SB Nation - Taylor Potts

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 12.08.09

Seth C — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:09:30 -0000

Game Tonight:
#23 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Television: The Mountain
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Daniel-Meyer Coliseum :: Ft. Worth, TX
Preview: 10:00 a.m. post :: Game Day Thread: 5:00 p.m. post

You're probably thinking that tonight's game doesn't mean much and I'll probably write this way too much this season, but it's different on the road. It's going to be a battle, despite the fact that on paper, TCU may not be the most talented team. It's different on the road and should be a good game.

Targets on Back: DT's Mike Graham writes that the Red Raiders are now the team with the target on their back as they travel to Ft. Worth tonight. Head coach Pat Knight thinks it's all about mentally preparing themselves:

"It’s a mental approach," Knight said. "Look at all the pro teams, college teams in any sport that have a big game. I’ve talked with my dad about this, and you can’t let them get caught up in all the publicity."

PG John Roberson knows that Texas Tech's #23 ranking doesn't matter if the winning doesn't continue:

"One of the bulletin boards in our locker room says ‘If it’s on the schedule, you might as well win it,’" he said. "There’s not going to be any letdown. I’m not going to let that happen. I mean, if we lose against TCU, none of this means anything."

Big 12 Links: DT's Steve Walinik with his Big 12 power poll (he has Texas Tech at #4 in the conference) . . . SportingNews Mike DeCourcy ranks the Big 12 (Texas Tech #2?) . . .

Potts to Start: FWST's Dwain Price writes that head captain Mike Leach said that QB Taylor Potts will start against Michigan St.:

"I'm going to start Potts (against Michigan State),'' Leach said. "He's steady and I need to settle on one (quarterback) and quit pulling them in and out, and then in the spring they'll battle it out.''

I think this is the right move, let Potts finish the year, allow QB Steven Sheffield to heal completely, and let them all fight it out in the spring. It may not be the most popular decision, but we also have no idea as to Sheffield's status (although he's dressed for every game, and played in the Oklahoma St. game) and how well or how much he's healed. I've got no problem with Leach allowing Potts to finish what he's started.

2008 Heisman = Injustice: FWST's Dwain Price also has the story that Leach is not short on opinions as he also noted that the 2008 Heisman was "a total injustice":

"There's no question Graham and Crabtree should have been invited to New York (last year),'' Leach said, ironically from New York, where he'll be attending Tuesday's College Football Hall of Fame ceremonies. "It was a total injustice they didn't bring them, there's no question, but they do what they do.

"The Heisman is solely a popularity contest. It is what it is. If folks have momentum at the end (of the season) and the rest, and then have plenty of popularity, they're going to be invited (to New York) and whoever is the most popular is going to win it.''

Since the Heisman folks are going to do their thing, BCS style, here's just a minor suggestion from Leach.

"What they should have done a long time ago, they ought to just move the Heisman Trophy (ceremonies) until after the national championship game,'' Leach said. "Whoever's the MVP in the national championship game they ought to just give him the Heisman.

"That's what they're trying to do anyway, except their dates don't line up.''

9,000 of 11,000 Allotted Tickets = Gone: LAJ's Don Williams writes that 9,000 of Texas Tech's allotted 11,000 tickets are gone:

"Anything north of 65 (thousand) means we had to put in standing room only (seats),’’ Hill said Monday. "That’s my favorite, when we have to buy barstools and bake cookies for the fire marshal.’’

Tech seems to be doing its part. From an initial allotment of 11,016 tickets, Tech pre-sold 6,000 before the bowl destination was known and then another 3,000 late Sunday and Monday, according to Dave Welsh, the Tech assistant athletic director for ticket operations. Welsh said Tech’s allotment of lower-level and club seats are sold out, leaving, at the moment, only $55 upper-level sideline tickets.

"Right now, the buzz is tremendous,’’ Hill said late Monday afternoon. "The Red Raider fans have not disappointed in the first 24 hours after the team announcement.’’

McNeill Talks Defense: The DT has defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill talking defense:

Michigan St. Spartan and Big 12 Links: The Only Colors has a quick statistical comparison between the Spartans and the Red Raiders . . . RA's ayleein with some thoughts on Texas Tech going to the Alamo Bowl . . thank goodness the DMN has Staff and Wire Reports working hard on covering this game rather than an actual reporter (I know, it's not the writers fault, but it is) . . . BOTC's TB writes that you should not view Nebraska as sympathetic victim . . . RRS.com's Tech Talk sat down with Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal . . .

Post Game Thoughts :: Baylor Bears Edition

Seth C — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:40 -0000

by Jerry Larson - AP

12 days ago: Texas Tech's Lyle Leong scores against Baylor's Joe Pawelek in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/ Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

View full size photo »

SBN Box Score :: TTU Box Score

The Result :: Just Okay: We've discussed this to a point, but it wasn't the best possible win. Perhaps this is something that should be expected coming off a game like the Oklahoma game, but it was just okay. I was happy as hell to get out of the Cowboys Stadium with a win and I hated that I was nervous about it for such a long period of time.

I was thinking of saving this thought for off-season thoughts, but I'll throw this out there now. Perhaps the thing that interests me the most about this team is the fact that we as a community have become that much more critical, and I mean that in the best possible way. I've always thought that Texas Tech has this stigma that Red Raider fans are apathetic in the sense that we're happy with occasional wins against various opponents, but the expectations of excellence were never really there. The days of going into a game with no expectation of a win and being completely disinterested with a loss are behind Red Raider fans. That's a good thing. I/we/DTN is now firmly behind expectations of excellence and I'm happy about that. That's not to say that the most difficult mornings for me personally are the mornings where I have to think of something worth-while to write after a loss and I think that's an indication that DTN and this program has arrived to an extent. That makes me happy (not the losses).

Storylines and MVP's after the jump.

