. Punter Jonathan LaCour is suspended for the first six games and freshman Brian Exlerben and Carona will compete for the punter position. Returning punts, there are at least five or six option, but leading the charge is cornerback Jamar Wall, receiver Detron Lewis, running back Eric Stephens, while Stephens, receiver Jacoby Franks, receiver Edward Britton and Wall could each return kickoffs.

KEY LOSSES: LG Louis Vaszuez, LT Rylan Reed, C Stephen Hamby, IR Eric Morris, FL Michael Crabtree, RB Shannon Woods, QB Graham Harrell, DE McKinner Dixon, DE Brandon Williams, S Daniel Charbonnet and S Darcel McBath.

NEWCOMERS: The defensive side of the ball presents the most opportunity for newcomers to make a difference for this team as I think it takes at least a year to acclimate to the Texas Tech offense. With that being said, sophomore defensive tackle Myles Wade has the physical gifts to make an impact immediately, as does fellow defensive tackle Pearlie Graves. The Red Raiders signed six defensive backs in 2008 and although they are all talented defensive backs Will Ford, Daniel Cobb and Terrance Bullitt could all see time at safety in 2009. Receiver Eric Ward, a freshman who landed in Lubbock in the spring semester and has a leg up on the competition, has the talent to break into the receiver rotation quickly. Although technically not newcomers in the truest sense of the word, the aforementioned left tackle Terry McDaniel has the potential to start and running back Harrison Jeffers will surprise many opponents in 2009 as he should be the combination running back with Baron Batch. Also watch out for former quarterbacks turned receivers in Austin Zouzalik and Cornelius Douglas. Both are explosive athletes, Zouzalik may be one of the fastest players on the team, and Douglas is could be utilized in a Wildcat-type of formation.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.05.09

Seth C — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:12:10 -0000

Texas Tech Football

Congrats to RB Baron Batch who was named to the 2009 Doak Walker Award watch list. So yesterday, Taylor Potts was named to the to the Davey O'Brien Award watch list and now Batch is recognized for his play. This is actually an impressive and well-deserve feat for Batch, who has battled back from serious injury to be one of the toughest and most talented running backs I've ever watched at Texas Tech.

CFN has come out with their preseason poll and your Red Raiders check in at #33, which seems a little high for me, behind the likes of North Carolina and Tennessee. This bit seems a tad extreme, and although I'm concerned about the pass rush, I don't think that desperate is the right word:

What to expect on defense: A desperate hope for a pass rush. After losing Brandon Williams to the NFL and McKinner Dixon to academic issues, the Red Raider line needs to figure out how to get into the backfield on a regular basis. Daniel Howard has a great burst and could be the breakout player on one side, while part-tackle, part-end Ra'Jon Henley will be counted on in a variety of ways. In a dream world, Brandon Sesay is half as good as his hype after coming out of the JUCO ranks last year.

Smart Football's Chris Brown is on vacation but dug up an article from former TAMU coach Bob Davie about some of the practice drills that helps the Texas Tech quarterbacks throw all of those damned completions:

Settle-noose: This is basically a warm-up drill. The receivers begin out quarter speed and shuffle between two cones, "settling" nearer to one than the other, as if they were two zone defenders. The quarterback takes a drop -- again, reduced speed -- and throws the ball, aiming for the receiver but away from the nearer "defender." The receiver uses good catching form and bursts upfield after making the catch. You can see how this simple drill sets up the entire theory of their offense, which relies on finding seams in the zones and quarterbacks throwing between defenders.

Pat-n-go: This is another simple drill. Most teams use a form of "route lines," or quarterbacks dropping and receivers running routes on "air" -- i.e. with no defenders. The one clever insight here is that one group of QBs and receivers lines up on opposite from another. This way they can complete a pass, have the receiver burst as if scoring, and simply get in line on the opposite side of the field, rather than have to run back through. Just another way they get more repetitions.

Routes on air: Probably their best drill. The coaches line up garbage cans or bags or whathaveyou where defenders would drop for a zone. Then all five receivers and/or runningbacks line up, and they call a play. Five quarterbacks (or four and a manager, etc) each drop back and throw the ball to a receiver. Here's the deal: if you're the QB who should throw it to the first read, you drop back and throw it to him. If you are assigned to the third read, well you drop back, look at #1, then #2, then #3 and throw it to him. Same goes for #2, #4, and even #5. Moreover, every receiver who runs the route catches a ball and practices scoring. Then the quarterbacks rotate over -- i.e. if you threw it to #2 now you throw it to #3, etc -- and a new group of receivers steps in. This way quarterbacks absolutely learn all their reads and practice it every day (how many reps like this does the third or fourth string guy at another school get?), and they also practice throwing it to all their receivers. Each time they do this

7-on-7 and man-to-man: These are what they sound like, and most do these drills. One-on-one or man-to-man involves the receivers going against press man in practice, while 7-on-7 is like a real scrimmage, minus the linemen.

The Press Democrat's Matt Maiocco updated the WR Michael Crabtree contract negotiation with the San Francisco 49ers and this seems like a fairly wide gap:

My wife, Sarah, asked me a good question last night: How far apart are the 49ers and Michael Crabtree, in terms of actual dollars?

