SB Nation - Chris Perry

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.

Position Matchups :: Houston Cougars Edition

Seth C — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:01:00 -0000

Position matchups after the jump. [Note by Seth C, 09/22/09 12:10 PM CDT ] I was in a hurry so there may be errors.

	MATCHUP
QB/WR: So I think we have a leader. It's real easy to say that you're the leader of an offense, but the truth of it is that unless something happens where you actually lead the team in some form or fashion it's lip service. Taylor Potts can lead this team. I can't talk enough about the play of the receivers. Honestly, guys like Lyle Leong are supposed to be on the rec team, not leading the team with 5 touchdowns. If the Longhorns can't really contain the Texas Tech receivers, then I really don't see any reason for the Cougars to be able to contain them. It would be nice to see Detron Lewis fully healthy, but Tramain Swindall, Austin Zouzalik, Alexander Torres, Edward Britton, etc., have shown they're capable.	QB/WR vs. DB	DB: A good mix of size and experience returns in the secondary for Houston, starting 2 juniors, a senior and a sophomore. The problem with believing their current group, which all return from last year, is really 34th in the nation isn't an indication that they've arrived. In 2008, this group was 91st in the nation and although there's reason to believe in maturation of this group, the biggest competition has been Northwestern St. and Oklahoma St. There's nothing necessarily wrong with the OSU pass defense, but it's a running offense. Cornerback Jamal Robinson has the team's only interception and are only 6th in C-USA in passes defended with 10. I can't say that I've watched any Houston games this year, but I get the feeling that Houston plays a lot like Texas Tech. Let the offense win the game, the defense should bend, but not break.
RB: Just no production. It's a chicken or the egg argument. Is it the offensive line not opening holes or is it the running backs not making plays? Add to these questions, as to whether not Texas Tech is even giving enough carries to their runners, a paltry 17 a game. In 2008 this group was getting 24 carries a game, and this is a situation where not having even a semblence of a running game is going to catch up with Texas Tech sooner rather than later. Right now, Harrison Jeffers is the odd man out because he's lacking in pass defense (a result of the offensive line having trouble) and Baron Batch isn't quite right yet, whether it be fumbles or just not playing up to his potential. Eric Stephens is certainly exciting, but it's tough to do much with only 4 carries a game.	RB vs. LB Push	LB: Like most teams, this unit is lead by their linebackers, including WLB C.J. Cavness, MLB Marcus McGraw, and SLB Matt Nicholson. Both Nicholson and McGraw had a sack last year, so there's a good chance that you'll see the Cougars blitz every so often, but this year, the team has managed two sacks thus far. McGraw and Cavness lead the team in tackles, while reserve Phillip Steward is third. Not to harp on the rush defense too much more (we'll have to talk about it the next position), but in 2 games the Cougars have given up 175 yards a game. That's probably just fine for a team like Texas Tech where the running game has been deficient, but not likely to work against other teams.
OL: One step forward (Rice), two steps back (Texas). That's how this works right now until Moore can find players that he's comfortable with on the field. I don't know that Moore does much with the starting lineup this week, although I wouldn't put anything past him. I think that Moore's biggest problem is that he's not been able to settle on a guard, and it wouldn't at all surprise me to see Terry McDaniel move to guard, just to plug a hole. Moore doesn't seem entirely happy with Lonnie Edwards or Mickey Okafor. Marlon Winn was embarassed by Sergio Kindle on Saturday and I hope like hell he gave Taylor Potts his own personal Tim Tebow speach on Sunday morning that went something like this, "Never again, Taylor. Never again." Despite all of that, you're still talking about a unit that gave Potts 46 opportunites to give up a pass and 3 sacks to a talented UT defense. They're inexperienced, but they'll be fine.	OL vs. DL	DL:As I keep writing this, I realize something that we've all known, in that Houston and Texas Tech are nearly mirror images of each other, it's just that Leach has had longer to get his guys than Sumlin. With that being said, Houston is pitiful against the run, can't get past the line of scrimmage, and can't sack the quarterback. The defensive line isn't small by any means, and NT Isiah Thompson and DT David Hunter are making tackles, by they are by no means getting behind the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Zeke Riser barely shows up in the stats and Tyrell Graham is by far their best pass rusher. The Cougars get credit for taking advantage of turnovers, not that the DL necessarily created them, but the defense is pretty ragged, even early in the season.
DL: I'm not sure that I should talk about any of these players, lest I jinx one of them. No Rajon Henley, Brandon Sharpe or Ryan Haliburton. Instead, you got a team effort that was somehow able to manage 8 tackles for a loss against Texas alone, and 1 sack. If you have the time, go back and watch the defensive line on Saturday. Yep, they got tired, but this group was tremendously effective. If I would have known that Victor Hunter could get in the backfield like he could, I would have suggested the additional hamburgers quite some time ago. Colby Whitlock, Richard Jones, Chris Perry (is really surprising me) and Victor Hunter spent the better part of Saturday containing a Texas offense that's averaging close to 500 yards a game. If you want to talk about production, thus far, the Texas Tech defense is 27th in the nation in rushing defense, 17th in sacks and 4th in TFL.	DL vs. OL	OL: A relatively young and mobile group of offensive linemen that are able block for Beal, get down the field on the bubble screen and give Keenum plenty of time to get the ball down the field. Again, this was a relatively unheralded group before the season started, but thus far this group is 9th in the nation in sacks allowed and leads a rushing offense that's over 118 yards a game. The edge pass protectors are relatively inexperienced in that LT Jacolby Ashworth is a redshirt freshman and RT Jarve Dean is a JUCO transfer. I'm hoping and praying that someone on Texas Tech's roster can take advantage of his inexperience. The middle group are all returning starters: LG Jordan Shoemaker, C Carl Barnett and RG Chris Thompson.
LB: I'm sorta running out of superlatives for this group. Marlon Williams has completely stepped up his game from 2008 in that he's not just out there, he's making plays. Bront Bird has also turned himself into a playmaker and Brian Duncan, who many thought was Texas Tech's most reliable linebacker heading into the season, may be the 3rd best linebacker on this team right now. It's not necessarily difficult how many plays this group is making when Williams, Bird and Duncan are 1, 2 and 4 in tackles and Williams is 1st on the team in TFL (5), while Bird is 2nd (4).	LB vs. RB	RB: Bryce Beall is a phenom, there's no doubt about that. Beall is the typical Texas Tech running back, but he's in a Cougar jersey. As a freshman last year, Beall was unbelievable, and right now, Beall is averaging 68 yard rushing and 46 receiving. I would kill for that type of production right now. Houston is also getting help from 2 freshman running backs in Charles Sims and Chris Wilson. Sims and Wilson got most of their work done against NW St., but there's no doubt that as the season wears on, Beall is this team's biggest and most talented rushing threat.
DB:Considering the players who have not been available the defensive backfield deserves a lot of credit. After 3 games, this unit is 39th in the country in pass defense and 42nd in pass efficiency defense. We like to complain about the bend-but-don't-break methodology of Ruffin McNeill, but thus far, that has proven to be effecitve. FS Cody Davis is 3rd on the team in tackles with 18 and CB Jamar Wall has been an incredibly effective tackler thus far. And perhaps that last statements sums up this group more than anything else, in that they are sure-handed, they are making plays and they're making tackles. I think that's going to be a little tougher with Houston, although UT spreads the ball around as much as many now a days.	DB vs. QB/WR	QB/WR: The skill positions are as scary as you're probably thinking. Not quite as varied as the Texas Tech offense, the Cougars are led by three main receivers, Charles Sims (also a running back), Tyron Carrier and Patrick Edwards. It isn't just one guy that's leading the team in touchdowns and Beall is the only player with more than 1 touchdown. Case Keenum is just as scary and efficient as you think he is, where he's completing 72% of his passes, has thrown only 1 interception in 2 games and is averaging over 9 yards per passing attempt. I don't know what else to say about this group other than they're really good, Keenum knows how to lead this offense and it will be interesting to see how McNeill deals with the Cougar spread offense.

