SB Nation - Eric Morris

Post Game Thoughts :: Nebraska Cornhuskers Edition

Seth C — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:56:27 -0000

2 months ago: Texas Tech's Daniel Howard, center, with teammates LaRon Moore, left, and Bront Bird, carries the ball for a touchdown against Nebraska in the first half of their NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. Texas Tech beat Nebraska 31-10.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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

The Result :: Not What I Expected: I'll be honest, I thought that the Nebraska offense would show up just a bit and that never happened. You can certainly credit the Texas Tech defense, as this group made plays all day long, but the Nebraska offense needs some help. In terms of the offense, I never expected Nebraska to out-gain the Red Raiders (259 to 285), again, credit needs to go to that Nebraska defensive line that was simply unbelievable. The offensive line continues to be decimated by injury and will need to improve moving forward, but they held it together, especially when I thought that the Red Raiders needed a touchdown to secure the win. Taking 5:00 minutes off the clock.

Let's get to the storylines and the MVP's after the jump.

The Storylines ::

Making Big Plays: The very first drive was a microcosm of the entire game. QB Steven Sheffield completed 18 yards worth of passes to WR Alexander Torres and then bad things started to happen. A false start and Sheffield taking a sack led Texas Tech to have to make a play on 3rd and 13. Sheffield completes one of the highlight catches of my life to WR Lyle Leong for 34 yards. The Red Raiders now have a first down and Sheffield promptly gets sacked for 10 yards and Texas Tech then faces a 3rd and 17 only to have WR Detron Lewis catch a pass for 22 yards. What looked to be a simple screen pass to RB Baron Batch sealed the drive (his skip into the endzone reminded me a bit of Eric Morris - shoutout) as the Nebraska defenders just could get around to catching Batch get to the pylon.

This team faced adversity almost the entire game, or at least it looked that way from where I was watching the game, but responded at just about each and every call. It may have been the offense at times, it may have been the defense at times, and it may have been the special teams at times.

At the end of the day, this team is a team of hard-working individuals and they are a team . . . collectively, they work together.

This was probably expressed better than I've ever seen this before in LAJ's Don Williams post-game discussion with defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill:

"One night during fall camp,’’ defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said, "(running back) Baron Batch got up and he says, ‘We had some great players last year — Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, Louis Vasquez, Brandon Williams. This year, it’s more about the Double-T — what’s on our chest and not necessarily the names on our back. Nothing against those guys. We love those guys. But this team is more worried about not letting the other guy down.’’
The Raiders are working all the angles.

The last couple of weeks, they’ve voted on captains based on what have you done for me lately?

This week, you watch, they’re going to elect a sideline captain.

"If you participated in sports, having your teammates cheer for you is a big, big deal, and we make a big deal out of it,’’ McNeill said. "Our kids take pride in it. We travel some guys right now who, they know they’re not going to play one second. They know their job is to come, go through pre-game and cheer the team on.’’

So McNeill’s eyes lit up when I asked if that means he’s going to arrange a vote for a sideline captain.

"That’s a good idea,’’ he said. "I’m going to take it to the boss.’’

Who would be some leading candidates? McNeill mentioned players such as true freshmen Pearlie Graves and Jacob Karam and veteran backups such as Britton Barbee and Brik Brinker.

I've noticed Karam and Barbee being involved on the sidelines, which is a surprise since Barbee has seen little to no time this year and Karam can be expected not to see a snap all year. But I have no doubt that these guys love their school, and despite not participating, they may be this team's biggest cheerleaders and there's something about that sort of attitude that makes me love this team even more.

Dominating Defense: As mentioned above, Nebraska had their own problems on offense, but to simply point to that would not be fair to the Texas Tech defensive unit. Ruffin McNeill and his unit kept Nebraska to 70 yards rushing and 215 yards passing. When the game was still relatively close the Red Raider defense allowed only 37 yards in their first 4 possessions (one of those being the fumble return for a touchdown). The next possession was Nebraska's best possession as they drove 11 plays and 74 yards, only to be limited to a field goal. With first and goal from the Texas Tech 10 yard line, Nebraska could only manage 3 plays to get to the Texas Tech 4 yard line. Perhaps this was a situation where the defense was a bit tired, but truthfully, limiting Nebraska to a field goal on their first 5 possessions is success.

This is a successful day: 5 tackles for a loss (all being sacks), 1 fumble return for a touchdown, 1 interception, and 7 pass break-ups. That's making plays all over the field. From the defensive line that was able to pressure QB Zac Lee to the defensive backs that were able to cause 7 Nebraska incompletions to a return for the touchdown.

DE's Brandon Sharpe and Rajon Henley (we'll get to D. Howard below) were huge yesterday and I still go back to the ideal that Sharpe, Henley and Howard may not be the most talented bunch, but they'll sure as hell out-work you. And for those of you who complain about McNeill not blitzing and being creative enough, I'd suggest that you watch Howard for the game as he was all over the place prior to the snap in the Joker position and the defensive line as a whole did a tremendous job of creating a pocket and containing Lee. Howard was instrumental in ensuring that there were few gaps for Lee to run after the ball was snapped. McNeill deserves a ton of credit for turning around a defense in such a short period of time after Setencich was let go. That's not to say that this Texas Tech defense has arrived, but I do think it's appropriate to say that this defense is leaps and bounds better than where it was in 2007.