The Storylines ::

About that Defense: At first blush, I thought the defense had a less than stellar game. For the game, the defense gave up 342 yards, only 176 yards in the 2nd half and of those 176 2nd half yards, 60 came on the last drive. The Bears had 3 plays that accounted for more than 20 yards, the first being the long pass to Gettis for 57 yards. I've only had time to watch the replay once, but on that play, it appeared that CB Jamar Wall was expecting help over the top and I believe that FS Franklin Mitchem just didn't get there. The 2nd big play was to Kendall Wright for 24 yards and I think this was scheme issue as LB Brian Duncan was trying to cover one of the fastest players on Baylor's team. It's hard to fault Duncan on this play as he's just not capable of covering a slot receiver. The 3rd big play was to Terrance Ganway, another situation where LB Marlon Williams was asked to cover him out of the flat and in open space (this is the play I'm not sure about). That first play led to Baylor's only touchdown, the second play was a play that ended in a Baylor field goal and the third play resulted in a punt. The point being here is that although the defense gave up 3 big plays, which accounted for 105 yards were the bulk of the Baylor offense. I've always hated how folks will take certain plays out of context of a game, but I'll do it now because it totally serves my purpose and you've got a defense that gave up 237 yards for the game, good for a 3.33 yards per play average. The big plays hurt the defense, but all 3 of these big plays were, at least in my opinion, were the result of bad match-ups and a bad play by a safety that's had a pretty good season.

Improved Line Play: By my count, this same set of offensive linemen have been together for 4 straight games, starting with the Kansas game. We've all talked about how with a better offensive line, the overall play will get better and other than the Oklahoma St. loss, that's been the case. That's not to say that this group didn't have some kinks to work out, including giving up 5 sacks against Kansas, all at the feet of QB Seth Doege, none with Potts; 1 against Oklahoma St.; 2 against Oklahoma; and 1 against Baylor. For a string of 7 halves, the offensive line only gave up 4 sacks and if there's a reason for the team's better play, that's a good place to start. Another indication that when the team runs the ball, good things happen: 32 carries for 105 yards rushing against KU; 14 carries for 50 against OSU; 35 carries for 161 yards; and 28 carries for 101 yards against Baylor. Run the ball and this team will have success.

Making Plays: I've always sort of thought that the hallmark of a good defense isn't necessarily the yards or the points, but the plays that the individuals make. For the 2nd year in a row, the defense is in the top 4 in the conference in sacks, 34.0 in 2008 and 40.0 in 2009. In 2007, the defense only mustered 26.0 sacks. Same goes for passes defended. Top 4 in the conference in passes defended as 2008 the team had 18 interceptions and 55 passes broken up (5.62 per game), in 2009 it was 8 interceptions and 68 passes broken up (6.33 per game), while in 2007 the defense had 10 interceptions and 55 passes broken up (5.00 per game). It may not seem evident over the course of time, but this defense has become more aggressive, especially in the secondary. The defensive play-makers are trending up, despite losing talent on at defensive end at in the secondary. The same could be said for Saturday's game where the defense broke up 4 passes, including one beautiful interception by Brent Nickerson, forced 3 fumbles and 4 sacks. That's a pretty good day at the office.

The Disappearance and Emergence of Receivers: This is probably going to be an offseason project, but I find it absolutely fascinating how certain roles have been completely reversed in some cases with the offense. In the early part of the year, the team was greatly dependent on guys like Detron Lewis and Tramain Swindall, but recently, it's been the emergence of Alexander Torres and Austin Zoualik with a fairly consistent bit of Lyle Leong mixed in for good measure. I can't give you an explanation, other than defenses may be keying on Lewis and Swindall or the thought that Lewis and Swindall may not be giving maximum effort in practice, but it's interesting. Be patient, I promise an much more comprehensive post after the season (this is absolutely a tease and intended to keep you guys around for a while).

The Guy That Matters Wasn't Happy: I didn't catch this until yesterday, but I noted in Chris Level's Twitter that Leach wasn't happy with the 20 points on Saturday as he ran the team through a padded practice on Sunday. Not only that, Leach pitted the first team against the first team and the work was spirited. I get the feeling that this perception that Leach is fairly easy on the team, but much like this community is changing there's this thought that Leach is changing as well. We all like not being satisfied with just being mediocre and the fact that Leach made the team practice on Sunday is certainly a good thing.

The Offensive Co-MVP's :: WR Lyle Leong and IR Austin Zouzalik: Zouzalik made some really nice grabs (7 for 92 yards), most of them over the middle of the field. Leong gets credit for making some really nice touchdown grabs (6 for 58 yards and 2 TD's).

The Defensive MVP :: DE Brandon Sharpe: It's fitting to think that he couldn't even get on the field last year, but finished the year as Texas Tech's single-season record holder for sacks.

The Special Teams MVP :: KR Eric Stephens: Another season long reward for his work on kickoff returns. You always like to see a player make up for a bad play as Stephens' 64 yard return late in the game was a huge game-changer. The rest of the Big 12 gets 3 more years of this guy.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.30.09

Seth C — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:14:16 -0000

More photos » by Jerry Larson - AP

12 days ago: Texas Tech's Taylor Potts (15) hugs teammate Baron Batch after Tech defeated Baylor 20-13 in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jerry Larson)

Browse more photos »

Big Thanks, Part I: First and foremost, I need to give a huge shout-out to DTN reader RAIDERDOC, who just offered to send me tickets to Saturday's game, sent them by overnight mail so that I could have them in plenty of time for Saturday's game. A huge tip of the hat to RAIDERDOC it was and is much appreciated.