Post Game Thoughts :: Texas Tech Red Raiders 24, Texas Longhorns 34

Seth C — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:38:24 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

2 months ago: Texas Tech receiver Lyle Leong (19) catches a pass for a touchdown as Texas defender Chykie Brown (8) looks on during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Texas won 34-24 (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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SBN Box Score :: TTU Box Score

The Result :: Frustrating: I mentioned in this morning's Daily Diatribe that the result was frustrating, but on some level acceptable. As a fan, you always want your team to compete for a number of reasons, most importantly because you're a fan of the team and seeing your team getting blown out of the water is the worst.

Early this week, Leach contemplated the downside of what could happen to a program if you lose early and badly:

"The school’s got a duty to help do the wise thing," he said. "You can get money on the front end, short term, but if it weakens the team overall — then all of a sudden they take a couple more losses that they wouldn’t have or they don’t go to as good a bowl as they might or they miss going to a bowl — you impact a lot of things.
"You impact recruiting. You impact your team’s performance that year. You impact your team’s performance the next year perhaps through recruiting. You impact the mentality of your team as far as their ability to be successful. You may impact their chances once they get to conference, and then ultimately you may impact the chances of how well (a school) can sell seats and market their program."

All of these things considered, I think that the only thing that didn't happen was that the Red Raiders didn't get the win. And to be truthful, there were a lot of positives coming out of that game, despite the loss.

Who Needs Defensive Ends: Seriously, they're all over-rated. Just kidding, sorta. Perhaps this turn of events is what we may consider in the very near future as what turned this defense into what many want it to be. The defense used an odd and effective mix of Daniel Howard, Richard Jones, Bront Bird, Chris Perry, Sam Fehoko and just about anyone else at defensive end. This is a group of versatile and sometimes quick players that were able to contain Texas' most potent weapon in Colt McCoy. I could not have been any more impressed with Bront Bird's play. He was made to play whatever position he was playing on Saturday night. Daniel Howard was a grunt, and I mean that in the most positive way. The guy put forth effort all night and I know that he probably didn't see much, if any rest. Richard Jones surprised me with his quickness.

Besides, it's events like this that can sometimes galvanize a team and Richard Jones mentioned after the game:

On stepping up with a lot of the defensive ends hurt: It was hard with us not being deep at D-line but we had to suck it up and step it up and do what we had to do. I’m proud of everybody that played D-line, I think we played good and we fought until the end, that’s all we could do.

Walk-On's Can Play: I'm sure this happens all of the time. Player gets injured or is awful and player is replaced by a walk-on. SS Franklin Mitchem doesn't even make the trip to Austin and former walk-on Brett Dewhurst more than just filled in for Mitchem.

On experience like for you being a walk on and starting against the No. 2 team: I don’t think of it as the No. 2 team, I think of it as another game, but I have confidence in myself and I go out there and practice like I play. It happened to be Texas, a conference game and everything but I didn’t think of it like that, I just came out here and played the game.

His stat-line for the day was only 5 tackles and 1 TFL, but I thought he played well.

Donnie Carona thought it would be best to simply punt the ball as low and as short as possible and the result is a Shipley punt return for a touchdown. Enter walk-on Ryan Erxleben who was punting for Lake Travis last year and now he's punting in the biggest and best teams in the nation. Erxleben's punting wasn't flawless, but it was just fine I shudder to think what would have happened had he not been in the fold.

Perhaps this exemplifies the biggest difference between Texas and Texas Tech. A Longhorn goes down and they get replaced by an all-state player that has a tremendous pedigree. A Texas Tech player goes down and we're talking about making things work with what we have.

They're All Growns Up: You're seeing some freshmen be difference makers on defense. For those of you who've never seen CB D.J. Johnson, then you're seeing the future at cornerback. Redshirt freshman FS Cody Davis laid the hit on the Longhorn and although the pass was high, perhaps that's the why the ball wasn't caught. Johnson was there to make the play. True freshman RB Eric Stephens looks like a seasoned kick-returner and he's going to return one sooner rather than later. Redshirt freshmen receivers Alexander Torres (7 : 59), Cornelius Douglas and Austin Zouzalik (5 : 73) got playing time on one of the biggest stages in the college football world.

The Offensive MVP :: QB Taylor Potts: I'm going to quote Leach again on his thoughts on Potts, which as I said this morning, may have been the highest praise that I've seen a quarterback receive:

He’s really tough. He got hit hard a number of times and got up. I don’t think it affected his play to the negative. He’s a rare, rare, rare quarterback. There are a lot of great quarterbacks out there that ultimately have great careers that can’t do what I just described, and that is; getting hit really, really, really hard, and then come in the next play, the next series, and march down the field at 10 yards a clip, and he did that twice. I think anyone that had any doubts about Taylor Potts not being able to be a good Division-1 quarterback, I think those can pretty much be dispelled.