Captain Mike Leach acknowledged the defense in his post-game thoughts:

On if the defensive performance on the day ranks high in his career coaching at Texas Tech: "I think so. I think it does for a couple reasons, and I think one reason it does is because, like I said, when things weren't really going our way, we were losing yards on offense as quick as we were gaining them for a period of time out there, and our defense just stepped up over and over. We tested them in about every way we could. Bad field position, good return on the punt or the kickoff, offense gets a three and out, then another three and out, when you think of this defense when you've got to make it happen, they just kept stepping up. I thought it was a real credit to our D-line, which is a real quick unit. Really I thought both D-lines had a pretty big day."

Offensive Line Woes: When LT Terry McDaniel went down with an apparent knee injury I became incredibly nervous. McDaniel has been a steadying influence along the offensive lines and you guys talked about it in the game-day and post-game threads. Perhaps all of the injuries and suspension along the offensive lines create a situation where this unit will be much better off in 2010 as guys have to pick each other up, but as woeful as Nebraska was on offense in the 1st half, the Texas Tech offense wasn't good in the 2nd half, sans 1 drive. Other than the touchdown drive, Texas Tech managed only 46 yards on 5 drives and time of possession of only 4:22 in the 3rd quarter. Credit the Nebraska pressure defense that rattled Sheffield early and often in the second half. For the day, Nebraska had 8 quarterback hurries and 5 sacks for the day, in addition to 13 tackles for a loss. Whether or not the offensive line wasn't 100% or not, this must change and I'm sure that OL coach Moore will address this issue during the week.

The Nebraska defense looked a lot like the Texas Tech defense in that they rushed their front 4 almost all day. The biggest difference between what I saw against Nebraska and what Oklahoma did against Texas, was that the Sooners were stunting and blitzing all over the place. I don't know that this line will see another line as talented and strong as Nebraksa, but OU is going to be incredibly tough.

Leach Thoughts: I'm guessing that Leach was in a good mood after yesterday's win and it showed in some of his comments after the game. There's really no point to any of this other than to highlight some of the more quotable portions.

When Leach was asked about how whether there was any doubt the team would respond in the second half, he had this to say about his defense:

"We have blackshirts there at Texas Tech too. Every one of our guys is wearing a black shirt underneath their pads. I'm proud to say the blackshirts won this one."

I'm not sure if Leach knew before the game that Pelini gave out the blackshirts to 13 of his defensive players yesterday, but if he did, then this was both smart and thoughtful way to convey to his team that they play pretty damned good defense too.

When asked about Sheffield's performance and some of the pressure he faced on Saturday:

"He got a lot of pressure,’’ Leach said. "He generated some for himself, too. There were a couple of them where he’d go back there and run in a circle, run in a circle and look up and then there’s two guys there. I wasn’t real cranked about that. I wanted him to throw the ball and hit some fat guy in the stands. That didn’t consistently happen. We had a conversation on that.’’

What percentage of college coaches use the word "cranked"?

When asked about whether or not it was important to score on Texas Tech's first possession, Leach launches into a bit about Sheffield and the money quote is at the end:

"I think it's really important, and I think (Sheffield) was really instrumental in that. I think he does a great job just with the whole team. He is one of our captains this week. He was really instrumental in having all of our guys excited to play. Then he went over there and kind of put his money where his mouth is or whatever. That's basically one of the worst cliches I've used in a long time, I'm usually better at making them up."

Kickoff Woes: No one takes more special teams grief than K Donnie Carona, and I'd be more than happy to learn that the short kickoffs were part of the game play, but for the game, Carona only averaged 54 yards a kickoff. That's about kicking it off to the 15 to 20 yard line. I'm surprised that Special Teams coach Russell has been so forgiving of Carona and it took one punt for Carona to get the boot as the punter, but field position is a big part of the game and I'd really just like to see Carona be more consistent.

Contrarian MVP's :: Due to the strange nature of this game, I thought that this week's MVP's should be a little different too.

The Offensive MVP :: DE Daniel Howard: The conventional offensive MVP would have been WR Detron Lewis, who had 5 catches for 100 yards or Steven Sheffield for leading the Red Raiders to a win on the road against a ranked opponent. But these are contrarian MVP's. Howard had the longest play of the game, 82 yards, returning a fumble and putting Texas Tech ahead for the game. Who would have thought that Howard's play would have been the one to put Nebraska away for he game, but it was.

The Defensive Co-MVP's :: FS Franklin Mitchem and SS Cody Davis: The convention defensive MVP would have to be DE Brandon Sharpe, who had 7 tackles, 4 sacks and broke up 1 pass. Incredible game, just absolutely incredible. But the contrarian MVP goes to the two safety-mates in Davis and Mitchem. I thought Mitchem's support in and around the line of scrimmage was absolutely tremendous, and then to top it off, he snagged an interception. Davis' hit on that 3rd down that caused the Nebraska player to drop a sure catch was tremendous. That kid can play. One last thing about Mitchem and Davis, and someone please tell me if I'm wrong, but has Texas Tech been burned deep thus far this year? It's a testament to DB coach Mainord, but it's also a testament to the guys in the program.

The Special Teams MVP :: SS Brett Dewhurst: In addition to getting a ton of playing time as the nickel and dime defensive back, he also had 4 special teams tackles for the day. A convention MVP would have been K Matthew Williams, who hit a field goal for 32 yards and all of his extra points, or P Ryan Erxleben, who has no idea he's a freshman, punting in a hostile environment.

