SB Nation - Sandy Riley

Post Game Thoughts :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

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

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

about 1 month 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 Reasons Texas Tech Will Win ::Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Seth C — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:21 -0000

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

Reason #1 :: Desperation: I try hard not to claim that a particular team is any more desperate than the other, but I do believe, or perhaps I hope to believe that the Red Raiders realize the road in front of them. Win on Saturday and your team has quieted quite a few critics, your team becomes bowl eligible and you go into the last game of the season not playing desperate football. I would guess that the Sooners are playing desperate football too, but there's this hopeful thought that the fact that it's the seniors last game, that this team will make it happen.

Reason #2 :: Stopping the Run: I pointed out the other day that the Sooners are highly successful when they run the ball, but when they cannot get the ground game going, the Sooners tend to lose. I'm sure that Jones has the potential to be Texas Tech, but if it were me, I'd make him win the game. If the Red Raiders can stack to stop the run, limiting DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown to the type of yardage that they get in losses, which is about 100 yards a game, then consider that a success. In fact, the stats tell the same story for the Red Raiders. In wins, the defense only gives up 84 yards a game, but in losses, it's 210 yards on the ground. If there was ever a clear statistic to a Texas Tech victory, this might be it.

Reason #3 :: Despite the Offense: Despite all of the issues with the offense, whether it be inconsistent quarterback play, receivers dropping passes, the offensive line ushering defenders to the quarterback or running backs that may not run as hard as we'd like, but you're still talking about the #2 passing offense in the country and the #6 offense overall. I'll certainly grant you that the offense would be significantly better if the quarterbacks cut down all of the turnovers, but that's the key here. Despite certain parts of the offense, it's still getting done. The lowest point total for the year was last week against Oklahoma St. with 17 points. I'd be willing to be quit a bit of money that there's no way that the Sooners could or would really want to pull off the same type of gut-punching drives that the Cowboys did last week. Leach hardly cares about time of possession, but when your down close to 15 minutes to the opponent, you tend to think that if the Red Raiders had the ball more, Texas Tech would have scored.

Reason #4 :: Pressuring Jones: Sometimes when the Red Raiders do well in a certain category, I tend to discount that success and consider it an anomaly. I somewhat feel that way about the fact that the Red Raiders are 2nd in the nation in sacks. Perhaps I discounted the importance of having Brandon Sharpe, who if you recall wasn't available for the Texas game and was a shadow of himself during the Texas A&M game. That's 2 losses that you would think would have been closer had the Red Raiders had Sharpe's contributions. That's not to say that the workman-like effort produced by Daniel Howard isn't wholly appreciated and the pressure by Rajon Henley (1 sack last week) should create some true match-up problems for the Oklahoma offensive line. It's one thing to plan for just one defensive play-maker, but there should be plenty of contributions for Howard, Henley, Colby Whitlock, Richard Jones and possibly Bront Bird on Saturday.

Reason #5 :: Thank You: Edward Britton :: Austin Burns :: Shawn Byrnes :: Brandon Carter :: Ryan Hale :: Rajon Henley :: Daniel Howard :: Victor Hunter :: Richard Jones :: Jake Myatt :: Brent Nickerson :: Sandy Riley :: De'Shon Sanders :: Brandon Sharpe :: Jamar Wall :: Chris Wallace :: Marlon Williams :: Marlon Winn.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.03.09

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

Odds and Ends

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

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

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

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

Texas Tech Football

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Depth Charting // The Defensive Line

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

Defensive Line

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

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

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

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.26.09

Seth C — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:31:19 -0000

Odds and Ends

Only Three Posts Today: Including this diatribe, we've got a look at both offensive and defensive lines later today. I'll also be finishing up the previews of Texas Tech opponents either this week or this weekend. I've got a ton of things to do to get ready for the game week.

What Happens When Your Local Paper Hires A Graduate From Your Rival: K-State fans can't catch a freaking break. Bring On The Cats breaks down the situation of one of the local papers that covers Kansas St. hired a Kansas Jayhawk graduate. Not only that, this new writer also had a Jayhawk fan website and in his writing, he made a number of derogatory remarks about Kansas St. Say what you will about LAJ's Don Williams (who I really like, respect and will stick up for his work if challenged), but Williams is one of us and that is comforting.

Texas Tech Football

Britton and Swindall on Opposite Side of Fence: LAJ's Don Williams expounds on the receiver situation, that SE Edward Britton has stepped up his game, but that IR Tramain Swindall has not. We're talking about the receiver depth chart here, but as Williams and the coaches note, Swindall needs to step up his game:

"When you have a guy, especially a young guy, that has success, you’ve always got to ward off complacency," Riley said. "It’s easy, it’s human nature, especially when you have success at a young age, to take things for granted. There’s been a little bit of that with him."