Potts finished the day with a less than stellar 6.77 yards per attempt (46-62 : 420 : 3 TD : 1 Int), but I don't recall seeing a Texas Tech quarterback do what he did. He can make just about every throw and despite not going deep very often, he was awfully effective, completing near 75% of his passes.

The Defensive MVP :: LB Bront Bird: Bird catches a lot of crap from me on DTN and I hope I've qualified my complaints this year about Bird in that he's a helluva run defender, but struggles in the passing game. I blame the coaching staff, not Bird, for putting him in those situations, but last night, Bird was a machine. Playing defensive end, a position, he's probably never played before, he finished the day with 8 tackles, 3 TFL and 1 QB hurry. You could make a case that the rest of his linebacker mates could have deserved this honor, each had 10 tackles, or make a case for the beleagured defensive line, but in my opinion Bird deserves this all by himself.

The Special Teams MVP :: P Ryan Erxleben: I mentioned Erxleben above, but averaging 38 yards a punt, getting off a punt that should have been downed inside the UT 5 yard line and coming off the bench completely cold. Again, all as a preferred walk-on and true freshman.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Texas Longhorns Edition

Seth C — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:00:21 -0000

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

Reason #1 :: Spread Offense: Thus far, Taylor Potts has clearly exhibited what a spread offense means in that he has passed the ball around to 11 different receivers with at least 3 receptions. Yep, the running game is certainly struggling, but that doesn't seem to be something that concerns his head coach Mike Leach. The key for Leach is to have about 150 yards production from the running back position, and the way that Potts worked the underneath receivers last week I think Potts is certainly capable of continuing the trend where every position is a threat. And this is obviously the biggest difference between the Crabtree era where one player dominated the receptions where this year the defense cannot afford to focus on just one receiver. You have three players that have over 100 yards receiving, Lyle Leong (172), Detron Lewis (169) and Tramain Swindall (123), and three other receivers aren't too far behind, Alexander Torres (91), Edward Britton (75) and Austin Zouzalik (69).

Reason #2 :: Strength Up the Middle: We all know about the Texas Tech defense's issues at defensive end and the young secondary, but I shouldn't dismiss the fact the defense up the middle is the strength of the Texas Tech's defense. I don't know that DT Colby Whitlock can have 8 tackles, 2 TFL and a safety, but part of the problem last year was that the defense had trouble getting to McCoy in the second half. This year, there is depth and thus far, Ruffin McNeill is giving time to backup DT's like Victor Hunter and Chris Perry. Even Myles Wade has seen some action late (do not expect Wade to get any time on Saturday), but the Texas Tech defense has a legitimate second unit that can cause problems for the UT offensive line. And the linebacking corp deserves quite a bit of credit as well as Marlon Williams has turned into a versatile player who has managed to be an effective run-stopper, make plays behind the line of scrimmage and is much better against the pass than this time a year ago. Brian Duncan is as solid a middle linebacker in the conference and Bront Bird, despite having limitations in the passing game has grown to be as solid open field tackler and is excellent against the run.

Reason #3 :: Potts is Fearless: A little bit of a reach of a reason, but I think that this is something that Leach teaches his quarterbacks. I cannot know exactly how Taylor Potts is going to react when he throws an interception, cannot complete a tough pass, or doesn't correctly read the defensive coverage. I'd guess that Potts, as well as all Texas Tech quarterbacks are taught that one bad play can affect the outcome of the game as much as just one good play. There's a certain aspect that the quarterback position, must be fearless, and in this case Potts has got to be be somewhat fearless when it comes to completing passes to the sidelines, testing the corners, or completing passes under the middle, testing the linebackers and safeties. Everyone has talked about the fact that Potts is a different quarterback than your typical Texas Tech quarterback in that he can get the ball down the field. Let's see that arm in action and be unafraid to make a mistake.

Reason #4 :: Not So Perfect Texas Offense: Last year the Texas offense was almost near perfect. I cannot remember where I mentioned this, but Colt McCoy averaged an astounding 8.91 yards per attempt in 2008 and in 2009, McCoy is slightly down from last year at 8.6, but it seems improbable that the Longhorns and McCoy could reproduce those 2008 results. Rock M Nation's Bill C. is also noticing that the 2008 offense was too perfect:

Glad to see that my suspicions regarding disproportionate success on Passing Downs is thus far coming to fruition. Texas had a better S&P on Passing Downs than Standard Downs, and that just didn't seem very sustainable. UT has still been better than most in Passing Downs--a 0.730 S&P is nothing terrible, nor was their 0.977 from last week--but it does appear that their offense will suffer at least a bit this season simply because last season was a little too perfect.

I don't think the Greg Davis is counting on that offense to be as spectacular as it was in 2008, but there was certainly a relaince on that offense and perhaps that's been a part of the Longhorns ever so slight struggles in 2009.

Reason #5 :: Nothing to Lose: I always feel that this is another cop-out of a reason, but the truth of the matter is that all of the pressure is on Texas. They are the team that is expected to continue their march to a National Championship game with Florida. They are the #2 team in the nation and they are the team with the all of the pressure to make a statement in this game. A turnover here and a turnover there can change this game quickly. Just ask Daniel Charbonnet how an interception and a forced fumble changed the complexion of the 2008 game. Yes, that game doesn't happen without Crabtree and Harrell, but there were 8 tackles for a loss in 2008, 4 sacks and an interception that made that happen. Those are the small things that fans tend to forget than made that win even possible. Texas Tech needs to play like they've got nothing to lose, play with some swagger and let the chips fall where they may.

Position Matchups :: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Texas Longhorns

Seth C — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:00:16 -0000

via spotted.lubbockonline.com

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Fancy table and tremendous analysis after the jump.