Big Thanks, Part II: Last, but not least, you'll note that I didn't get to the Post Game Thoughts as originally thought. I decided to spend the entire Sunday with the wife and not work on DTN, but rather help her out with Christmas decorations. I figured that since Texas Tech didn't have any sort of game this week, I didn't necessarily have to spend time writing previews, putting together tables, etc. I've ignored her for most Saturdays and Sundays for the better part of the year and she willingly gives me a kitchen-pass when it comes to DTN most, if not all of the time. I'll be working on Post Game Thoughts tonight and probably post sometime tomorrow.

Potts is the Worst Evah: I get that QB Taylor Potts didn't have a great game on Saturday night, even the most staunch Potts supporter could agree that he wasn't great. It was an awful first half, reminiscent of performances like this, this or this (damn straight I'm cherry-picking). But in the second half, after being down 10-3, Potts was pretty good. I'll have more on this tomorrow, but Potts finished the 2nd half going 17 for 24 for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. I got up yesterday morning, read all of the comments about how Potts didn't hit any receiver in stride the entire game, thought that I had seen a different game, perhaps under the influence, watched the game again and thought that this was a crazy notion. Did he miss receivers? Sure, find a quarterback that doesn't. Did he throw behind some receivers? Sure, find a quarterback that doesn't.

Not only that, I think credit needs to be given to Potts for continuing to believe in the running game, as he (or someone) called 12 rushing plays in the 2nd half good for 55 yards, that's 4.58 yards per attempt. It would have been real easy to simply pass every play considering how the team was down, but I thought the mix of running plays was a big part of the 2nd half success.

I get the feeling that this is probably a losing battle with most of you guys, in that my efforts to give Potts just a bit of a break will always fail. Potts isn't perfect, I think we can all agree on that, and he had a bad first half, but he's not the worst quarterback in the history of Texas Tech. In Graham Harrell's first year quarterbacking this team, Harrell led this team to 8 wins with losses to TCU, Missouri, Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma. Harrell finished the year with 38 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while Potts sits at 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. No one will ever win an argument that Potts is the best quarterback, but I just have a hard time agreeing with some of the sentiments that every pass was an abomination.

One other thought that's creeped in my mind, and I don't like talking about injuries, but QB Steven Sheffield is listed at 190 pounds, but would be willing to be that he may not weigh a pound over 180. The fact that Sheffield is a skinny guy who may not be able to take the pounding that a Big 12 season has to offer is a very real possibility next year.

Not only that, the picture above is visual proof that Potts teammates absolutely hate him.

At the end of the day, I think we all want the same thing, which is for the best quarterback to play, but some of the Potts-critiques seem harsh or perhaps I'm too soft, not mean enough, need to have a take and rip a player for not being better than he actually is or crap on a player despite getting a win.

Baylor's Best: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Baylor Bears brought their best on Saturday. Head captain Mike Leach seems proud of the effort:

"Baylor was more ready to play than we were,’’ Tech coach Mike Leach said, "and Baylor came in and gave us their best shot. It’s the best game I’ve seen them play all year and we (won), and for that, I’m very proud of our guys. Sometimes, you’ve just got to find a way.’’

Sharpe's Record: LAJ's Don Williams with a small notebook, but does have the note that the quarterback hurry that resulted in the Baylor QB throwing the ball away was officially changed to a sack, giving DE Brandon Sharpe 15.0 for the year. Leach had this to say about Sharpe:

"The last three-quarters of the season, he got on a tear,’’ Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Just think if the first four games were like that.’’ Leach said some credit should go to defensive end Daniel Howard, who has been credited with eight sacks this season.

"I think what makes it really difficult (for blockers) and really makes (Sharpe’s) job easier is the fact there’s a lot of heat on that other side with Daniel Howard,’’ Leach said. "We had a situation like that a few years back when we had Aaron Hunt and Adell Duckett on either side. It’s a lot different than just having one.’’

. . . Williams also mentions how IR Austin Zouzalik has slowly but surely replaced fellow IR Detron Lewis . . .

Texas Tech vs. Baylor Leftovers: DT's Alex Ybarra writes that the Red Raiders survived the Baylor scare, with the defense coming up big against the Bears, and fellow-writer Adam Coleman focuses on freshman RB Eric Stephens goat-to-hero game . . . WacoTrib's John Werner writes that moving the game to Cowboys Stadium was the right move . . .

Texas Tech defeats Baylor 20-13

kayakyakr — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:45:27 -0000

More photos » by Duane A. Laverty - AP

12 days ago: Baylor's Jay Finley (32) is brought down by Texas Tech defender Julius Howard (13) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday Nov. 28 in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune-Herald, Duane A. Laverty)

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Hard fought game, but TTU comes out with a win. Appropriately for the game and the season, TTU wins the game on a defensive stand. Near the goal line. Very hard fought game and I wonder which Taylor Potts we got. Mostly it was Taylor Potts but he actually seemed to be mobile and comfortable in the pocket today.

I give Brandon Sharpe the MVP for the game, he played a great game and got the key stop on 3rd down. Lyle Leong has got the offensive MVP, catching both TD passes, one of them with a linebacker on his back.

See you guys in the Alamo Bowl.

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Baylor Bears Edition

Seth C — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:00:24 -0000

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

20 days ago: Texas Tech defensive end Brandon Sharpe, left, moves in to sack Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones, right, during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

View full size photo »

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 :: Baylor Bears Edition.

Reason #1 :: Clicking Offense: It's tough to say that 1 game is a trend, but perhaps you can take a look at the last 3 games. Against Kansas, the Texas Tech offense rushed for 105 yards (usually an indicator of a win) and passed for 253. Against Oklahoma St. the offense sputtered, mostly in part because the rushing offense only managed 50 yards for the entire game. Last but not least, last week against Oklahoma, the offense simply busted out offensively as the rushing offense accounted for 161 yards and 388 through the air. I use these 3 games as a indicator of what worked (Kansas); what this team didn't do right (Oklahoma St.); and what worked to perfection (Oklahoma). We need to see more of what happened against Oklahoma this week.

