SB Nation - Daniel Charbonnet

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.

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 . . .

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose :: North Dakota Edition

Seth C — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:17 -0000

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

Reason #1 :: Big Game for North Dakota: This is absolutely a big game for North Dakota, although this isn't meant to diminish UND's other opponents, but the likes of Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin, South Dakota, Stony Brook, Sioux Falls, Southern Utah, Cal Poly, Southern Oregon, UC Davis and Central Arakansas doesn't scream huge game. UND has had an entire spring and fall practice to ready themselves for this game and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see the Fighting Sioux be as sharp as could be expected for a first game. I don't think there's any doubt that the North Dakota coaching staff is telling their players that if they want to be a part of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history, this would be a prime example.

Reason #2 :: Abundance of Penalties: Who remembers the opening game last year where Texas Tech had an astounding 18 penalties for 169 yards. Texas Tech needs to be sharp. It's been mentioned more than it needs to be mentioned, but the Texas game is merely two weeks away. The Red Raiders have two games to be on their best behavior. Gone are the days where the Red Raiders can rely on an All-American at receiver and a quarterback that routinely passes for over 5,000 yards to pull you out of any hole the offense or defense puts you in because of silly penalties. The offensive line needs to be absolutely sharp, which may be one reason why Terry McDaniel is not getting the initial start at left tackle. The offense needs guys who will not make mistakes. Those mistakes may not hurt you against teams like UND (no offense) but they will be drive and touchdown killers against the likes of Texas.

Reason #3 :: Looking Ahead: I don't know if you can blame any player for looking ahead, especially when the players know the circumstances surrounding this game and the relative inexperience of UND playing on a high level of football. It's only natural for players to look ahead, and I've said this before, but I think it deserves mention again in that no opponent deserves to be dismissed. Just ask Michigan and Appalachian State. Look past an opponent and you'll be sorry that you did. I have a feeling that this may have happened a bit last year against Eastern Washington where the Eagles came ready to play, looked sharp, made sure tackles on defense and put 17 points on the board in the second quarter. And as we speak of looking ahead, this can also be a symptom of . . .

Reason #4 :: Over-Confidence: This type of thing plagues teams all of the time. Players know what they're up against on a week-in and week-out basis. I'd like to think that this Red Raider team respects each and every opponent, that each game is an opportunity to do your job. Putting it simply, if Texas Tech simply does their job, then the idea of being over-confident is completely irrelevant. Doing your job each and every play erases the need to consider the quality of your opponent.

Reason #5 :: Time of Possession: One of the best equalizers in football is time of possession. If the North Dakota offense can keep the Texas Tech offense off the field, then there's a much greater chance for an upset. Last year in the aforementioned Eastern Washington game, the Eagles held onto the ball for 30:34, which certainly affected Texas Tech's chances of putting points on the board and putting this game away more than 49-24. The key will be whether the defense puts pressure on the UND defense, forces three-and-outs and how the defense can create turnovers, much like Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet did all of last year.

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 // 08.20.09

Seth C — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:19:27 -0000

Odds and Ends

Day Off: Its a quiet day today as the team had Wednesday off from practice. That means we'll have a lot more stuff tomorrow morning, plus I've been working on a preview, as have a lot of SB Nation college blogs, in partnership with CBS Sports. You may or may not have noticed that most SB Nation blogs are included on the CBS Sports team pages, including Double-T Nation.

Texas Tech Football

Freshman Safety Focus: LAJ's Don Williams features two freshmen safeties, Daniel Cobb and Will Ford who are not intimidated by the expectations of left behind by Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet. Here's Cobb:

"It shows you the coaches are going to put you in a position to do well,’’ said Cobb, a 6-foot-1, 206-pound Killeen Ellison graduate. "You’ve just got to be able to make the play when they put you there.’’

And Ford on his and Cobb working together to be better football players:

"We chill with each other outside of football as well,’’ Ford said, "and we also study plays with each other and try to make each other better when we come out here. That way we can execute fast.’’

Events: Don't forget that today is the Kickoff Luncheon, starting at 11:15 a.m., but don't expect to get tickets today and this Friday is Autograph Night.