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 // 07.21.09

Seth C — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:13:59 -0000

Odds and Ends

Catching My Limit

I had a great time in Surfside this past weekend. On Saturday, I caught my limit in Kingfish and Red Snapper (everyone on the boat caught their limit) and on Sunday we tried to catch shark on the beach, and really only got one bite the entire day. Still, a day or two of fishing is better than working. It's good to be back and I'll try and post some photos later this week.

I admittedly have not read the anything on the internet or newspaper in 4 days. I do know that Tom Watson lost the British Open on a playoff, but that's about the extent of my sports knowledge over the last 4 days, so I've got to get caught up a bit, although it appears that nothing huge happened while I was out.

Texas Tech Football

Dave Parks in College Football Hall of Fame

Huge congratulations to former Red Raider WR Dave Parks who was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame:

"They dipped way back to get me,’’ said Parks, a Red Raiders end and defensive back from 1961-63. "I never really thought about this. I didn’t know there was anything going on (behind the scenes). I wasn’t worried about it or thinking about it or anything else, and then I find out I’m in. It was like finding a dollar on the street — actually, more than that.’’

The College Football Hall of Fame classes are feted with a year-long series of appearances. There was an on-campus salute in the fall by each honoree’s alma mater; a December induction ceremony in New York City; a group trip to the Fiesta Bowl in January; and the climax this week in South Bend.

"I was shocked with it,’’ Parks said. "I didn’t think I would enjoy it that much. But I’m enjoying it more than anything I’ve ever enjoyed I believe, mainly because it’s so dadgum organized and it’s just a bunch of good people.
"They take such good care of us, it’s a pleasure to be around. Now I might miss it.’’

Parks spoke by phone from South Bend, where he took part in a golf tournament Friday. The weekend also includes an autograph session and a parade.

Parks was one of a kind back in the day and although the following video appears to be the only actual football on the internet of Parks, the following is "The Catch" as the Red Raiders, along with Donny Anderson, beat the Aggies in 1963:

63 Tech vs A&M (via oglepro)

Harrell In Saskatchewan

There's some video and a story by Post Leader's Bryan Schlosser on QB Graham Harrell's signing with Saskatchewan and wearing a shockingly green Roughriders hat (just used to seeing Harrell in a black Texas Tech hat). For those of you not real familiar where Saskatchewan actually is, Google Maps is here to help. Maybe he and WR Eric Morris can get in some good hunting while visiting our neighbors to the North and win a few football games in the process. The Roughriders are supposed to be a pretty bad team, although they won their first two games, they just lost their third game and it wasn't close. It will be interesting to see when and where Harrell will get his shot and how long it will take him to get implemented into the offense.

Leach Speaks on Behalf of the Wolfpack

Remember when DTN noted that Captain Mike Leach would be the key-note speaker for the Governor's Dinner, the major fund-raising event for the Wolfpack? Well, mission accomplished and Leach is still trumpeting the 64 team playoff proposal, although he gives credit where credit is due for his inspiration:

"The thing that intrigues me the most, and cause I've said this before, is as soon as I propose this people say, ‘That's the craziest thing I've ever heard of.' ‘Why would anybody suggest that?' ‘That is so strange, where would anybody get an idea like that?'" Leach said. "I'd love to say that I came up with the idea, but I got that from Texas high school football, California high school football, Florida high school football, Division III, Division II, I-AA, softball, basketball."

Evolution of the Spread

I haven't had the time to read ESPN's Mark Schlabach's article on the evolution of the spread and also thought that ESPN's Jeff Miller specific look at the spread in Texas high school was also at a glance very interesting. I'm going to try to get to these tonight.

Big 12 Media Days

Per ESPN's Tim Griffin, the Red Raiders who will be appearing at the Big 12 Media days are . . . OL Brandon Carter, CB Jamar Wall and DT Colby Whitlock. An interesting and nice group of players. I've only heard a little bit of Whitlock and it will be interesting to see him on the big stage for an entire day. I'm also happy to see that Wall is making the trip, and I think Leach likes to give the microphone to his seniors if at all possible.

Football Schedule Poster

Per the Wiz:

via www.thewizofodds.com

Texas Tech Basketball

Martin Zeno Wins Greek Championship

I had no idea that Martin Zeno was playing in Greece, per DT's Alex Ybarra, former Red Raider Martin Zeno won a championship with Sea Star APOEL won the Cypress League championship. From what I've been able to find, Zeno averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 boards and 1.0 assists a game. And Zeno will not play for Greece next year, but will try and hook up with another European team. Here's Zeno on the experience:

"I just think life will play its course out. I really can't say. I can't bash Europe because it was pretty good. I'll just see how everything goes, how it all works out. I'll just play it as it goes, that's how I feel about it."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.17.09

Seth C — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:28:33 -0000

Odds and Ends

Gone Fishing

Yep, I'll be gone the rest of the day today and probably be back sometime on Monday evening. I'll be fishing in Surfside through the weekend.

You'll note that I've added a yearly event, which is the DTN Roll Call -- see the FanPosts and someone recommend this so it stays near the top, which gives you the opportunity to tell us a little about yourself, if you want (allow myself to introduce myself), and how and why you're a Texas Tech fan. Since I'll be away for a long weekend, I think this will be like Christmas morning when I get back, except I won't be opening presents, I'll be opening a FanPost and hopefully a ton of comments.

And if someone wants to get up a FanPost on Monday morning with the weekend's links, then please feel free.