	MATCHUP
QB/WR: The biggest problem with QB Taylor Potts is that he's still prone to make mistakes, which is natural. Rice had a couple of interception opportunities but could not capitalize. I have no doubt that Potts will have those same mental errors, he's human and to expect a perfect game is not fair. The best thing about Potts is that he's not afraid to throw the ball to any receiver on any given play. If there's one thing that should worry Longhorns, it's that Potts can and does complete the ball and doesn't necessarily have a favorite. Despite losing IR Detron Lewis, Potts didn't miss a beat with Tramain Swindall, Austin Zouzalik, and Lyle Leong picking up the slack.	QB/WR vs. DB	DB: I think you'll be looking at a starting defensive backfield of Aaron Williams and Chykie Brown at cornerbacks and Blake Gideon and Earl Thomas at safety. The Longhorns haven't had a ton of interceptions to date, but they have done a nice job of breaking up 13 passes for the year (PBU), including 3 by Thomas. The safeties are young, but very active, and you can expect to see quite a bit of Curtis Brown in the nickel package. As a unit, they are giving up less than 200 yards passing and like Texas Tech, it is difficult to judge the first two weeks of performance because of the quality of the opponent.
RB: The actual running backs, not whether or not the running backs are getting the ball, are actually very talented. I cannot recall a time that Texas Tech had two explosive running backs. Harrison Jeffers, the redshirt freshman, and true freshman, Eric Stephens, have forced themselves on the field despite returning running back Baron Batch running with furious anger. Batch is back, and I think he'll be even better this week against Texas. On talent alone, this group is as talented as I've seen and have the ability to break huge plays. The problem is that Leach/Potts isn't checking down to the running game nearly enough.	RB vs. LB	LB: The Texas linebackers are active and thus far, Roddrick Muckelroy is second on the team in tackles (10) while Dustin Earnest (8) and Keena Robinson (7) are in the top 10. All three of these linebackers are in the 230 range and I think when faced with a spread offense, you'll see more of Curtis Brown than Dustin Earnest. Again, thus far, the Longhorns have had quite a bit of success, depsite the lackluster opponents (Texas Tech fans have no room to talk) and it will be interesting to see the mix of players that UT will utilize against the Red Raiders.
OL: A better performance, but not perfect. The line gave up no sacks and did a much better job protecting Potts with some players making some changes including Chris Olson at LT, Lonnie Edwards at LG, Shawn Byrnes at C, Brandon Carter at RT and Marlon Winn at RT. Olson and Edwards are hard workers, but I don't know that they're strong enough or experienced enough to handle UT's improving defensive line. Still need to get the running game situated and trying to do this in Austin is a tough place to start.	OL vs. DL	DL: The Longhorns haven't had the expected production from DE Sergio Kindle, but they have had quite a bit of production from DT Lamarr Houston and DE Sam Acho. In fact Acho had 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack last week. Houston was equally disrruptive with 6 tackles 2 TFL, 1 pass break-up and 1 sack. Collectively, this unit is peforming on a high level, and they should at this point. The opponent have both been teams that Texas should dominate. I give the edge to UT here based on the fact the Texas Tech unit still hasn't been able to run.
DL: As dominant as the UT defensive lien was against Wyoming, so were the Red Raiders against Rice. There were 6 different players earning sacks last week, including Brandon Sharpe, Marlon Williams, Daniel Howard, Colby Whitlock, David Neill and Chris Perry. This is what Ruffin McNeill has wanted since he's been at Texas Tech, a 2-deep defensive line that can bring some heat on their own. With Rajon Henley injured last week, look for Ryan Haliburton to get the backup time. If Henley is healthy from the get-go, I do like Texas Tech's no-name defensive line doing what they do. I won't say that the Red Raiders are superior athletes or more highly recruited players, but this is a hard-working bunch that I think will (must) have some success on Saturday.	DL vs. OL	OL: You might say that LG Charlie Tanner struggled a bit last week against Wyoming (here and here). Again, not being able to watch any UT games thus far, I get the distinct impression that Ulatoski isn't perfect either. So it appears that the offensive line is struggling to the tune of managing 191 on the ground and only 1 sack against Wyoming. It might be a bit of an over-exaggeration, to say that the demise of the UT offensive line is a bit premature, but it's true. They're still quite good at what they do, and although not perfect, they're not all that bad.
LB: Marlon Williams has literally been all over the field, with 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack and 1 interception. A one man wrecking crew on Saturday night. Surprisingly, Brian Duncan has been somewhat quiet this year and strongside linebacker Bront Bird is terrific against the run, but absolutely awful in pass coverage. Bird will play, and depending on what the coaching staff does with Bird, who plays hard every game, but just should not be asked to cover a slot receiver, especially with the arm of McCoy. This is the position matchup I'm most up in the air about and most of the others seem like relatively easy decision. Perhaps the game comes down to whether or not the Texas Tech linebackers can stop the Texas runners?	LB vs. RB	RB: Who is the best running back thus far for the Longhorns? Is it Vondrell McGee who has 26 carries and 131 yards? How about Tre' Newton who has 90 yards on only 12 carries? For sure it's D.J. Monroe with 14 carries and 79 yards? A lot like Texas Tech, the Longhorns have a lot of talent in their running back stable, but to say that one guy has or has not stepped up isn't necessarily a problem at Texas Tech and it's probably not a problem at Texas. I think the days of a dominant running back are gone for a while at UT and there's nothing wrong with that so long as one guy can find his rhythm during the game and finding that "right" player can be easier said than done.
DB: Another lights-out performance from this group led by the one returning starter from last year, CB Jamar Wall. It's evident that this group feeds off of each other and after a week of not having one pass break-up, the Red Raiders logged 11 against Rice. The defensive backs were clearly more aggressive and it was nice to see. Again, guys pushing the envelope a bit in the defensive backfield isn't such a bad thing. Cody Davis and Franklin Mitchem each had 5 tackles while LaRon Moore had the hit of the night where he absolutley de-cleated a Rice defender. The backups of Brett Dewhurst, Will Ford and D.J. Johson can play. Dewhurst was on the slot receiver quite a bit in the second half as was Ford.	DB vs. QB/WR	QB/WR: You can hate them all you want, but the fact of the matter is that the Texas passing game is one of the best in the country. WR Jordan Shipley is dangerous, but aside from Shipley, the Red Raiders will have to contend with Malcolm Williams (we all remember him), James Kirkendoll, Dan Buckner, and John Chiles. All are around 6-feet plus, 180 to 220 pounds and can get behind the defense. Yep, Colt McCoy didn't have a great game, but the fact that he had a bad half and still was able to lead his team to a 31 point win on the road isn't bad (despite the opponent being really crappy).