Carter Named to Lombardi List: Congrats to G Brandon Carter who has been named to the Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List.

Focus on Graves: RedRaiderSports.com's Brian Lane has today's freshman focus on DT Pearlie Graves and I liked this:

HOW HAVE THE OLDER GUYS UP FRONT HELPED YOU?

"My whole team, the whole defense I can look to my left or right and ask someone a question and know that they will help me out."

I know/hope Graves was joking (right?):

WHAT CLASS ARE YOU LEAST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FALL?

"I got to say all of them (laughing)."

Neglected Audio, Video and Photos: Fox34 had a small feature on new graduate assistant, Sonny Cumbie:

Scouting the Enemy: Corn Nation on WR Niles Paul emerging at wide receiver . . . . Rock M Nation's Beyond the Box Score on the Kansas defense . . . Rock Chalk Talk on the Kansas linebackers . . .

Big 12: ESPN's Tim Griffin and Ivan Maisel preview the Big 12 (video) . . . ESPN's Tim Griffin details the similarities between Texas Tech and Missouri . . .

Alumni: Per the Corsicana Daily Sun, it appears that G Louis Vasquez is finally returning to practice with the San Diego Charges . . .

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.08.09

Seth C — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:36:56 -0000

Texas Tech Football

Practice starts today at 12:20 p.m. The wait is finally over. To whet your appetite, 54b of Burnt Orange Nation, who played for the Longhorns back in the 90's, has a terrific post about two-a-days, the schedule and the grind. I know it's not Texas Tech-centric, but it's a great read.

LAJ's Don Williams was busy last night. In Williams' Red Raider Football Notebook, he mentions that Romario Cathey, the DT from Tennessee, is not quite yet eligible, although he's taking summer classes and on campus . . . James Scott, a linebacker commit from the 2009 class, will be attending Kilgore JUCO . . . Backup QB Steven Sheffield has been given a scholarship. Congrats to Steven for all of his hard work . . . Apparently, Ruffin McNeill has lost 40 pounds since the spring, while LG Brandon Carter has lost 15 pounds . . . Finally, Williams talks with freshman walk-on safety, Aaron Charbonnet, brother of current CB Taylor Charbonnet and former Red Raider Daniel Charbonnet. Here's safety coach Carlos Mainord on Aaron:

"He had come to one of our camps before," Mainord said. "It was a lot easier, since we knew what kind of background he had, what kind of person he is, some intangibles maybe you don’t know about other people. … He’s got a little more size than Daniel had when he first came in and he runs well, so hopefully he can develop over the next few years and be a good player."

Williams also profiles freshman QB Jacob Karam, who appears to be a guy just bursting with excitement to play football:

Said Leach, "I don’t know if I can think of anybody as a freshman that has ever come in more anxious to play college football than Jacob Karam. Just his enthusiasm rubs off on everybody.’’

Snip

"When we saw him in person, it happened right away,’’ Leach said. "When he came up to our camp, (his scholarship offer) happened as soon as he left town. You watch film, and film varies, and then when you see (him) live, that was pretty much it.’’

Lots of other good notes about Karam, so go check out the whole article.

Finally, Williams talks with newest Texas Tech commit RB Delans Griffin and here's his high school coach on Griffin:

"He’s obviously a very talented athlete,’’ said Mike Lee, who is headed into his 28th year in coaching and 20th as head coach at Clinton. "We’ve had, over the years, a lot of good players go through here, and I can’t think of anybody that’s any more talented as a big-time or big-play player than he is. Every time he gets the ball in his hands, you think he’s fixing to score.’’

And Griffin:

"The coaches are nice there,’’ he said. "They all have a good personality, and coach (Clay) McGuire seems like a good overall coach. I just love their offense. I like catching the ball as much as I like running the ball, so I think I’m going to fit in real well with Texas Tech in that offense.’’

Last, but not least, Texas Tech will be blogging about the spring practices called Letters of Marque. I'm not sure that this is the actual URL for the blog, I'll try to figure that out between now and sometime in the future.