Riley called sophomore Adam James and redshirt freshman Cornelius Douglas "1A and 1B" at Swindall’s position with Swindall needing to step up to reclaim his spot. Last year, he caught 46 passes for 561 yards – and that was in a backup role, in his first season of college action.

Snip

"He’s still going to have opportunities," Riley said, "but he needs to step up and be the player we know he can be and that he knows he can be. I think he will, but it’s like I told him: ‘You dug yourself into this hole, and you’ve got to climb your way out.’ I have every confidence in the world that he’ll battle back, but right now those other two guys give us the best chance to win at that position."

My worry level is about a 7 out of 10. This method of motivation is not new to the coaching staff and as this team becomes more and more successful, the better the players and as the players get better then the competition gets more fierce. If each player isn't willing to step up their game then you'll be left on the sidelines. It's that easy.

As far as Britton is concerned, receivers coach Dennis Simmons is more than pleased:

"I think it started, really, after the Texas game he kind of raised his level of play," Simmons said. "It carried on throughout the bowl, through spring ball and through fall camp thus far."

Texas Tech Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams checks in on TE Omar Castillo, who is converting from the defensive side of the ball to tight end and he's currently being utilized as a scout-team tight end per receivers coach Lincoln Riley:

"That’s always been a problem here, never having a scout-team tight end," Riley said. "That’s so important for the defense, with all the big tight ends we have in the Big 12, having a guy that can give you at least some kind of look – not just sticking a receiver there or an (offensive) lineman that doesn’t know anything about running routes."

. . . DE Sandy Riley was injured in practice and as a result, DE Brandon Sharpe is practicing at both DE positions, but was primarily working with DE Daniel Howard. This injury opens the door for DE Ryan Haliburton to get some time . . . the coaching staff is still considering whether to redshirt WR Eric Ward:

"That’s a decision that hasn’t been made yet," wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons said. "Eric Ward is still working hard. That’s a subject that’s still under serious consideration."

Potts Keeps System Moving: FWST's Dwain Price talks with QB Taylor Potts and head coach Mike Leach about Potts learning to be the Texas Tech quarterback, but it wasn't just the on-the-field aspect that Potts learned, but the off-the-field stuff:

"I learned how to deal with certain situations and learned how to handle phases of the team and learned what not to do with the team, and learned how not to be and what people like and what they don’t like and how they like to be treated," Potts said. "I just kind of figured out what he did right and what he was doing wrong, and hopefully put my own kind of personal touch to it.

"But also be cognizant of what I’ve learned over the past few years when I’ve handled certain stuff."

That's refreshing to see, that Potts was and is cognizant of what his eventual role will be and that he's learned from one of the best collegiate passers of all time about what works and what doesn't. Go read the whole thing.

Leach and Bo: I can't remember how I ran across this, but your Captain was on the radio with Sports Talk With Bo, which is a radio station in Arkansas.

EDSBS Gets Its Own Subject Line: EDSBS's Spencer Hall (who is moving to SB Nation!) has two pieces that I think will pique your interest :: "The Detestable Mr. Leach Makes a Devious Wager" and "Screw You Brandon: Aggies to Go Undefeated". The video below was on the Leach post and it got me a tad bit excited, but whatever you do, go read them both and enjoy:

Texas Tech vs Oklahoma St. 2008 (via WildmanZ33)

Scouting the Enemy: Rock M Nation previews the Oklahoma Sooners . . . Burnt Orange Nation looks at the OU defensive line . . . One Bronco Nation Under God (the SB Nation Boise State blog) with an interesting look at whether size matters on the offensive and defensive lines . . . Kansan.com discusses the lack of pass rush with the Kansas Jayhawks . . .

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

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

View full size photo »

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

TOP PLAYERS

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

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

TOP GAMES

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

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

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

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

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

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

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

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // Red Defense

Seth C — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:00:12 -0000

Red Defense

Defensive Line

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the size and consistency of DT Britton Barbee I know he's listed at 282 pounds, but he's added some weight and I was pretty impressed with his motor. I can see why the staff liked Barbee for his play during the Thursday night scrimmage. He didn't show up in the boxscore, but he's morphed himself into one of those plugging defensive linemen. Barbee may not get much time this year (he's a sophomore and will be a junior), but he's going to be a nice surprise to some of the graduating defensive talent after 2009. Colby Whitlock is as solid as he was last year. No worries about his play. Rajon Henley looked comfortable at both tackle and defensive end. Much like Whitlock, he's going to be solid, I just wonder how if he's got that playmaking ability that Dixon and Williams had (i.e. does he have the speed to get around the edge or the strength to get a push). Brandon Sesay was the surprise and made big plays, finishing with 3 tackles, two of which were sacks. He was going up against Joe King and so his competition wasn't the greatest. Take his performance with a grain of salt. If Sesay can be consistant with his play, then I like his chances, but he's got to do it in the classroom and on the field for more than just one or two plays. Brandon Sharpe also finished the day with 2 sacks and as good as Daniel Howard looked for the White Defense, Sharpe did for the Red Defense. I still think Howard is a bit more solid, but Sharpe is going to see quite a bit of time at defensive end.