Reason #2 :: Quarterback Stability: There's something to be said for the stability of the team when there's stability at quarterback. Leach mentioned the week before the Oklahoma game that he regretted the pulling of QB Taylor "Nick" Potts against Oklahoma St., and wanted to simply stick with a guy. Perhaps its that sort of confidence that Potts needed. Just a pat on the back and telling Potts that through thick or thin, he's the guy unless there's an injury. Potts has taken the right attitude and perhaps this is a sign of his maturity (I'd also like to add that I'm in the camp that a player should never have to deal with booing fans at his home stadium) and willingness to also be a team player:

"If I’m not starting," he said, "coach pulls me or whatever — It’s my responsibility to this team to stay focused and to stay with it and keep my head in the game and not just lose it."

Reason #3 :: Defensive Line Pressure: We're going to keep talking about the pressure that the defense brings until it stops becoming a factor. The Bears have a passing oriented offense and again there's no doubt that defensive ends Brandon Sharpe, Daniel Howard and Rajon Henley will need to have a big impact on Saturday's outcome. The Bears are 85th in the country in sacks allowed, at 2.45 per game. The Texas Tech defense is registering 3.27 sacks a game, sitting atop the Big 12 and when Texas Tech wins, the Red Raiders get to the quarterback 4.14 times and in losses, it's only 1.75 per game.

Reason #4 :: Renewed Running Game: I mentioned above that it's tough to call one game a trend, but I hope like heck it is. It's not just about RB Baron Batch, but I think it's also about consistency on the offensive line. The Baylor game will mark the 4th game that the current configuration of the offensive line will be playing together. There's something to be said for the offensive line having the opportunity to play together for these 4 games and develop a little chemistry. If there's a reason for the return of the running game, this is a pretty good place to start. The line-play certainly isn't perfect, but it's not a coincidence that the running game has looked better recently.

Reason #5 :: Harassing Secondary: I also do not think it's a coincidence that when S Will Ford and S Brett Dewhurst got healthy, so did the pass defense again. The TAMU game was not the pass defense's best performance, but since Ford's and Dewhurst's returns, the pass defense has improved fairly dramatically. Against TAMU, the pass defense had a passer-rating of 151.04, the worst of the season (and keep in mind that Sharpe was sick for most of this game) but against Kansas: 108.13; Oklahoma St.: 94.57; and Oklahoma: 109.20. That's the best 3-game stretch for any part of the season. There's talent in the defensive backfield, and it's finally healthy.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.25.09

Seth C — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:03:49 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

20 days ago: Texas Tech defensive back Jamar Wall, right, reaches in to intercept a pass intended for Oklahoma tight end Trent Ratterree, left, in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Browse more photos »

Friday Night Isolation: LAJ's Don Williams writes about the routine that the football program goes through each Friday night, which is going to the team hotel. DC Ruffin McNeill likes to isolate the team:

"I think you have to isolate the main core of the team,’’ said McNeill, the Texas Tech defensive coordinator. "They have got to be on the same page and have the same amount of football focus time as a group — as well as the coaches. It keeps us on the same page for a 48-hour period.’’

It was also fairly interesting to see Captain Mike Leach's comments regarding the proposed California legislation to outlaw (I like the word "outlaw") this practice:

"They act like it’s an unreasonable extravagance,’’ Leach said. "What about the burden on student-athletes having to go out there and perform in front of tens of thousands, furthermore, on national TV and not be able to put their best foot forward because they can’t get a good night’s sleep? It’s crazy. It’s crazy to the point I would like to meet the individuals in the Pac-10 that were foolish enough to propose it.’’

Influencing Academics: DT's Jon Vanderlaan writes about how Leach has positively affected the academics since he's been the head coach:

"I’ve got more degrees than I use. Than I know what to do with, really. And at one time more than I could afford," he said. "There’s no question you should have high academics. And there should be no excuse for not graduating people."

Despite the occasional temptation to be territorial between academics and athletics, Leach said, he supports the academic departments because it is another part of the university that enhances the quality of life for the students.

"I think attention to the university in general is very positive," he said. "For example, if someone looks to Tech for engineering or something like that and gets excited for our football team, that helps me. Just like if someone gets excited for the football team and looks at our math department, that helps our math department."

I love that this program graduates players and holds players accountable for their grades. Very proud of that.

Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams' notebook has the note that RG Brandon Carter will play in the East-West Shrine Game, which is scheduled for January 23, 2010 in Florida . . . a number of players were honored by being named to the academic All-Big 12 team:

First-team honorees were those with a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher. From Tech, those were linebacker Bront Bird (business major), cornerback Taylor Charbonnet (general business), safety Cody Davis (business), defensive tackle David Neill (human development and family studies), guard Mickey Okafor (pre-dental), tackle Chris Olson (general business), quarterback Taylor Potts (pre-physical therapy), flanker Alex Torres (general business) and inside receiver Austin Zouzalik (general business).

Second-team honorees were those with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19. From Tech, those were kicker-punter Donnie Carona (general business) and defensive end Brandon Sharpe (human development and family studies).

. . . DC Ruffin McNeill talks about DB Trent Nickerson and LB Chris Wallace each getting a play during Saturday's game against Oklahoma because of their commitment to the team:

"Senior, great leader,’’ McNeill said Tuesday. "Great enthusiast on the sideline. He’s a guy who knew his role on the football team, accepted his role and took it to another level. He always has great support for whoever’s playing on offense, defense or special teams. He’s been a scout-team guy for us and gave us great looks.’’

Baylor Bear and Big 12 Links: Waco Tribune's John Werner writes that the Bears are bowing out earlier than expected, but in grand style at Jerry's World . . . the SAEN looks at the 8 teams that have a shot at playing the Alamo Bowl . . .