Scouting the Enemy: Corn Nation's Husker Mike previews the Kansas Jayhawks . . . Tilting at Windmills takes a look at the Oklahoma St. offense . . . Per ESPN's Tim Griffin Oklahoma Sooner running back Demarco Murray is injured, again . . .

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 06.23.09

Seth C — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:09:57 -0000

Odds and Ends

I'm Back . . . Sorta

I got back into town yesterday evening and considering I'm heading into work this morning, I'm probably not going to be on schedule until next week. Just too much to do and not enough time. It would be fair to say that I'm going to be mailing it in until I have a weekend to catch-up. Not to mention, it would be fair to say that I haven't read anything related to sports or Texas Tech since last week so there's a ton that I've missed.

Texas Tech Football

Summer Preview

LJWorld's Eric Sorrentino is previewing every Big 12 team as Texas Tech is next on his list and I think at this point, it's standard operating procedure to note that the secondary will struggle for Texas Tech:

Senior cornerback Jamar Wall returns, but the rest of the secondary is gone, including starting safeties Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet, who combined for 12 interceptions last season. Much of the reason Tech shared the Big 12 South title was because of Ruffin McNeill's improved defense, which ranked third in the conference with 27.85 points per game given up last year. That may sound like a lot, but when you average 43.77, you'll more than likely win some games. Tech won 11.

Freshman safety Cody Davis established himself as a hard hitter in the spring, while junior Franklin Mitchem should occupy the other safety spot. It's an open competition for the spot opposite of Wall. If Tech is to make another run at the South title, the defense cannot revert to its old ways of getting picked apart for points.

It's a Little Early for the 2010 NFL Draft

It appears that the NFL scouts, or maybe specifically the National Football Posts' Wes Bunting scouts some of your Red Raiders (hat-tip Hyatt) which includes Marlon Winn, Brandon Carter, Edward Britton, Shawn Byrnes, Colby Whitlock, Rajon Henley and Jamar Wall. Some of Bunting's previews sound accurate, but then there are others where I wonder if we've watched the same player, but defintely a good read and certainly a different perspective.

Texas Tech Baseball

Brian Cloud Signs with Mariners

Per DT's Chris Martin, senior pitcher Brian Cloud, who went undrafted in the MLB draft, has signed on with the Seattle Mariners. Congrats to Brian and it sounds as if he's going to make the best of his opportunity:

"It doesn't matter if you were a top-five-round draft pick or a free agent like me, we all start off with an even slate and it is all based on performance," he said. "They will put me wherever they need me, and I expect to perform well."

Zach Stewart Pitching Well in the Minors

Baseball America's J.J. Cooper checks in with former Red Raider Zach Stewart, who is pitching incredibly well for the Carolina Mudcats and the Cincinnati Reds organizations.

"He definitely trusts (the changeup)," Beltran said. "He throws it in counts that I didn’t think he would because he believes in it. He’s worked on it since he’s been here. He had a little cut to it, not he’s getting more sink to it, which is what we want."

The development of the changeup gives Stewart a third option to go with an average slider and a plus fastball. Stewart’s calling card is his 93-94 mph fastball that combines velocity with plenty of sink. It’s not a strikeout pitch, but it is a ground-ball magnet.

"That sinker inside is devastating when you’re throwing 90-94 with that kind of movement," Beltran said. "I really haven’t seen anyone turn on it. Even when he misses, he misses off the plate."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.07.09

Seth C — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:11:00 -0000

Odds and Ends

New Texas Tech Blog

I was pleasantly surprised to see The Broadcast Booth is following Double-T Nation on Twitter. The Broadcast Booth consists of the radio broadcast for your Red Raiders and the crew is as follows: John Harris, Brian Jensen, Sonny Cumbie (maybe not for long), Steve Pitts, Bryan Mudd, David Sanderson, and Mitchell Fish.

Go give these guys a warm welcome to the blogosphere.

Texas Tech Football

Big 12 Tiebreaker Remains

I guess in a move that surprised no one, although I'm a little disappointed that we don't get to see TB go ballistic, the Big 12 will keep the current tiebreaker format (stories here, here and here):

One reason the proposed tiebreaker was rejected was because there could be a scenario where a team with a shot at the national championship does not advance to the Conference championship game. For instance, a team ranked in the BCS top 10 but with no shot at playing for the national title could earn a tiebreaker edge over a Big 12 team ranked in the BCS top two.
"The motive is to give the best chance for a team to play in the national championship," Beebe said. "Obviously, we had a scenario (in 2008), hopefully we’ll never have that again."