Post-Game Thoughts :: Rice 10, Texas Tech 55

Seth C — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:56:05 -0000

via spotted.lubbockonline.com

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Box Score :: SB Nation Coverage :: College Football on SB Nation

This was an incredibly quick trip to Lubbock. I ended up leaving, somewhat on a whim, and returned by noon (DFW) on Sunday. I made the trip for one reason and one reason only, in that listening to two games on the radio just wasn't going to cut it for me. I felt that I needed to see some things with my own eyes, especially before Texas next week. I was hoping for and did see quite a bit of improvement from last week to this week and there's definitely more positives coming from last night's game that against North Dakota. With that being said, Rice is the same team that lost to UAB, who just lost to SMU, 33-35. In other words, we can be excited that some things have been ironed out, but neither UND or Rice are very good and this was the expected result.

Lots of small things to talk about.

The Offense

Yes, Potts was really working the underneath stuff and there seemed to be quite a few short passes than last week, but especially in the second half, Potts worked the ball down the field and his arm allowed him to complete passes over the middle that most Texas Tech quarterbacks would not be able to complete. Potts squeezed the ball in to coverage, which can be incredibly dangerous, but he's got all of the confidence in the world in his arm.But I think this is part of the maturation process of our quarterback. And despite working most of the stuff underneath, he still had 8 yards per attempt for the game. Potts didn't throw an interception, but Rice did drop at least 1, but on the other side of things, Potts did throw the ball away on one play in the 2nd half. It's going to be a give-and-take. And as far as that maturation process is concerned, after the game, on the 4th and 2 from the Rice 2 yard line, Potts made the call to go for it, and here's what he said after the game:

That was a dumb call on me really. You check what you see. That was just a dumb call by me. Looking back on it, I should have thrown a fade to Jacoby there on the outside, but I didn't. That's that. But that was just a dumb call by me.

That's two weeks in a row that Potts has acknowledged a mistake he made in the game and as perfect as well all want him to be, it's going to take time. With that being said, we have a quarterback that's willing to take responsibility for his actions. I like that.

The line looked much better and the insertion of Lonnie Edwards for Mickey Okafor probably has something to do with that. Not seeing what transpired last week the line looked solid. Plenty solid to handle Texas. It still bothers me to no end that the running game hasn't gotten on track and that should have happened this week. At some point, I think every Texas Tech quarterback has to figure it out on their own that checking down to run the ball can be a good thing. Back to the line, I think the experience factor with Edwards is what caused Moore to make the move. And this isn't a knock on Okafor, who needs to continue to work on his strength and quickness, but with Edwards to left guard, Brandon Carter moved back to his right guard position, and Chris Olson and Marlon Winn remained at the tackles. I liked the fact that Moore was willing to make this change early in the season and as stated above, the line will be plenty good against Texas, bu the key will be whether they can figure out how to fix the running game in one week, but it starts with more than 13 carries for the game.

There's no doubt that Baron Batch is back. He played like he had something to prove last night. He was putting his head down, moving the pile and running with wreckless abandon. Harrison Jeffers and Eric Stephens are freaking electric. I don't know what else to say about the runners themselves. They are talented and there's three of them. Somoeone needs to figure out how to get them the ball.

I had pegged Tramain Swindall as one of my guys this season. I thought that from what I saw last year, he was going to be an incredibly talented receiver for Texas Tech. A week 1 benching and things seem to have changed dramatically for Swindall. Think about 6 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lyle Leong deserves praise too and he should have first billing here because he's not the guy that got suspended, but he dropped a pass last night (I'm pretty sure of it) and I was shocked. It's probably going to be the only pass he drops all year. And speaking of drops, Edward Britton missed a gimmie in a flea-flicker and there were groans in the crowd, justifiably so, but the key that everyone needs to keep in mind is that Britton does something that no one else does. Stretch the field. Yes, there are players than can do this, but experience still counts and despite Britton's frustrations he's incredibly important to this team. You hate the drops, but he's a big piece of this team, including being an incredible blocker. And to top it off, all of this was done without Detron Lewis for a good chunk of the game. There were 13 different receivers who caught a Potts pass yesterday, Austin Zouzalik caught his first touchdown pass on a beautiful fake inside and a pass zinged right where Potts knew that Zouzalik would be.

You saw quite a bit of the jumbo set with Ryan Hale and Adam James, with mixed results. When Texas Tech did run out of this set, there was success, but those opportunities were few and far between.

The Defense

The defensive line was really good. Yes, Rice did manage to move the ball some, but the line allowed a net of -60 yards on the ground. Yep, some of those are sacks, but the defense was all about trying to make things happen, and the entire defensive unit improved on those things that needed improving from last week (forcing turnovers, quarterback pressure, and pass deflects). Brandon Sharpe was featured in the morning paper and he delivered big time. An early injury to Rajon Henley (which does not appear to be serious) left a depleted defensive end unit of Daniel Howard, Sharpe and a good chunk coming from Bront Bird and Ryan Haliburton later in the game. Howard and Sharpe were relentless all night and those two were the big reasons for the 6 sacks on the night. That group was relentless and that was without Henley who was pretty good last week. Colby Whitlock and Richard Jones gave their usual effort up front and although Victor Hunter and Chris Perry do an admirable job as theh second unit, there is a drop-off. I do think that David Neil and Ryan Haliburton are going to be contributors by the end of the season, especially Haliburton. He can play and I was wrong about him during the spring. In fact it would benefit this program tremendously if Haliburton played more than he does. With the eventual loss of Henley, Howard and Sharpe there's going to need to be someone who has playing experience.

I'm tired of talking about this, and maybe I just need to stop, but Bront Bird should not be covering slot receivers. This isn't Bird's fault, and he gives 100% effort every play, but he gets picked on by opposing coaches and players because he just can't keep pace with those quicker players. Bird is a really good linebacker when playing the run and he was more than decent rushing the passer, although he needs to develop a few more moves, but making plays in coverage is not one of them. And that's not to say that Bird is incompetent, but whenever Bird was in the game and covering the slot receiver, Rice seemed to find the open receiver, but when McNeill switched to a Daniel Cobb or Brent Dewhurst rather than Bird, the defense was that much more effective. Bird's a tough guy to place for McNeill because he does give maximum effort, but he's also limited on what he can do well.