Texas Tech Football

The Elf Speaks About Harrell Joining Riders

DT's Alex Ybarra talks with WR Eric Morris about QB Graham Harrell joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It will be interesting to see how quickly, if at all, Harrell gets into a game for the Roughriders and it will be so sweet to see the two of them hook up for a few more touchdowns. Here's Morris:

"It'll be a chance for him to get some good film and some quality players and hopefully in the end it'll benefit him and he'll have a shot in the NFL," Morris said. "If not, he's gonna be great in the offenses that we run up here and I think he'll have a lot of success."

Snip

"I was shocked (Harrell went undrafted) as far as the production that he put out at Tech and the numbers and how consistent he was there," Morris said. "But kind of after going through the process myself, not really. It's a tough business to get into to."

And Chris Brown of Smart Football tells Harrell's tale in a Kafka-esque style. Well worth the read.

Desmond Martin Talks 7-on-7 Championship

Recent Texas Tech commitment DB Desmond Martin talks with RaiderPower's Mark Sparrow about winning the 7-on-7 tournament in College Station this past weekend with his Stony Point teammates. Here's Martin on his performance and what he improved over last year:

"I did pretty well; I didn’t have much come my way but when I did I took care of business. After playing, I feel pretty confident in our secondary."

"Individually, I feel like I’ve definitely improved- my breaking ability, the way I’m getting to the ball. I think I've gotten a lot better since last season."

Scouting the Enemy

In the Bleachers (a fantastic website with lots of good links and information) is counting down the top 50 non-BCS players and #25 is Houston RB Bryce Beall.

This is pretty cool. North Dakota DB Dominique Hawkins is blogging about the season and is looking forward to the Texas Tech game:

Last year was an amazing year, not only for me, but for our team and program as a whole. It was our first Division I season. We finished out the season at 6-4 and hope to improve this coming season. In my opinion, we have a tougher schedule this year, but I feel we are all focused and on the same page as a team. Everyone has been working hard so far this off-season and will continue to work hard.

As most of you know, we have an intense first week with Texas Tech on our schedule. I feel that I can speak for most of the team when I say it is going to be a great experience and big test for our program. I am excited and can’t wait to see what the year brings us.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.16.09

Seth C — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:35:09 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

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Odds and Ends

I Missed A Lot

I went to sleep somewhat early last night, after getting up at 4:00 a.m. yesterday morning, and I think its safe to say that I missed quite a bit. Let's get to the news.

Texas Tech Football

Harrell to Canada

Thanks to the post last night from Tech92, it appears that QB Graham Harrell is headed to Canada to play with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL and Harrell will join WR Eric Morris on the team. I really thought that Harrell would hang on through NFL training camps, but perhaps he felt that his best option was to just get out on the field. This isn't the way that Harrell planned his post-collegiate career, but you make the best of the situation and go from there.

Big 12 Suspends P LaCour

This seems completely out of left field as P Jonathan LaCour, per LAJ's Don Williams, has been suspended for six games by the Big 12. I guess I had no idea that the Big 12 could actually suspend a player for off-the-field conduct. Here's Mike Leach's comment on the situation:

"It reduces our depth a little, but I don’t anticipate any problem,’’ Leach said. "We’ve got a couple walk-ons. I think somebody will step up and punt, and Carona’s looked good punting as well.’’

Williams points out that Ryan Erxleben a freshman walk-on who played for Lake Travis last year and had a 44.3 yards per punt average (yes, this is the same Lake Travis team that had QB Garrett Gilbert). There was also this fairly lengthy article this spring from Don Williams that briefly mentions that K Donnie Carona was also working in as punter, but mainly focused on the work that new special teams coach Eric Williams had with LaCour.

I very briefly looked at the official Big 12 website to look for some bylaws as to what the Big 12 can suspend an athlete, but didn't find anything at first glance.

Reliving OSU

Fox34 with a look back at last year's OSU win:

Scouting the Enemy

Rock M Nation's the Boy with a look at the beyond the box score Texas Longhorns defense.

Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton predicts Conference USA and it appears that Houston is going to be the head of the class, with Rice finishing near the bottom of West division.

CFN's Pete Fiutuk with some roundtable thoughts on the Big 12.

Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan thinks that the Oklahoma St. Cowboys may be overrated.

Texas Tech Basketball

Burgess in Belize

This is a little out of the blue, but it appears that former Red Raider and point guard, Charlie Burgess, is playing basketball in Belize for the national team (I'm not real sure about all of the details, but he's in freaking Belize, playing basketball, I think life must be pretty good):

Charlie Burgess, from New York City
"I am Charlie Burgess from New York City, when to Texas Tech University and then I was overseas one year. I went to Uruguay and then I was back and now I am here in Belize hopefully to defend the title that we had won previously so hopefully we could bring it back to the level that it needs to be at."

Keith Swift,
"How do you feel to be playing for the national team?"

Charlie Burgess,
"Oh it feels great, especially seeing the smile on my mother’s face because I haven’t seen my mother in a long time and she is actually here in Belize so it is a great opportunity. Not many get this chance so I am just blessed."

Colleen Burgess, Mother
"Oh my God, I can’t even explain how I feel. I feel pretty good. I am so excited. Very excited about this young man."

Keith Swift,
"What can we expect from you?"

Charlie Burgess,
"I am just going to go out there and give it my all. Play every game like it is last. I love winning more than I love lo lose."