First Non-Conference Win on the Road Since 2006: That's all you really need to know. The game looked well in hand for a good part of the first half and second half, but the SFA Lumberjacks came storming back in the second half. This is the sort of game that we would have talked about had Texas Tech lost the game, even if it was close, but with a 1 point win, I don't know that we'll be talking about this game in a month. If this game were a loss, it would be discussed until the end of the season. As far as game-play is concerned, G David Tairu didn't have a huge game, but he did his the 3-pointer that put the game away. There was a point late in the game where Tairu chastised SF Mike Singletary for taking an ill-advised shot late in the game, when Tairu was incredibly open. It's interesting to see that dynamic with Tairu being one of the new guys but feeling comfortable correcting his teammates. Tairu is probably the most fundamentally sound player I've seen for Texas Tech, on both sides of the ball. I'd be completely fine if the offense ran through Tairu as I think he has the makeup to be that sort of player.

The thing that bothers me the most is that I'm not sure that this team has a guy that knows how or wants to set up his teammates. Right now there's a lot of one-on-one and not much offensive flow. I'm struggling as to why this team, which has a core players who have been around for 3 years, can't figure out how to get guys involved. Offensively, this team is frustrating so long as there isn't one guy willing to take the team on their back.

Defensively, there were frustrating points for sure. Singletary and Roberson still have their defensive lapses and I think there was 4 points that Singletary gave up because he simply lost his man under the basket . . . twice. I thought that for the most part, Tairu, PF Darko Cohadarevic, SF D`Walyn Roberts and SF Brad Reese all looked good defensively.

Darko's Big Night: LAJ's Courtney Linehan focuses on Cohadarevic leading this team with 18 points and 3 boards. Here's head coach Pat Knight on his depth and the play of Darko:

"Lew and Corbin, they gave us some good minutes, then Darko got his stuff together on the bench, came back in and played well," Knight said. "I think that’s the best thing, if your kid’s struggling, the bench is almost like brain surgery."

And Darko knows that he must rebound better:

"I should go for boards more," he said. "This should not happen again."

Linehan has a notebook with this quote from PK:

"It’s huge. They say you can’t take anybody lightly on the road, even after you built a big lead you think it’s over, but they’re able to hang on like that," he said. "We got down early, came back, got the lead, got a big lead, let them back in. It will help us prepare for the Big 12."

. . . PF Corbin Ray returned after suffering a concussion in a pre-season scrimmage . . . Darko takes some of the blame on himself for trying to post-up too much rather than screen for teammates:

"After I hit the 17-foot jumper, I thought for a second, they’re not guarding me. Then after I got the post move under them they fouled me and I realized they cannot guard me low because I’m technically sound. I realized I’ve got to post up. Later on I got lost a little bit, I posted up too much, and the coaches wanted me to down screen away, down screen, flare screen to get other guys open, but I got caught up in posting up too much. I can take the blame for them catching up our 15-point lead because of that."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.24.09

Seth C — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:57:10 -0000

There's a Chance: There's a slight chance that I'm going to be able to secure a parking pass in the tailgate lot. I don't have many details just yet and there's also the detail of acquiring tickets, but if I can make this happen, we'll have a huge DTN blowout.

Congrats! A huge congratulations in order for the women's cross-country team that had it's best finish ever, finishing 4th over all at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. A huge accomplishment and a DTN tip-of-the-cap to all of these incredible athletes.

A Profit: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the football program will gross (notice that this isn't a net) $1.6 million from Saturday's game with Baylor, although the thought is that this type of revenue could be had every year if the game sells out, here's the athletic department's CFO Bobby Gleason:

"If you can get that $1.6 million, it’s equivalent to getting that every year instead of every other year,’’ said Gleason, Tech senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer. "It certainly helps financially this year.’’

Sticking with Nick: DT's Alex Ybarra writes that head captain Mike Leach is sticking with "Nick", i.e. QB Taylor Potts for the time being:

"We’ll stick with Nick for now," he said. "Potts will be Nick, and we’ll just leave it at that and see how that goes for a while."

And Potts understands that no matter his role, he must stay focused:

"If I’m not starting," he said, "coach pulls me or whatever — It’s my responsibility to this team to stay focused and to stay with it and keep my head in the game and not just lose it."

Playing D: FWST's Dwain Price writes that Texas Tech can play defense too and has some other notebook items. Here's CB Jamar Wall:

"We’ve always been in the offense’s shadow," said left cornerback Jamar Wall. "But it’s something that we don’t worry ourselves about because we know, obviously, if we don’t do great they couldn’t win without us.

"So we just focus on what we can control, and that’s causing turnovers and keeping guys from scoring and just playing our best."

Price also writes from his blog that Leach has no sympathy for Art Briles and Baylor for losing Robert Griffin for the year:

"I have no sympathy whatsoever,'' Leach said, referring to Baylor's loss of Griffin. "I’ve played three guys this season."

Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams has his standard football notebook with Leach being pleased with WR Alexander Torres:

"Right now, he’s playing as good as any of our receivers and had a good game last game," Tech coach Mike Leach said Monday. "He was one cut away from having probably 200 yards receiving. Part of it is because he does what he’s coached. He’s a tough guy who does what he’s coached to do and doesn’t regress. Once he makes some progress he doesn’t really lose ground, ever."

. . . someone asked Leach about motion (I mentioned this on Sunday morning in PGT) and Leach agreed that this is something that was new on Saturday:

"We motioned a little more than we had been," Leach said. "We’d been messing with it for a while and hadn’t really broken it out. But we kind of liked some things we’d been doing in practice, so yeah, had a little more motion."