I don't have many things to say about the other linebackers other than Brian Duncan can sometimes be plagued by the same thing that Bird does in that he's not great in coverage, but he's still really good. Marlon Williams also played very well and although he was credited with the sack, Howard and he were there at the same time.

The biggest difference between this week and last week was the pass-breakups. LaRon Moore had the hit of the day, de-cleating a Rice receiver. This is something that I didn't get to visualize last week, but the secondary is a hard-hitting group. They're not the biggest, but they will hit you and I think this type of thinking is becoming infectious because Moore and Wall are hitting receivers. D.J. Johnson is going to move into Wall's starting job next year. He was tested almost the entire last series by Rice and he stepped-up. He is long and rangy and can do things that Moore and Wall cannot do, but he is good. Will Ford seemed to be all over the field, although he didn't really show up much in the box score.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.11.09

Seth C — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:34:59 -0000

Odds and Ends

9/11: I don't want to ignore the significance of this date, but I don't want to get political either, that's not why you're here, but it is still a significant date and a time to reflect. I hope you do that some time today.

Going to the Game: I'm headed to Lubbock sometime Friday morning and will be there way too close to kickoff but if I don't go to the game this weekend, it's going to be quite some time before I'm able to head that way. Very excited about the game, although I'm not excited about the chances of rain.

CN Writing Guide and Community Rules: If you ever wanted to know essentially how I feel about community guidelines for DTN and how to write FanPosts, FanShots, etc., then check out Corn Nation's post yesterday. I'm thinking about copying and pasting the entire thing and claiming it as my own (I'm kidding . . . sorta).

Texas Tech Football

Swindall to Play: LAJ's Don Williams reports that IR Tramain Swindall will play on Saturday, according to receivers coach Lincoln Riley, and will likely bump either Adam James or Cornelius Douglas to the third team:

"He’s practiced a lot harder and a lot better (this week),’’ Riley said. "You see a sense of urgency with him that we didn’t see in camp. I think anytime you’re a guy that’s played some and you get demoted to scout team for three weeks, all of a sudden your effort and intensity and all that magically seems to pick up.

There's also a bit about Matt Baldwin, Captain Leach's agent, in this article, mentioning something about how although he played for Rice in the late 90's, he's cheering for Texas Tech because of Leach. Really? There's no school loyalty? I think now we know why this took a meeting between Leach and Hance to get things done.

Williams also has a recruiting update at the end of the article, noting that the Red Raiders will likely take 1 more offensive lineman, 3 or 4 defensive linemen and a linebacker, although this is the most prevelant part:

Tech’s two oral commitments this week give the Red Raiders 19 pledges for their 2010 class. With Tech likely to sign 24 or 25 players, that leaves five or six spots to fill.

Dallas Madison offensive lineman Javius Townsend (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), who committed to Tech on Tuesday, and Navarro College’s Lawrence Rumph (6-3, 270), who has played both defensive end and defensive tackle, are expected to visit campus this weekend.

According to the Rivals.com recruiting service, Rumph has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Southern Mississippi, but not yet from Tech. He was a high-school teammate of Tech defensive tackle Chris Perry at Keller Fossil Ridge and was credited with 16 sacks as a senior.

Rock M Nation Dominates the Interwebs: Rock M Nation has a couple of items that need pointing out, first up is the Week 2 Big 12 Roundtable Recap and in addition to that is the Beyond the Box Score for all week 1 Big 12 games last week and I encourage you to read the whole thing, but the numbers say that Texas Tech must do a better job running the ball:

Tech fell into WAY too many passing downs for this caliber of opponent. Potts' three interceptions came on 3rd-and-15, 2nd-and-13, and 3rd-and-15. Granted, he should really learn what passes he should and shouldn't make, but...a 29.4% rushing success rate? Against North Dakota? That MUST improve, and immediately. Tech is obviously not tremendously likely to beat Texas or OSU on the road, and they'll certainly be underdogs against OU at home, but with poor line play and no threat of a run, suddenly trips to Houston and Nebraska become dicey (especially against NU's defensive line), as do home games against Kansas and Baylor. You have to figure Tech will go 8-4 like they almost always seem to do, but if they can't even pretend to be capable of running the ball, then they're in trouble.

Freshman Focus on Joel Gray: LAJ's Don Williams looks at the redshirts this year and LT Joel Gray is up and offensive line coach Matt Moore likes what he has in Gray:

"Joel is just one of those guys that very consistently wins,’’ Moore said. "It’s not always pretty, but he seems to get the job done. That’s the same thing he did in high school. He always found a way to win, and he’s real competitive. He’s athletic, has really good feet. That helps him out a lot.’’

Owls Look to Rebound: The Chron's Jeffrey Martin writes that the Owls must rebound quickly from their loss to UAB last week and focus on the Red Raiders.

"You want to put (UAB) behind you, but you have to remember it in a way," sophomore safety Travis Bradshaw said. "You don't want to have that feeling again, but it's something you also want to use as motivation.

"We were confident going in, and we knew what we had to do. We just didn't execute."

Rice Finding Identity: DT's Adam Coleman notes that the Owls are still looking for their identity after losing so much talent last year (Jarrett Dillard, Chase Clement and James Casey come to mind) and Captain Mike Leach (emphasis mine) says that his team would be stupid to look past the Owls:

"If they’re that stupid, we’ve got a lot of problems," said Leach, whose Red Raiders take on Rice at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium. "I mean, we’re only playing Rice this week."

And Leach acknowledged that although Rice lost quite a bit, much like Texas Tech, they manufacture talent and production:

"They’re missing a quarterback from last year, who I thought was a great player, one of my favorite all-time," Leach said. "I enjoyed watching him play. Everybody says ‘Well, they lost so-and-so.’ Well they also coached and manufactured these guys to some point, so there’s nothing to say they can’t do it again."

Thoughts from Tortilla Retort: I've fallen a little behind on linking to the Tortilla Retort and dedfischer and RRR have thoughts on the UND game (here, here and here).

Neglected Audio and Video: KAMC and Fox34 ask the same question, which is if Texas Tech looking past Rice. Check out the video for the surprising answer.