Five Things // Receiver Options

Seth C — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:12 -0000

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

Receiver Options

I think this thought is a tad bit ridiculous, but there just seems to be a ton of options at the receiver position, and I'm hoping that we can hopefully work though the options at receiver and clarify who's going to see significant reps at receiver.

1: X

I think most everyone knows the story of Edward Britton's classroom spring struggles (i.e. sitting at a desk on the field in the snow while everyone else practices) but considering the current options at the X position, I think that Britton is by far the best option available. At the end of the spring, Britton's competition at this position was Adrian Reese, Rashad Hawk and Brik Brinker. Of all of the receiver position, this seems to be the least deep of the four, although I would bet that if push came to shove and Britton was injured, I think you'd see someone else, possibly Jacoby Franks or Alex Torres flip over here (probably Franks). Of Britton's backups, I like Hawk's potential the best, but thus far, he's had a tough time getting on the field. Hawk is as skinny and as tall as he's listed (6-4/188) and has a tremendous amount of potential, but thus far, he hasn't put it together just yet. Reese is another guy that has a ton of potential, but again, just hasn't been able to put it together. I'm sure that this is partly because he's really been a player without a position, and I like that the coaching staff is making attempts at getting him on the field. I too think that he could be a nice option in and around the endzone, especially at 6-7, but in the past, Reese has not shown the ability to consistently get open or make tough catches, which is one of the reasons why I think he red-shirted last year. During the spring game, I thought that Reese struggled a bit to get off the line of scrimmage and separate himself although this wouldn't matter as much along the goal line where he would essentially just post-up in the endzone.

2: H

Is anyone going to call me crazy if I think that Tramain Swindall is my candidate for break-out player of the year. I know, he had 46 catches last year so it's not like he's a complete unknown, but this year he should be the guy at the H receiver position taking over for Eric Morris. Again, he's not the typical H receiver in that he's got some good size (6-2/175) and he's a little different than what Texas Tech has previously had at this position. Cornelius Douglas should see plenty of time as Swindall's backup. Douglas is one of those guys that had a little trouble holding on to passes during the spring game, but he he's got a ton of talent, is incredibly shifty, has really good speed and should be a real asset at this position. Adam James, who didn't get much ink during the spring, returns as the blocking H receiver, although I really like what he could bring from this position on a full-time basis.

3: Y

If there's one receiver that has a strangle-hold on any one position, it's Detron Lewis. Lewis is not the athlete that Michael Crabtree is, but I have no doubt that Lewis has the ability to be a special player, although like most players like Lewis, it's not a matter of talent, it's really a question of consistency. Really though, I have no doubt that Lewis will answer most, if not all of those questions in 2009. I'm really comfortable with Lewis being a leader on this team. Of course with Lewis being "the guy" at Y, it conceivably leaves little room for Austin Zouzalik to be a significant player for the Red Raiders. Zouzalik is a former high school quarterback who redshirted last year is supposedly one of the fastest players on the team and displayed the ability to catch just about everything during the spring. I'm not trying to over-rate Zouzalik, but the truth of the matter is if there's a guy that could play just about any position it's Zouzalik and I get the feeling that had he played receiver in high school, he would have been a 3-star receiver rather than getting signed late with Texas Tech. Yep, I think he's that good. Blake Kelley is the last option here and if he's seeing significant time here, then something has gone horribly wrong. Not a knock against Kelley, but there's a ton receiving talent on this Texas Tech team.

4: Z

Perhaps the most important position is the position most up in the air. With the graduation of Michael Crabtree, there really hasn't been just one guy that's jumped up and grabbed the opportunity. Alexander Torres received quite a bit of spring attention, but I don't know if he's the game-breaker that I'd like to see at this position. Of course other receivers excelled at the Z position without being true game-breakers, but he's really solid. Lyle Leong should be the guy that takes over this fall, but he was injured during the spring and so there was opportunity for guys to surpass Leong. Leong played with Taylor Potts, catches everything thrown his way, however, he's been a little bit injury prone and he's not the best physical specimen. Jacoby Franks is another guy that should get some real opportunity here. Franks is one of those guys who looks the part with legitimate size (6-1/194) and speed (4.5) and personally, along with Swindall, is one of the guys that I'm personally cheering for his year. Eric Ward is actually a 2009 signee that walked onto campus during the spring and there was a lot of expectation that Ward would be a guy that could play immediately because he was a 4-star receiver with a ton of hype. Ward's case should show us that it's not always about talent because I have no doubt that he has what it takes, but repetitions and learning the Air Raid system is not something that should be overlooked when we talk about true freshmen making an impact with this offense. It takes time and I have no doubt that Ward is going to be a special player for Texas Tech.

5: Blockers

These guys don't get a ton of attention and this isn't going to be an essay on the blocking receivers for Texas Tech, but I thought they at least needed a mention as they are the unsung group of guys who get the job done blocking in the AirRaid offense. Ryan Hale is probably the best known blocker, along with receiver Adam James. The difference between the two is that James is a much better and smoother receiving threat, but Hale is the better, more punishing blocker. Omar Castillo was moved to tight end during the spring, after spending time at the offensive line last year. I didn't notice Castillo much during the spring game, but he was on the field after the game and if there is one guy that's an absolute physical specimen on this team it's Castillo. I have no idea why Castillo hasn't been able to find a position and stick thus far, but the guy is a legitimate 6-6/270 with very little body fat. I have no expectations from Castillo this year and anything that he can give you would be gravy, but if he could eventually give you a legitimate receiving threat at the goal line, all the while being a devastating blocker, sign me up.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 07.06.09

Seth C — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:31:53 -0000

Odds and Ends

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I hope everyone had a safe and happy July 4th weekend. The end of the July 4th weekend usually means that we're on the downward slide of the offseason. In July, we'll have the Big 12 Media Days, fall practice starts in August and before you know it, September is staring you in the face. It will probably be real hit or miss in terms of links and news, but I'm still doing my best to keep new content up and running.