Baylor Bear and Big 12 Links: LAJ's Adam Zuvanich has a ton of good Big 12 notes, including Leach defending Kansas coach Mark Mangino (why is this just in the blog and I'd love to know whether or not this makes the paper):

"Nobody truly knows what went on in Kansas, but my suspicion is Mark’s in the middle of a witchhunt, which is unjustified," said Leach, who coached with Mangino at Oklahoma in 1999. "Heaven forbid somebody should ask a guy to pay attention, focus in and for the sake of all his teammates and coaches and everybody else, pay attention. Well, there’s different ways to ask a guy to do that, and sometimes after you’ve asked them a number of times, you raise the bar.

"And then the interesting thing to me is all this murmuring went from, ‘He hit some guy in the face,’ to, ‘Well, he didn’t even touch anybody, but he just said mean things to him. The mean man told some player something he didnt’ want to hear.’ Well, you know, there’s a mean man in Lubbock that tells people stuff they don’t want to hear, too, and it’s just part of it."

. . . TR's dedfischer with an excellent look at how the Red Raiders play not just on 3rd downs, but on the downs in-between (this is a must read) . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes that the in-state universities crank up the rivalries . . .

Game Tonight: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Television: TTSN and ESPN360 :: Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Johnson Coliseum, Nacogdoches, TX
Preview and Game Day Thread: Scheduled for 5:00 p.m. post

Ending Road Woes: LAJ's Courtney Linehan and DT's Mike Graham write that the basketball team is hoping to show that they can get a win on the road tonight (from Graham's article):

"If you plan on being anywhere in the postseason, it’s the guys who take care of the home floor and can win some games on the road," he said. "It’s going to be tough. We haven’t beat a Southland opponent on the road yet. It’d be nice to get wins on the road again — we have to. If we don’t start winning on the road, we’re just not going to do anything in the postseason."

And F D`Walyn Roberts hopes his team is focused and play like they're at home (from Linehan's article):

"We’ve got to get our first road win; we haven’t gotten one in a long time," junior forward D’wayln Roberts said. "We’ve got to be real focused, play like we do at home, and we’ll win."

10 Players Signed: The Texas Tech baseball program announced that the staff has signed 10 student-athletes for the 2010-11 team. LAJ's George Watson has an excellent breakdown of the class and has this from head coach Dan Spencer:

"We’re really excited about the fact that we were able to get those young arms, and not just high school arms but a core group of young guys to build and back the classes we have now," Spencer said. "When you start those are the hardest to sign are those premium high school arms. And we’re finally to a point positionally where we’re able to be specific. We knew we wanted a catcher in the class and there was a good one right here in town and that worked out great. But we really like the quality of pitching we got."

West Texas Massacre, Red Raiders Put Sooners In Unfamiliar Spot

ccmachine — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:30:51 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Mike Leach became Texas Tech's all-time winningest football coach in convincing fashion with a 41-13 drubbing of Oklahoma. While there's certainly no joy in losses at least we could have hung our hats on the fact that in the previous losses Oklahoma was only a play or two away from actually winning. That most definitely wasn't the case Saturday morning in Lubbock.

The Red Raiders had their way with the Sooners on both sides of the ball in what could end up being the most embarrassing loss of the Bob Stoops era. The Red Raiders abused Oklahoma's defense to the tune of 41 points and 549 yards of offense. What had been an excellent defense all season was picked apart and run over. Taylor Potts had plenty of time to find open receivers as Tech's offensive line held Sooner defenders at bay. Taylor Potts threw for 388 yards and 2 touchdowns against the OU defense but that wasn't the most demoralizing thing that happened to the defense. No, that part came in the form of rushing yards. Tech ran for 161 yards on 35 carries with Stephens and Batch averaging 5.8 and 5.4 yards per carry respectively.

We knew that the OU offense would likely struggle but who would have thought that the rushing game would be non-existent and that the kicking game would have been the only part of the offense that would have worked properly. Landry Jones wasn't necessarily bad but he certainly wasn't great. He completed 51.4 percent of his passes for 262 yards with a touchdown and a pick. I don't really fault him much for the completion percentage because drops were once again in abundance and protection was once again poor. I still can't figure out why DeMarco Murray only had 11 touches for the game but maybe his 2.0 yards per carry and 3.5 yards per reception averages had something to do with it.

You have to go back to the John Blake years to find an Oklahoma team getting worked like that by an unranked opponent. There isn't much more that we can add in commentary that hasn't already been said other than we need to give Tech some credit. We may not like the fact that the Sooners haven't won there since 2003, or how they've lost, but you have to appreciate the dominance the Red Raiders have shown over OU on their home field. It just won't take away the embarrassment and disappointment of a completely abysmal performance.

What the Red Raiders are saying.

Post Game Thoughts :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Seth C — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:27:43 -0000

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

19 days ago: Wearing a jersey with the name "Nick", Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts passes against Oklahoma in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach said the name was a nickname. Potts threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns as Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 41-13 on Saturday for its most lopsided win ever over the Sooners. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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SBN Box Score :: TTU Box Score :: Post Game Quotes : Mike Leach and Players

The Result :: So Sweet: I had not even considered a blowout on the Texas Tech side of the ledger. It seemed to me that such a result was truly inconceivable, considering all of the factors that have caused this season to be somewhat of a disappointment were virtually non-existent for most, if not all of this game. Huge props goes to the Texas Tech defense who just out-hit the Sooner offense on Saturday. I get the feeling that they were not expecting the type of athlete and player that was on the field on Saturday.

And I've probably missed a ton of storylines, so help a brother out and give me your storyline from Saturday's win. Follow me after the jump for storylines on the game, including my crazy theory as to why Leach had a player going in motion for quite a bit of the game.

The Storylines ::

Going in Motion: I really will need to go back and look at the tape of the game, but it seemed to me that the Texas Tech offense was running a receiver in motion quite a bit during the game, except for formations where the Red Raiders had a 2-RB set. Football 101 says that one of the main reasons why you send a man in motion is to give the offense a clue as to whether or not the defense is in zone or man. When Texas Tech wasn't sending a man in motion, I thought that the 2-RB set received quite a bit of burn.