National and Big 12 Links: ESPN's Tim Griffin looks at how effective the Big 12 offenses and defenses are and predicts outcomes for this weekend's games . . . The Rivalry Esq. previews the USC vs. Ohio St. game . . .

2010 Recruiting Tidbits: Tonight, quarterbacks Scotty Young and Zack Lee will face off as Young's Denton-Ryan Team will take on Lee's McKinney squad. Young is committed to Texas Tech and Lee, initially looked at Texas Tech, committed to LSU . . . the first commitment this week, LB Fred Harvey talks about his commitment to Texas Tech:

"The first time I ever talked to coach Simmons, he had told me that whenever they were able to send me a scholarship offer, they were going to do it," said Harvey, who tallied 78 solo tackles and 21 sacks as a junior last season.

"Out of all the schools, (Texas Tech) recruited me the hardest. They made sure I always had e-mails coming from them. ... It's like they were really working hard, wanting me to come there."

Smart Football on Wes Welker: Smart Football's Chris Brown guest-posted on the NY Times pro-football blog, the Fifth Down and had this about former Red Raider Wes Welker and how he is so effective in New England (I would love for some of our current receivers to read this):

He does this by running every imaginable route that can be run from a depth of about 5 to 15 yards. Although he has enough speed to get downfield, it is his quick feet that are his biggest asset, and he marries them with his precise routes — revealing his art like a great violinist playing his favorite Vivaldi pieces. Keep in mind that Welker stepped in with a low profile and almost immediately earned Brady’s trust simply by getting open, all this in an offense not designed to get the ball to a single guy on a given play, but rather to spread the field and let the expert reader of defenses deliver the ball to the open guy.

Depth Charting // The Defensive Line

Seth C — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:00:10 -0000

Defensive Line

Left Defensive End	Nose Tackle	Defensive Tackle	Right Defensive Tackle
Rajon Henley (91) SR; 6-3/244	Colby Whitlock (93) JR; 6-2/287	Richard Jones (99) SR; 6-1/281	Daniel Howard (53) SR; 6-3/240
Ryan Haliburton (48) RS FR; 6-4/245	Victor Hunter (52) SR; 5-11;275	Chris Perry (94) SO; 6-4/300	Brandon Sharpe (92) SR; 6-3/254
Aundrey Barr (89) FR; 6-3/238	Myles Wade (47) JR; 6-2/340	Britton Barbee (97) JR; 6-2/296	Sandy Riley (46) SR; 6-0/228

Defensive End: Unquestioned starter, especially after losing what seems like 20 pounds is Rajon Henley. This was the best move for Henley because he was an undersized defensive tackle, although I feel like I need to see it for myself if he's going to be quick and strong enough to get to the quarterback. Daniel Howard should be fine at the other side and I've always thought that Howard has a great motor and if we're talking about whether or not Texas Tech should still go after JUCO players, Howard is proof that you can get a skilled player and a hard worker all at the same time. Expect to see plenty of Brandon Sharpe in the mix as well and you could see a constant rotation of Sharpe being subbed in for either Henley or Howard. I do not see Sandy Riley as being the type of player that can play on a consistent basis. If something happens to either one of these three players (Howard, Henley and Sharpe) I think Texas Tech is in serious trouble. Ryan Haliburton should be ready to play, but I just haven't seen enough of him to make a decision as to what type of performer he's going to be. There's a reason why Ruffin McNeill signed so many defensive ends, including the listed Barr, Chris Knighton and Kerry Hyder. Although I think that Hyder gets the nod ahead of Knighton as it appears that Knighton will need to put on some weight during the season. The long and short of it is that the top three are great and Texas Tech will need to replace their top three defensive ends again next year. After 2010, the Red Raiders should have a fairly solid rotation.

Defensive Tackle and Nose Tackle: This is a pretty solid and varied group. Colby Whitlock will be solid as a rock this year. I don't know what else to say about him other than I'd love to see him get more penetration along opposing offensive lines this year, like that fateful Texas game. We all know it's in him, it's just a matter of doing it on a more consistent basis. Victor Hunter, a converted linebacker, will have a slight learning curve, but when you're 5-11 and playing nose tackle, so long as he's got some strength behind those 275 pounds then he will be an incredibly big pain in the rear for some opposing offensive linemen. Myles Wade is much hyped, but he also hasn't played football for a year. His workouts were something to behold, but it's still not football shape. I'll go ahead and lump Wade in with Howard (and Barbee below) in that as long Wade continues to work hard, he'll get his time. And I have no doubt that he'll work hard. I will admit that Richard Jones is one of those incredibly solid players, but he's not great, nor does he have the potential to be great. He is what he is. Behind him is Chris Perry, a highly regarded recruit a couple of years ago who apparently found the weight room last year as he learned that perhaps we do things differently at Texas Tech that the U. In any event, if Perry can even remotely play like his recruiting ranking then he's going to be a solid, but I get the feeling that this is a situation where Perry wasn't accustomed to working hard, and he's had to learn how to do that at Texas Tech. If he chooses not to play with a high motor then I think you'll see the staff not hesitate to plug in Britton Barbee. Barbee is a lot like Jones in that he is what he is, but he's also like Howard in that he plays with high energy and I like players like that.

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

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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 // 08.03.09

Seth C — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:23:48 -0000

Odds and Ends

It's strange typing out 08.03.09 this morning. It doesn't seem like August should be here already, but it is, which means that practice is right around the corner, this Saturday in fact, before the big concert (more on that later).

Texas Tech Football

The first place to start this morning is with the LAJ's Don Williams, who has a pre-practice report. There's a ton of good stuff in the article and I thought we'd take it bit-by-bit. Williams writes about the battle at left tackle, talking about how at the end of the spring, it was between Terry McDaniel and Chris Olson and offensive line coach appears to be willing to let the two of them fight it out:

"I’m going to have to find out who’s going to win it,’’ said line coach Matt Moore, who didn’t put a time frame on making the determination. "They’ve both had really good off-seasons. They’ve pushed themselves harder than they ever have. Olson’s gotten stronger and has experience on his side, but Terry’s just so massive.’’

I have no idea which way Moore will go on this, but I really like McDaniel. He could be a four-year starter if he gets the nod, at left tackle, and that's almost unheard of. Olson is talented as well, nothing against him, and I get the feeling he's going to get some burn somewhere along the line, but McDaniel is pretty good.