Now that the coaches have figured this out, I'm sure they'll now be able to get back to playing golf or rollerblading.

Sonny Cumbie to Coach at Texas Tech?

The San Angelo's Standard-Times' Bill Nance may be accepting a position at Texas Tech, as it was announced that Sonny Cumbie, current coach of the San Angelo Stampede Express, would be stepping down as head coach of the Indoor Football League team, begin playing quarterback, and would be accepting a coaching position in the fall at a certain Texas university. Here's Cumbie on the move:

"About a month ago, I received a call from a school here in Texas about a coaching opportunity that would open up in the fall," Cumbie said.
"I thought that coaching's something I want to do, so that's what I decided to do in the fall. I felt that I owed it to Miss Darlene (Stampede Express co-owner Darlene Jones), who gave me this opportunity, to give them a chance to bring someone in here to kind of get their feet wet, hit the ground running and build on what we have this year, move into next year and be ready to go, so I decided to step down as head coach.

"I accepted a contract to play quarterback for the Stampede. That's going to be the last roster move I make as coach."

KAMC has some video of Mike Leach on Cumbie as well as some quotes from Cumbie himself.

Texas Tech Free Agents Update

LAJ's Don Williams writes that QB Graham Harrell is still looking for a job and Graham's dad had this to say:

"I guess it’s kind of frustrating," said Ennis coach Sam Harrell, Graham’s father. "It’s more bewildering as much as anything. There’s not a single spot anywhere for a guy that not only threw for a lot of yards and led tremendous comebacks, but has a good, clean background and his character is good."

Meanwhile, S Daniel Charbonnet and C Stephen Hamby are keeping their options open and hoping to catch on somewhere.

Texas Tech Baseball

Red Raiders Down Patriots

Date	Start Time	Texas Tech Starting Pitcher	Dallas Baptist Starting Pitcher	Result
4/6/2009	6:30 p.m.	Cory Large (W, 1-1)	Chris Haney (L, 4-4)	9-6

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Jr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Jr.); RF - Garrett Totten (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Jr.) 2ND - Willie Rueda (Sr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (Fr.) 1ST - Chris Richburg (Sr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (Fr.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (Fr.)

A mid-week win against a quality opponent. Yea! The Red Raiders took down the Dallas Baptist Patriots 9-6 (recap). Starting pitcher Lorenzo Douglas (1.2 IP; 1 H; 4 ER; 5 BB; 0 SO) looked to be a tad bit off -- 5 walks in less than 2 innings -- and was quickly replaced by Cory Large (2.2 IP; 4 H; 2 ER; 0 BB; 3 SO) and it was a collective bullpen effort from there. Louis Head, Robert Kilcrease, Brian Cloud and Chad Bettis all contributed to the win with Bettis earning his 7th save of the season. I like head coach Dan Spencer's move to get Bettis an inning of work, especially since the last time he was out he allowed 11 runs. We need Bettis to be sharp.

At the plate, the Red Raiders pounded out 21 hits, led by CF Taylor Ashby (4-5; 3 RBI) and Scott LeJeune (3-4; 3 RBI). Chris Richburg (3 hits), Joey Kenworthy (2 hits), Michael Reed (3 hits), Justin Berry (2 hits) and Jeremy Mayo (2 hits) all had multi-hit games. Again, 21 hits is exceptional and I hope this bodes well for this weekend's series in Manhattan against Kansas State.