Texas Tech Football

We Love Some Lists

CT's Dave Matter lists the Big 12's best backs (this includes QB's and RB's), which does not include a Red Raider. Now, before you start claiming that Matter is biased and doesn't know what he's talking about there are only a few writers who study the conference as much as matter. Matter does list Baron Batch and Taylor Potts as "others worth considering" and "fresh faces to watch". I think an argument could be made for Batch to get on the list at the 9 through 12 positions based solely on the fact that he should see a majority of the carries and receptions this year out of the backfield. And BTW, Batch's yard per carry average was 6.78. Just sayin'.

The Broadcast Booth Checks in with the CFL

Thanks to Brian Jensen of the Broadcast Booth who's checking in with the various Red Raiders playing in the CFL. WR Eric Morris made his debut, while Glenn January and Aaron Hunt are grizzled veterans.

Central Texas' Top 10 Athletes

A very nice honor for incoming recruit Kerry Hyder who was named by the AAS as the 10th best athlete from Central Texas having this to say about Hyder:

The four-year starter at Manor and LBJ earned All-Central Texas honors as a linebacker, then signed to play for Texas Tech. He may best be remembered for his last-second steal and free throw that helped LBJ's basketball team upset Lake Travis in the Region IV-4A final and earn a berth in the state tournament.

I've tried to find some basketball stats on Hyder, but have come up empty this morning, but who doesn't love to have a LB/DE prospect who is also pretty good at basketball? Congrats to Hyder.

Most Important Red Raiders, #11 and #12

Fox34 is ranking the most important Red Raiders and WR Edward Britton and DT Colby Whitlock check in at #11 and #12 respectively.

Texas Tech Baseball

Bettis Continues Success for Team USA

Texas Tech's Chad Bettis has pitched two additional innings, bringing his work for Team USA up to 4.0 IP; 1 H; 4 SO; and 1 BB, while yielding zero runs thus far.

Five Things // Improving the Special Teams

Seth C — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:20 -0000

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

Improving the Special Teams

To say that special teams has largely been ignored by the Captain would be an understatement. Clay McGuire was the special teams coach last year and did so without any sort of experience. When running backs coach Seth Littrell left for Arizona, Leach moved McGuire to running backs coach, the position he played at Texas Tech, and hired Louisiana Tech's special teams coach Eric Russell.

The point of this exercise is to take a look at where the special teams was last year and Russell's La. Tech teams from 2008 and 2007 as well as 2006, the year before he arrived at La. Tech (Russell was previously at North Texas).

Since I haven't seen a lick of La. Tech football in the last two years, I would think the argument could be made as to whether La. Tech's success at special teams is based on scheme or the players, and for the sake of this post, we'll give credit to Russell for the scheme since I do not have an opinion as to the types of players at La. Tech.

1: Punt Returns

	2008	2008	2007	2006
Punt Return	9.90 (1 TD)	12.97 (3 TD)	13.92 (0 TD)	5.00 (0 TD)
Punt Return Allowed	11.93 (2 TD)	6.00 (1 TD)	7.53 (0 TD)	9.25 (0 TD)

This is fairly significant and it doesn't take any type of specialized degree to note that prior to Russell's arrival in 2006, La. Tech was simply woeful at both punt return and punt returns allowed. Things changed fairly quickly, and if there's one thing that I'm hoping with Russell's arrival, is that the Red Raiders can and will improve in both of these categories.

The key here in punt returns is who will actually be returning those punts for Texas Tech. In previous years, Leach has opted for the safe and reliable option, in Eric Morris and Danny Amendola. Both guys weren't necessarily game-breakers, but were incredibly reliable. It will be interesting to see if Russell opts for a similar player. Perhaps Austin Zouzalik or Cornelius Douglas are a couple of options.

Additionally, I'm interested to see what Russell does in terms of coverage, and I think all of these stats are something that I'm going to want to watch all season long, but this appears to be something that Russell can remedy fairly quickly. How happy would you guys be to see the allowed yards to dip under 10 and hover closer to Russell's marks at La. Tech of 6.00 and 7.53 per return?

2: Kickoff Returns

	2008	2008	2007	2006
Kickoff Return	22.20 (0 TD)	23.42 (1 TD)	23.13 (1 TD)	21.70 (1 TD)
Kickoff Return Allowed	21.00 (0 TD)	18.09 (0 TD)	23.73 (1 TD)	21.33 (1 TD)

Slight improvement on Russell's part, although allowing less than 20 yards a kickoff return in 2008 is significant. In fact, in 2008 La. Tech ranked 8th in the nation so a few yards makes a difference in being a highly ranked unit and being middle of the pack, like Texas Tech at 59th in the nation. It's certainly not a stretch to think that Russell will have a somewhat significant impact here as well especially in terms of coverage.