Answer: First, it seems to me that the major difference is more philosophical. Like the real-estate market, it's all about comparables. Crabtree's agent, Eugene Parker, wants one set of comparables as the basis, while - as I understand it - the 49ers believe it's pretty straight-forward based on where Crabtree was selected in the draft.

So if I were to take an educated-but-uninformed guess, I'd say the sides are in the neighborhood of $8-10 million apart in guaranteed money.

Scouting the Enemy: SAEN's Brent Zwerneman writes that QB Todd Reesing is a big reason for Kansas' success . . . Corn Nation's Husker Mike previews the Oklahoma Sooners . . . Rock M Nation's Bill C's takes a look at the Kansas State offense beyond the box . . . Waco Tribune's John Werner writes that the Baylor Bears hope to improve based on their experience . . .

Texas Tech Basketball

Former Red Raider Charlie Burgess continues his quest to make the Belize National Team and talks a bit about playing for Bob Knight:

Charlie Burgess, National Team
"Oh man that was a great day because not only will I remember that but everybody remembers I played on that team. He passed it off rough you know as one of the all time winningest coaches in Kentucky and with Bob Knight they just took it to another pedestal.Everybody knew he was a great coach but after he achieved that, it was like all things possible you could do."

Jules Vasquez,
"What was that like playing with the man regarded as one of the greatest basketball minds in the United States basketball?"

Charlie Burgess,
"Oh it was challenging, extremely tough because everyday was like a test, you test your mind everyday. He puts you through certain situations and sees if you could overcome them or not. So it just builds your character as a person and as a man. I got a lot of respect for him because he made me a lot of who I am today."

Jules Vasquez,
"Did he throw any chairs at you?"

Charlie Burgess,
"No, unfortunately I haven’t gotten a chair thrown at me but I got a couple of f-bombs dropped on me but apart from that it was a great experience, I can’t really complain too much about it. I wouldn’t change it for the world."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.30.09

Seth C — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:46:55 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

4 months ago: Texas Tech offensive lineman Brandon Carter is shown during Big 12 Media Day in Irving, Texas, Wednesday, July 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Browse more photos »

Odds and Ends

There's no way in hell that I'm going to get to all of them, but at the very least, I'm going to try to get to as many links and stories as possible. I think I have close to 50 links total saved, we'll see if I can get to them all.

And enjoy BOTC's Panjandrum as he gives his reasons why he should not be given a press pass.

Texas Tech Football

I'm not sure where to begin, but I am a little ticked that there are no quotes from DT Colby Whitlock that I could find. I may have missed something, but I couldn't find that he's even mentioned anywhere. You can find quotes from CB Jamar Wall, but no Whitlock. Yeah, I'm disappointed that there's nothing about him because I think Leach brought him for a reason.

LAJ's Don Williams had a number of quick updates yesterday morning on his blog Raider Rants, including thoughts on the early UT game, a look back at last season's end, Leach in favor of a permanent title game, OL Brandon Carter with a new tattoo, Leach not missing McKinner Dixon, and Leach not worried about replacing Crabtree and Harrell.

At Texas Tech's official site, there's a photo gallery, that you should check out and the official Big 12 site as Mike Leach's quotes from yesterday (pdf).

LAJ's Williams writes that Texas Tech looks to sustain the momentum from 2008.

ESPN's Tim Griffin writes that Leach was the father of the bride this summer and wonders if he and TAMU head coach Mike Sherman have made up.

Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton on Leach's crazy 64 team playoff and is concerned with practical things like fans buying tickets from week to week.

The Broadcast Booth's Brian Jensen has his thoughts from yesterday.

Yahoo! Sports Jason King has fun with Mike Leach at the Big 12 Media Days.

Rebuilding: FWST's Dwain Price writes that rebuilding is not in Texas Tech's plan . . . DMN's Kate Hairopoulos on Leach downplaying a transition . . .

Brandon Carter: ESPN's Tim Griffin on Carter's new tattoo . . . DMN's Kate Hairopoulos on Carter . . .

Video: The DMN has a Texas Tech recap as well as a recap of yesterday's events . . . And YouTube goodness . . .

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach talks about technology (via LJWorldLawrence)

Classic Mike Leach (via TheDailyCamera)

Scouting the Enemy

Kansas St.: DMN's Mike Heika writes that the return of Bill Snyder is big for the Big 12 and that Snyder hopes to do a better job of balancing his workload . . . DT's Dave Matter with video of Kansas St. QB Carson Coffman . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin on JUCO QB Daniel Thomas should be ready to go this fall (he could get some burn with the Wildcats this year as Snyder may prefer a running QB) . . .

Texas: DMN's Kate Hairopoulos writes that QB Colt McCoy is ready to go . . . DMN's Mike Heika with the Mack Brown who says expectations are good . . . CT's Dave Matter with video of Colt McCoy . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin on Sergio Kindle making a surprise appearance . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin on Snyder being Blackberry savvy . . . DMN's Kate Hairopoulos writes that Kindle has earned back his credibility from his teammates . . .

Notebooks and Roundups: The FWST's Dwain Price, Jimmy Burch and Mike Jones preview the four teams yesterday, Texas Tech, Texas, Colorado and Kansas State . . . BON's Dime Coverage with her daily roundup from the Big 12 media days . . . LAJ's Don Williams with a notebook from yesterday's events . . . Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton sizes up the Big 12 North, tale of the tape style . . .