LAJ's George Watson previews the Kansas State ~~Jayhawks~~ Wildcats who have surprised many to be a top 10 program in 2009:

Picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 Conference, the Wildcats have been one of the biggest surprises in college baseball in 2009, riding the sudden emergence of one of the top pitchers in the nation and a veteran offense onto the precipice of a Big 12 regular-season championship. The 10th-ranked Wildcats enter this weekend’s action against Texas Tech having already clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championships, trail first-place Texas by just .021 of a percentage point and have set a school record for victories (37) with six games remaining.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 05.06.09

Seth C — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:24:26 -0000

Texas Tech Football

Dallas Cowboys Roof Collapse

CBS Sportsline's Greg Doyle adds a little more information on heroic acts of DE/LB Brandon Williams during the Dallas Cowboys roof collapse on Saturday afternoon:

Rookie linebacker Brandon Williams and cornerback DeAngelo Smith pushed Eatman and Ellis out of the way and lifted the doorframe just enough for Archer to wriggle free.
And then Williams and Smith went back into the chaos. That's what most, if not all, of the Cowboys did after realizing the enormity of the situation. They didn't look out for No. 1. They could have stayed outside the fallen facility, leaving the rescue effort to the professionals on the way. They could have cited a fear of death, or at the very least a fear of injuring themselves -- and jeopardizing their NFL future -- and used that logic to stay as far from the carnage as possible. But they did not. They went back into the chaos, many of them still wearing their helmets, and looked for people to help.

SAEN's Tom Osborne takes a look at the various practice facilities, air-supported vs. metal-frame, and there's a mention of Texas Tech's air-supported indoor facility, which has never (knock on wood) suffered any damage:

Texas Tech's indoor facility, built by ASATI in 1985, has never suffered any damage, Red Raiders spokesman Chris Cook said.
Cook said the facility is monitored by a computer system. Should air pressure decrease, officials are alerted immediately.

Big 12 Meetings, to Discuss Tiebreaker

Sometime today, the Big 12 coaches will discuss the tiebreaker policy, while UT's Mack Brown (i.e. someone on his behalf) will submit a proposed change similar to the SEC tiebreaker rules, there are others who feel that a change isn't necessary. Personally, this is one of those things for me . . . "it is what it is" . . . and I'm not real passionate about it one way or another.

Neglected Audio, Video and Photos

KAMC has two reports on Texas Tech free agent news, including this most recent report on IR Eric Morris who worked out for the Chicago Bears might work out a deal to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and C Stephen Hamby who worked out for the Washington Redskins. This earlier report mentioned that S Daniel Charbonnet was also working out for the Bears.

Texas Tech Baseball

Red Raiders Set to Take on Patriots

Date	Start Time	Texas Tech Starting Pitcher	Dallas Baptist Starting Pitcher	Result
4/6/2009	6:30 p.m.	TBA	TBA	-

LAJ's George Watson previews today's game against the Dallas Baptist Patriots (in Dallas for those of you who can make it to the game). George reminds us that before this break for final exams, the Red Raiders were swept by Missouri and look to bounce back. Here is head coach Dan Spencer:

"What we’re trying to accomplish is getting better in all facets of the game," head coach Dan Spencer said. "The most glaring thing the last couple of weeks is we’ve got to throw more strikes, put up some zeros in the first inning, and we’ve got to do a better job in situational offense against good (pitchers). It’s a short period of time and we have a lot of work to do to get better and put ourselves in a position to make a move."

And pitcher Chad Bettis says that the team has to go out and compete:

"That was really rough, but we’ve got to come out and have short memories," said Bettis, whose 3.98 ERA still leads the team. "We’ve got to come out and play hard and make sure we give the team the ability to win. We’ve got to throw strikes and compete."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 04.28.09

Seth C — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:43:40 -0000

Odds and Ends

DTN's Best of Lubbock

That went down much better than I ever would have thought. For those of you who didn't check in yesterday, here's the link to reader submissions for best Mexican food. I'll have a poll on Friday.

I'd also love to take any suggestions for topics. I was thinking as follows: pre-game bar; post-game bar; motel/hotel; hamburger; Italian; steak; etc. If anyone has one partucular subject close to their heart, put it in the comments.

DTN Schedule

I've scheduled the Red Offense and Red Defense to be posted at noon today and noon tomorrow. I've already done the White Offense and the White Defense. For those of you who can't wait until noon, check out Tortilla Retort's review of the defense. That will conclude the spring review for the football team and I'm going to have some basketball stuff coming up later in the week.