Follow me after the jump for more news, notes and links on your Red Raiders.

Williams then writes about defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and wanting 8 to 10 "playable players" to play along the defensive line. The strange thing here is that Williams mentions Ryan Haliburton by name as a player to step-up along the defensive line along with Chris Perry and Brandon Sharpe. Haliburton was okay during the spring, but he looked like a guy that still needs to add some strength and size to compete on the Big 12 level.

If I had to give my ten players: Rajon Henley, Richard Jones, Colby Whitlock, Daniel Howard, Brandon Sharpe, Victor Hunter, Chris Perry, Brandon Sesay, Pearlie Graves and Myles Wade.

And finally, looking at the defensive backfield, especially the safeties and the voluminous number of freshmen defensive backs. The most interesting thing here is that the defense didn't work on any nickel or dime packages during the spring. Huh. That seems strange. Here's McNeill:

"We wanted to wait until we got all the freshmen here,’’ McNeill said. "We’ve talked about the packages and what we want to do front-wise, coverage-wise, blitz-wise, but we didn’t want to do personnel finalization until the freshmen arrived.’’

Also of note, Texas Tech's practice is going to be worked around Captain Mike Leach's schedule, which includes going to to the John Mellencamp, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson concert. Lots of other notes in the article, and I'll encourage you to click on through with notes on Kyle Clark, Joel Gray, LaAdrian Waddle, James Scott, Stefan Loucks and Aaron Charbonnet.

I posted the video on Friday, but TechPrezNB forwarded to me the accompanying article from NewsOK's Brandon Chatmon on DT Colby Whitlock, and as we discuss whether or not stars and offers matter with new Texas Tech commit Coby Coleman, let's not forget Whitlock, who had almost no offers and was lowly rated by the scouting services:

Few expected this type of impact from Whitlock coming out of high school. Several schools including Oklahoma and Oklahoma State passed on the opportunity to land him and Rivals.com rated him a three-star player. It's a good thing recruiting rankings and evaluations didn't matter to Whitlock.

"I'm not a person who that stuff means a lot to me," Whitlock said of being overlooked out of high school. "As long as some people are giving me looks I didn't mind it. I don't think that's real important, like the star rating, I think that's a joke, they miss (evaluate) a lot. Stuff like that has no importance."

I'll take Whitlock's word for it.

Again, I can't say that I understand all of the math, but Football Outsider's Bill Connelly (also of Rock M Nation) writes that Texas Tech had the best offensive line last year. And in terms of giving up sacks, Texas Tech's offensive line was significantly better than Oklahoma's line:

Not surprisingly, Texas Tech and Oklahoma possessed the best two pass blocking lines in the country. What is a surprise, however, was just how much better Texas Tech's unit was than everybody else. Third-place Boise State's SkRt+ was much closer to Middle Tennessee's (20th) than to Texas Tech's. Only Oklahoma had a SkRt+ within 100 of Tech's.

Snip

In case you were keeping score, here were the lines that finished in the nation's Top 20 in both Line Yards+ and Sack Rate+: Texas Tech (3rd in LY+, 1st in SkRt+), Oklahoma (5th, 2nd), Florida (1st, 8th), and Penn State (4th, 18th). Tech and Florida return a reasonable amount of experience here in 2009, while Oklahoma and PSU are lagging behind a bit in that department.

Fox34 is continuing their countdown of the top 25 players, and checking in at #5 is RB Harrison Jeffers:

It appears that former Red Raider Brandon Williams is doing well in his professional career. DMN's Tim McMahon writes that the Dallas Cowboys LB coach is happy with Williams progress:

"Victor Butler and Brandon Williams are what we consider doing things right now that give us hope that they have a chance to help us this year," Herring said. "They're showing some pass-rush skills -- things that are instinctive. They're explosive off the ball, quick get-off. Every day they're understanding the tempo and the speed of the game, learning how to use their fundamentals and their hands. They're showing some improvement every practice that gives you a feeling or hope that they will help us this year -- somehow, some way, at least special teams and definitely pass rush."

I found a couple of notes on recruiting, something that I really don't cover unless it's just finding video and links on new commitments, but thought I'd pass these two things along. New Texas Tech commit, WR Shawn Corker, attended some event earlier this week and this was written about his performance:

At WR, new Texas Tech commit Shawn Corker showed why he was one of the most coveted WR's in the state this year. He has no weakness.

And apparently another Florida WR, Kadron Boone, (he's a 4-star guy) is down to his final three teams: OU, Georgia and Texas Tech.

Big 12 Stuff: AAS's Kirk Bohl's asks if the Big 12 is overrated . . . The Oklahoman polled the players at the Big 12 Media Days and asked them a bunch of questions regarding the conference, including best and worst uniforms, best and worst fans, best and worst mascots, etc. (see the links on the right -- "Related Stories") . . . CT's Dave Matter writes that Big 12 defenses are still playing catch-up to the offense . . . DMN's Chuck Carlton lays out the likelihood of the Big 12 in 2009 running into the same scenario in 2008, a three-way tie . . . Tulsa World's Dave Sittler writes that the Big 12 North have become easy targets

Scouting the Enemy: SAEN's Brent Zwerneman writes about Nebraska Cornhuster defensive superstar, Ndamukong Suh . . . NY Times college football blog, the Quad, thinks the Houston Cougars are #30 team in the nation . . .

SB Nation - Chris Perry

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

THE DEFENSE

Who Returns (2010 Projected 2-Deep)

Don't Sleep On

Recruiting

Recruit Trending

Position Matchups :: Houston Cougars Edition

MATCHUP

QB/WR vs. DB

RB vs. LB

Push

OL vs. DL

DL vs. OL

LB vs. RB

DB vs. QB/WR

Post Game Thoughts :: Texas Tech Red Raiders 24, Texas Longhorns 34

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Texas Longhorns Edition

Position Matchups :: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Texas Longhorns

MATCHUP

QB/WR vs. DB

RB vs. LB

OL vs. DL

DL vs. OL

LB vs. RB

DB vs. QB/WR

Post-Game Thoughts :: Rice 10, Texas Tech 55

The Offense

The Defense

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.11.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Depth Charting // The Defensive Line

Defensive Line

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

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.03.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football