The basic premise here is that I think Leach wanted to make it as easy on QB Taylor Potts as possible. He wanted to make it as easy on "Nick" to make the right decision, which I believe he did, for most of the game. And on 53 attempts, Potts had one interception, all game long he took what the defense gave him, pushed the ball down the field, took some chances and played a helluva game.

And on a personal side, I love the fact that Potts had success against a big opponent. All of the comments about how Potts doesn't celebrate or know how to have fun didn't hold water yesterday as he seemed to be leading the charge. There's no doubt that Potts hasn't been perfect this year, but if you give him some time in the pocket, he can do some things.

Finally, RB Baron Batch had this to say about his quarterback:

"I’ve heard the fans boo him. I’ve heard people say get him out of there,’’ running back Baron Batch said. "It takes a tough, tough, tough person to be able to withstand all that and come out of that on top, and that’s what he’s done. I’m so proud of him for that. I don’t know how I would have responded in that situation. I don’t know how a lot of people would have responded. But he’s shown he’s mentally tough and he has a lot of heart."

O-Line and Running Backs: I don't know how you separate the two, especially in this game. The line certainly had their problems, especially late in the second half where the OU defense were bringing more than what the Texas Tech offense could hold (I think this was just after playing "Jump Around"). But there's no reason to criticize the offensive line this game. Potts was only sacked twice for the entire game and I cannot remember any negative plays for the running backs. There were two plays that stood out to me, which was RB Baron Batch first touchdown. LT Chris Olson had a tremendous block, blowing out the OU defender and the rest of the offensive line, including LG Lonnie Edwards completely caved in the rest of the OU defensive line. Batch walks into the endzone untouched. That play doesn't happen without Olson taking his man out of the play entirely.

The second play is RB Eric Stephen's touchdown that put Texas Tech up 40 to 13 and Stephens ran right between RT Marlon Winn and RG Brandon Carter for an easy score. Winn had this to say after the game about that run:

Asked about what memory he’ll take from senior day, tackle Marlon Winn said, "Just that last drive, that last touchdown. Stephens comes in, and he runs it between me and (guard) Brandon Carter.
"We worked hard for five years, and for that to be the last play in the Jones our senior year, it was amazing. Great thing.’’

Touching Gesture: I feel comfortable enough with you guys to let you know that I almost shed a man tear when it was known that DE Rajon Henley would not be wearing his traditional number, but instead wore #40 in honor of DB Nathan Stone, a walk-on from Lubbock, who worked his way up the depth chart to see significant time early this season. Stone's season ended early with an undiclosed neck injury and although I don't know all of the details, I have heard that Stone is fine, but will never be able to play football again. You could call it a silly gesture, but I take great pride in the type of men that this Texas Tech football program produces. There will always be some bad apples, but there's a ton of solid citizens amongst this group. WR Alexander Torres and DE Brandon Sharpe had this to say about this after the game:

BRANDON SHARPE: That's real nice, you know. Somebody else was supposed to wear Sandy Riley's jersey. But I think it was a late time to ask for it and stuff but it was really an inspiration, you know, just to see him have a heart like that. To share his playing time with another playing on the team. You saw how close we can be, and we are.
ALEX TORRES: Like he said, it's one of those things that it's great to see that out there. And I know Nate appreciates it. It kind of goes to show what a family we are as a team and how much we care about one another to be able to give them a shot to see his jersey out there one last time on Senior Day and everything. I thought it was really uplifting, and I hope Nate appreciated that, which I'm sure he does.

Here's Your Run Stuffing Defense: Seriously. 26 carries and 48 yards. Sure, that figure includes 3 sacks for 30 yards, but son of a gun, that Texas Tech front 7 was simply outstanding. This may have been as well-rounded an effort as you'll see. To say that the front 7 dominated on Saturday would be an understatement. The defensive line did a tremendous job of holding their blocks to allow the linebackers to make tackles, as LB Brian Duncan led the team with 6 tackles and LB Marlon Williams had 5 tackles, including 1 TFL. The pressure that DE's Brandon Sharpe, Daniel Howard and Rajon Henley brought all game was tremendous, although I think that to not give credit to the tackles would be a mistake in this game. DT's Colby Whitlock and Richard Jones played big and I think Jones goes unnoticed sometimes, but he's as solid a defensive tackle that you'll see.

And although the defense will lose these pass-rushers mentioned above, I think it's interesting to see Sharpe talk about the fact that he essentially played one year, and with a little hard work, dedication, he's in a position to break the single-season sack record:

Oh, shoot, it means a lot, you know. I mean, hopefully I can finish up with a little bit more, break it and keep going with it and stuff for these last few games we've got. I hope to have my name sitting here with the sack list and stuff. So the people that's coming in next year are going to look forward to having something to do, something to work for, you know.

Torres Big Day: I've secretly had my doubts as to whether or not WR Alexander Torres could have a big day. Torres finished the day with 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. Torres replaced Crabtree and I've wondered whether or not Torres could effectively replace the play-making ability of Crabtree. And that's an incredibly tough thing to do. I thought during the game that as a fanbase, we certainly give Graham Harrell quiet a bit of credit for the work he did last year, but Harrell also had the luxury of having the absolute best wide receiver in the country for 2 years running. I was trying to remember the last time that I saw a wide-receiver slant for a touchdown, something that Red Raider fans saw so frequently last year. The offense has and will be fine, but there was something special about the offense the past 2 seasons and that's a tough thing to have to remember life before Crabtree. Under previous years, it was guys like Torres who were making big plays out of seemingly nothing. Torres huge 65 yard receiption was all Torres. It was Torres knowing that the defensive back was overplaying the ball, that Torres didn't have anyone behind him and if he could quickly turn the route up field, he'd have a huge play. That's exactly what happened. I'm impressed and surprised that Torres has been a spokesperson for the offensive side of the team for a good part of the season. Leach hand-picks these guys and although Torres is merely a redshirt freshman, he knows exactly what to say:

Yeah, that whole play just happened to be a great check by pots. He gave me a quick route that told me to get my head around real fast. And like I do in practice and Coach Leach preaches all the time, the receivers coach, Lincoln and Dennis preach all the time. Catch the ball, turn and go straight up field. That's all I did. It wasn't really a special play on my part. All I did was do what I've been coached to to do. It was just a great check by Potts being able to see the defense and read that.