Texas Tech Football

Mike Leach Makes Friends

This is so delicious, I can hardly contain myself. Last night, I found a quote from TAMU head coach Mike Sherman questioning why Mike Leach would make a comment on QB Stephen McGee. Here's Leach's original comment on McGee, for those of you living in a cave:

"I'm happy for Stephen McGee," said Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, whose quarterback, Graham Harrell, was not drafted. "The Dallas Cowboys like him more than his coaches at A&M did."

Now, here's the quote from Sherman:

"I don't understand Coach Leach's comments about Stephen McGee," Sherman said Monday. "He was named our starter until he got injured. I've always believed in Stephen's character and I've always believed in his talent, and I always will. I see him having an outstanding NFL career. "Coach Leach is in no position to comment about my relationship with Stephen McGee."

First, I don't think Leach directly spoke to McGee's relationship with Sherman. In fact, he was very ambiguous, which was probably his intent as I initially read the comment, it was a shot at former TAMU coach Dennis Franchione. Second, I would tend to agree, I think that Leach probably believes that McGee wasn't utilized properly while under Franchione and the truth of the matter, despite his sprained shoulder, was that the Aggies were better off starting Jerrod Johnson.

But thankfully, Leach isn't about to let anyone else have the last word:

Monday night, Leach said he didn't intend anything derogatory toward A&M, its coaching staff or McGee.
Nor was he targeting McGee's relationship with Sherman or Franchione, Leach said.

"There's been far more rhetoric around this than I ever would have expected," Leach said. "Under the best of circumstances, there is some variance in how people assess and discuss quarterbacks because everybody is looking for different things. ...

"But based on all the fuss and commotion on this, I can't help but wonder what round Coach Sherman would have drafted Stephen McGee, given the fact he was once a head coach in the NFL."

As for an apology?

"I'm not sorry for what I said," Leach said. "I'm sorry if they feel offended."

So there it is, and this bleeds into yesterday's excellent conversation regarding whether or not it's beneficial for Leach to continually stick up for his players or if others look at it as whinning. What we can say is that there's no doubt where Leach stands:

"The truth of the matter is that the NFL drafts quarterbacks notoriously bad. That's indisputable. ... I don't have an answer for why they don't have a skill for drafting a quarterback. Well, I think the priorities are out of order. Accurate and makes good decisions needs to be a priority, not something they need to teach him, because they don't do that very well."

And:

"Michael Crabtree has been more successful as a receiver than that guy has as a coach," Leach said of Mangini.
"Michael isn't a diva. He's too shy to be like that. My definition of a diva is someone who's loud and self-absorbed. Michael is the furthest thing from loud that I've seen.

"Let's see how all those non-divas do up in Cleveland this year."

He absolutely thinks his players are the best and he'll stick up for his quarterback, hell or high water. I wonder too if Sherman will have the last word, and I hope he does. I'd love to hear from Sherman where he would have picked McGee. I'm sure that if Leach were in charge of the draft, he would have flipped a coin between Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell and picked the other second.

Daniel Charbonnet and Stephen Hamby Get Tryouts

LAJ's Don Willilams reports that S Daniel Charbonnet and C Stephen Hamby will get tryouts with NFL Clubs. Charbonnet will get a shot with the Chicago Bears and Hamby with the Washington Redskins. Send a good thought both these guys way.

Texas Tech Basketball

Hardwood Series Games Confirmed

Per the DMN College Sports Blog, the pairings for the Hardwood Series was released yesterday and the Red Raiders will host the Washington Huskies on Thursday, December 3, 2009.

Texas Tech Baseball

Throwback Uniforms, Make Me Happy

Found this video via UniWatch Blog, which details the Red Raiders throwback uniforms from two weekends ago:

As an aside, I'd love to be able to buy one of those hats. Wink, wink, nod, nod.

Red Raiders Hoping to Regroup

DT's Jon Arnold writes that the baseball team tries to recoup after the 3-game sweep in Missouri. Head coach Dan Spencer hopes there's no effect from the series going forward:

"The obvious thing about the series was we couldn't get anybody out consistently," Tech coach Dan Spencer said. "I would like to think there wasn't any carry over effect over the games, but there might have been."