La. Tech was also highly ranked in terms of kickoff returns, coming in at 17th in the nation last year. Again, this is something where a few yards makes a big difference as La. Tech ranked 17th in the nation in punt returns, while Texas Tech ranked 39th. Again, not bad, but not great either. Jamar Wall (20) returned a majority of kickoffs last year, followed by Detron Lewis (8) and LaRon Moore (7), and I've always thought that this is a perfect opportunity to get a guy like Harrison Jeffers some touches. I've always preferred a bigger return man, especially in kickoffs and if Jeffers could get two or three touches a game from kickoffs alone could be a real positive in his overall development.

3: Punting

	2008	2008	2007	2006
Punting	35.65	40.49	41.30	38.18

This is one of those stats (much like any kicker related statistic) that you could probably say is related to the actual player rather than the coach, but since we're giving credit to Russell for the sake of this post, there's obviously some room for improvement here. La. Tech didn't light the world on fire last year in punting, coming in at 42nd in the nation, but at least the Bulldogs didn't find themselves at 118th. Yep, Jonathan LaCour, who exhibited a fairly strong leg his freshman year, had a sophomore slump in 2008 as he punted for a net average of less than 30 yards a game. Wind or no wind, that's unacceptable and I don't know how much Russell is going to be able to improve LaCour, but he is doing one thing that Leach didn't do last year, which is give LaCour a little competition. This spring, Donnie Carona, who has had mixed success (yes, I'm putting this lightly) at kicking, tried his leg at punting and although it may not mean anything during the course of the season, it might. LaCour probably needed someone to push him a bit and here's hoping that Carona can. I'd also love to see if Russell can get LaCour over any mental hump that he might have had, perhaps teaching him a little better technique.

4: Kickoff

	2008	2008	2007	2006
Kickoff	65.22 (27.08% TB)	62.32 (7.69% TB)	-	-

You'll note that these statistics only go back to 2007 and if there's one thing that Donnie Carona did right last year, it was kickoffs. He may not have been great at getting it through the upright, but he was good at getting it to the endzone, putting a little over 27% of his kickoffs back for touchbacks. Although we were going to give credit to Russell alone, this is very much a single player type of statistic. Either the kicker does, or does not kick it a long ways and if Carona can do anything, it's kick it a long ways.

5: Place Kicking

	2008	2008	2007	2006
Field Goals	7/13 (53.8%)	14/28 (50.0%)	12/21 (57.1%)	8/12 (66.7%)
Extra Points	70/76 (92.1%)	38/40 (95.0%)	25/26 (96.2%)	30/31 (96.8%)

As bad as the field goal kicking was last year, it was at least on par with what Russell was previously doing at La. Tech. Anyone who watched Texas Tech last year knew that Donnie Carona (4/9; 44%) was kicking the ball too low last year on field goals, giving opponents the ability to block his field goals relatively easily. Walk-on Matt Williams (2/3; 67%) was better, but really didn't have many opportunities. I have no idea how Russell is going to solve this problem, although something to keep in mind is that Texas Tech did signa preferred walk-on in Blinn CC kicker Brad Hicks. I haven't been able to find much on statistics on Hicks, but he did make 11 field goals last year and 52 extra points. As far as Carona is concerned, I think this is all mental and technique. If he could just have a little success, I think he's fine and I hope that Russell is what can get him back on track.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 06.26.09

Seth C — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:18:44 -0000

Odds and Ends

Its' Friday

I can't tell you how happy I am that it's Friday. I'm also happy that the Mavs did not draft yet another big slow white guy. I sorta freaked out a bit when it looked like they were going to take Mullens, who may be a fine player, but does not appear to be overly athletic. The NBA is such a weird bird to me, especially when you consider there are a ton of college and overseas players, a bunch of which play at a relatively high level, but can only find a handful of players in a draft or rather the entire second round is a gamble. It would seem logical that there are plenty of players who could contribute in the 2nd round and I know that it has something to do with the limited number of roster spots, but saying that a draft only has 20 quality prospects out a couple hundred of prospects seems like a really low success rate.

And yes, I promise to work on some new content this weekend.

Texas Tech Football

The Elf Is a Roughrider

Again, thanks for the Broadcast Booth's Brian Jensen for following this story as WR Eric Morris officially made the Saskatechwan Roughriders and I found this bit from The Star Phoenix's Ian Hamilton regarding Morris making the team:

Among the players released were Brandon Childress and Casey McGahee, who were competing for the job as Saskatchewan's main return man.

Instead, the Roughriders will go with Eric Morris and Johnny Quinn.

"The thing that Morris and Quinn have shown is that they're going to catch the ball consistently," Miller said. "We had some great returns, particularly with Morris, so we're going to go with consistency there."

McGahee let a punt go right through his hands in Tuesday's 27-19 pre-season loss to Calgary. The fumble was returned for a game-clinching touchdown by Juwan Simpson.

Harrell Works Out With Harrell

DMN's Brandon George writes that Graham Harrell is working out with younger brother, Clark Harrell, at Abilene Christian, and George confirms what I think Harrell is doing, which is waiting until training camps start with the hopes of catching on with an NFL team rather than try his luck in the CFL:

Sam Harrell said that Graham and Clark are working out with a strength and conditioning coach at ACU. Sam Harrell said that Graham is hopeful that the Cleveland Browns will sign him to a free agent contract and bring him into training camp with a shot to make the team. Harrell spent a few days with the Browns after he wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. As of now, however, Graham has yet to hear from the Browns about a possible training camp spot.

Big 12 Media Day Set

CT's Dave Matter has the Big 12 Media Day schedule, which means that you can pencil in July 29th as the day that Mike Leach is criticized for not bringing high profile players to the Big 12 media days.