Passing Spikes: It was tremendous to see former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes honored the way that he was. The day could not have been better for Dykes and I'm of the opinion that all that Dykes would love to see, whether it's breaking his all-time wins record at Texas Tech or some other significant event, would be for the Red Raiders to win. Dykes is as humble, gracious and conversational as they come and it's a shame that he's not in the limelight more than he is. Dykes probably wants it that way and I can certainly appreciate that. Leach didn't get choked up like he did after the Kansas game, but he knows the importance of Dykes to himself and to the program:

It means a lot. We've kind of hashed over it a little bit. Got the opportunity to see Coach Dykes in the locker room. One of the greatest coaches of all time in my opinion, and who really was instrumental in building this program and being a part of his legacy is a real honor for me.

Defensive Takeaways: I found the statistic that Texas Tech has the nation's longest takeaway streak at 26 (or 28, I can't remember) and it's no coincidence that Ruffin McNeill has been in charge of the defense for 31 games. This is a short storyline, but it's a shout-out to McNeill and the job he's done. I always get the feeling that McNeill knows exactly how he wants to play, but he's got to have the players to do it first. Give him time and I think he's going to be pretty damned good.

The Offensive Co-MVP's :: QB Taylor Potts and RB Baron Batch: You could probably have quite a few candidates and not be wrong for an MVP, but the way that Potts threw the ball (35-53 : 388 yards : 1 INT : 2 TD) and the way that Batch ran and caught the ball (25 carries : 136 yards : 2 TD // 7 receptions : 68 yards) was something special.

The Defensive Co-MVP's :: CB Jamar Wall and DE Brandon Sharpe: The pass defense again looks outstanding and lots of credit goes to both Sharpe for the pressure on the quarterback and for Wall for his pressure on receivers. Sharpe finished with 4 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Wall had 4 tackles, 4 passes-broken-up and 1 interception.

The Special Teams Co-MVP's :: PK Matthew Williams and Donnie Carona: Carona had 8 kickoffs and put 5 of them back for touchbacks. Texas Tech needs more of this because to not even give the offense the ability to return puts the offense in a hole. Williams is going unnoticed, me included, because he's doing his job. They were short field goals, but he made them both, along with his extra points.

Five Keys To Beating Texas Tech

ccmachine — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:32:40 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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Last season the OU/Texas Tech game was crucial towards determining the Big 12 conference champion. Had the Red Raiders been able to pull the upset in Norman then it would have been them putting a spanking on Missouri instead of Oklahoma. Instead the Sooners used the 65-21 thumping of Tech as a springboard into the conference championship and on to the BCS title game.

The game plan for beating Texas Tech hasn't changed from last season but the location of the game has and that may prove to be the biggest factor. The Sooners are averaging 49.8 points at Memorial Stadium but just 16.8 away from home. Even worse the Sooners are 1-4 this season away from Norman. Some of that has to do with opponents (OU has played 3 ranked opponents away from home) and yet even more with their ability to just function properly away from home. The Sooners proved last season that the game plan for beating Tech isn't complicated and hey, if Texas A&M can do it then the Sooners should be able to follow these five simple steps.

5. Force Turnovers - Last year Tech gave up two fumbles and had a pick which greatly hampered their offensive effort. This year Taylor Potts has thrown 10 interceptions and Steven Sheffield 4. Oklahoma has to get as many scoring opportunities as possible against the Red Raiders and conversely take as many as they possibly can away from them.

4. Pressure The Quarterback - Oklahoma registered four quarterback sacks in last years contest. This year OU's defensive front is better and Tech's offensive line is much worse. Texas Tech has given up 27 quarterback sacks so far this season so there's no reason to believe that Oklahoma can't get the pressure on. With Texas Tech's spread attack they are going to have receivers running everywhere making it extremely difficult to keep everyone accounted for all the time. The best thing to do is make the quarterback run for his life and put him on his back as much as possible. It's hard to find the open receiver when you're laid out on your back.

3. Avoid The Jitters - The Jekyll and Hyde routine is getting old and frankly its time that this team grow out of it. Tech is a hostile environment which means that the crowd will be rowdy, the team will be jacked and mistakes will only feed the frenzy. Know the snap count, beat your man and dominate.

2. Protect The Quarterback - Basically take everything from point two and apply it here with a focus on the Sooners. Sam Bradford is gone because they couldn't protect him and the depth chart at the quarterback position isn't that deep. Oklahoma has given up 9 sacks this season and it should go without saying that the offense runs a lot smoother when Landry is upright.

1. Run The Football - This offense isn't anywhere near as explosive as the one that ran Texas Tech out of the stadium last year so the last thing we want to see is a shootout. Oklahoma needs to control the tempo and the time of possession. They need to keep the Red Raiders offense off the field and to do that they must run the football.

It will be a bit of a challenge for the Sooners because running the ball hasn't really been Oklahoma's bread and butter this season. However, DeMarco Murray is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and Chris Brown 4.4 and they'll be going up against a Tech defense that ranks 8^th against the rush so were not necessarily talking about mission impossible here.