Texas Tech Basketball

Red Raiders in the NBA Draft

RRS.com's Joe Yeager runs down the list of Texas Tech players picked in the NBA Draft, and there's a few guys that I've never even heard of (i.e., this is a good opportunity for a personal history lesson). My biggest surprise was the fact that Cory Carr didn't make in the league despite having all of the athletic ability in the world. Having the desire to make it in the NBA is what keeps you playing.

Texas Tech Baseball

Chad Bettis Talks About Team USA

DT's Alex Ybarra talks with sophomore pitcher Chad Bettis about making the USA National Team and they've named him to be the closer, although I'm sure the coach knows that Bettis could pitch in just about every situation:

"I got this big grin on my face like, 'Man, I really hope I make this team," he said. "There weren't really thoughts. I was just really hoping that I'd make it. It's pretty painful waiting, pretty painful."

Snip

"As of right now, I am the only closer," he said. "I think they're trying to make one other guy a set up guy or a closer, so I don't have to come in every game and pitch."

Texas Tech Track

Roberts Advances to Semi-Finals

Huge congrats to Gil Roberts (400 m) who has advanced to the semi-finals of the USA Outdoor Championships. Send some good mojo Roberts' way today.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 06.25.09

Seth C — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:56:15 -0000

Odds and Ends

Sam Harrell Battling with MLS

I know that this should have been under the football heading, but the truth is that this is something that is beyond football, as Graham Harrell's father was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and is now discussing the issue publicly (hat-tip to redraidersax for the FanShot). Per the DMN's Brandon George:

"I have MS. It's true. But I'm not quitting or retiring or anything else," Harrell said. "I just have to be flexible with what I do, but nothing is going to change."

Snip

"Heat is really a big factor in it. When you get hot, your mobility and coordination decreases, and most days I'm going to get up and get hot," Harrell said. "It has continued to get worse, and I thought it was time to disclose it and make sure people understood why I couldn't do some things that you should be able to do, like get outside and show them how to run routes. But coaching isn't about demonstrating, it's about teaching, so I just don't worry about demonstrating."

Harrell said that on hot days at practice the last few years, he's coached from a golf cart.

"When it was really hot, I just couldn't do some things," Harrell said. "Now I'll be in a golf cart every day and not just on the really hot days. You just have to adapt."

From reading the article, it doesn't sound like that Harrell will let MLS slow him down any more than it has to, and you would expecting nothing less from a guy that's been so successful in life. Send some good mojo Harrell's way this morning.

Texas Tech Football

The Elf Making a Name for Himself in CFL

Brian Jensen of the Broadcast Booth continues to follow WR Eric Morris as he tries to make the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders roster:

Here's the breakdown: 2 catches/17 yds; 5 KR/98 yds (30 LNG); 2 PR/12 yds. In both games Morris was tied for the team lead in catches and his combined numbers look like this: 6/62 yds; 5 KR/98 yds; 4 PR/27 yds; 1 tackle!

With what Eric has showed throughout camp and especially under the lights...which all Red Raider fans know... and we saw from the booth throughout his career at Tech... the hands, the moves, the consistency in both the return and receiving game, he should be on the opening day CFL roster!

Recapping the TAMU Game, Again

Yesterday, Fox34 had the video, and today, RRS.com's Joe Yeager reviews last year's TAMU game and would agree (to a point) with both of these bullets:

KEY MOMENT: It could have been worse than 23-30 for the Red Raiders at halftime. Trailing Tech by a 20-16 count, Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson hit Jeff Fuller for what looked to be a 78-yard touchdown pass. An Aggie was called for holding, however, and one bullet was dodged. Had A&M been ahead 30-20 instead of 23-20 at intermission, this game might have been a little bit hairier than it already was.

STAT OF THE GAME: After surrendering 274 yards and 23 points in the first half, in a performance reminiscent of some bad old days in Stillwater, Tech’s defense held A&M to 32 yards, five first downs and no points (the Aggies did get two points by returning a blocked extra point) in the second. Rarely will you see a defense turn a complete 360 in one game the way Ruffin McNeill’s troops did in this one.

Texas Tech Baseball

Chad Bettis Makes USA National Team

Per the Texas Tech website, sophomore pitcher Chad Bettis had made the USA National Team, with play to begin on Thursday (I think that's today) against Canada. Here's what Bettis' schedue for the summer:

The 2009 National Team will compete in several exhibition games in the Triangle-area of North Carolina, including a friendly series against the Canadian National Team, June 25-29, which will be played across both the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and the USA Baseball Training Complex. Following its domestic exhibition schedule, the U.S. will travel to Japan to compete in the 37th Annual Japan vs. USA Collegiate Championships before closing out its summer in Canada at the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline World Baseball Challenge in Prince George, British Columbia.

Congrats to Chad, we'll be following you all summer.

Texas Tech Track

Texas Tech Sending Seven to USA Outdoor Championships

Also per the Texas Tech website, well-wishes to all seven Red Raiders as they will compete to make team USA to then participate in the 2009 IAAF World Championships: Gil Roberts (400 m), Omo Osaghae (110 m hurdles), Harrison Benjamin (shot-put), Brandon Tucker (110 m hurdles), D'Andra Carter (discus), Patience Knight (shot-put), and Ozie Okolie (hammer throw). The meet starts tomorrow, so think a good thought for these guys.