Linebacker

Loved the play of Tyrone Sonier and I'm thinking that if he can take some time from Bront Bird, he adds a different dimension. I think he's got more speed than Bird and he's more likely to make plays whereas I tend to think that Bird will disappear during games. Sonier led the team with 6 tackles and one sack. Brian Duncan manned the middle admirably and I found myself watching more of Sonier and Blake Collier. I didn't notice anything glaring about Duncan's play. But to Collier, I like his speed at weakside linebacker and his interception reminded me that he's a former safety who should be pretty good in coverage. I'd love to see Ruffin McNeill take advantage of that. Sandy Riley made two tackles, but I didn't notice him too much. Again, watching Sonier and Collier.

Secondary

As much as people are talking about Steven Sheffield's play against the Red Defense, I just didn't see it. I saw a Red Defense that didn't give up too many huge play, registered 5 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss. Yes, Sheffield looked okay, but I was honestly impressed with the play of the secondary and I thought that when I wrote about the White Offense, there were times that I thought Seth Doege had no options to throw the ball, all because the secondary had everyone covered up. I really liked the play of the safeties. I loved Franklin Mitchem and now I understand why the staff thinks he's going to start. Very rangy and a good hitter. He's going to be fine starting alongside Cody Davis. Brent Nickerson looked good at cornerback, although I'm not sure that he or Jarrell Routt breaks into the two-deep. With that being said, I thought that these guys played well. I wish I had noticed the play of Jared Flannel and Julius Howard, but in trying to watch so many other positions, I didn't pay as much attention to them as I probably should have. Booo, me.

Poll

Who was the MVP of the Red Defense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Britton Barbee

8 votes

Brandon Sesay

24 votes

Tyrone Sonier

10 votes

Blake Collier

6 votes

Franklin Mitchem

3 votes

51 votes | Poll has closed

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // White Defense

Seth C — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:00:15 -0000

White Defense

Defensive Line

The main defensive line participants were Richard Jones and Victor Hunter at tackles and Daniel Howard and Ryan Haliburton and Sandy Riley at defensive end. From a production standpoint, I thought that Howard was by far the best player on the defensive line. He was credited for only 2 sacks (another tackle for a loss), but it seemed like he was putting pressure on Potts for a good part of the afternoon. I've always like Howard's motor and I've got a good feeling that he's the guy that may step into that defensive end position rather than the joker position, playing occasionally in pass rush situations. Jones was solid, nothing spectacular, although he did have a sack, and that's a bonus in my opinion. I also tried to keep an eye on Hunter and although he's listed at 256, he's not 256. Hunter's put on a few pounds. The biggest concern that I have about Hunter is not playing the position for almost all of his career and will he have the strength to keep defenders off of him. I also tried to keep an eye on Haliburton to try and figure out if he's going to be a Jake Ratliff type of player (i.e. solid but not spectacular) or if he can develop into a guy with a little more speed. I think he's got the athleticism to play defensive end, but he needs more strength and to play with a little more tenacity.

Linebacker

Considering all of the press that Sam Fehoko has received this spring, I was very much interested in how well he would play on Saturday. Aside from Fehoko's play, the one thing I noticed was that Fehoko was really being coached up by Ruffin McNeill on almost every play. McNeill was paying close attention to the reads that Fehoko was making. I thought Fehoko responded well and he was aggressive in supporting the run, but looked pretty smooth in coverage as well. Could not have been more impressed, despite he only registered 1 tackle. Marlon Williams was also a guy that impressed me during the scrimmage. I kept waiting for some sort of over-pursuit or out of position play and sure enough, he didn't do that at all. Williams finished the game with 6 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss. Bront Bird had a solid game. Nothing really stood out, but that's probably because I was focusing so much on Fehoko and Williams.

Secondary

There's going to be a poll at the end of this, but I'm afraid that there's a clear White team defensive MVP, safety Cody Davis. Aside from a great hit, he also had a 100 yard touchdown interception return. I had no idea what to expect, but I am very happy to report that Davis is going to be a pretty good player for Texas Tech and he's going to make an immediate impact for Texas Tech next fall. Brett Dewhurst led the White defense in tackles with 7 solo tackles and 1 tackle for a loss and he's going to be a great nikel and dime guy for the Red Raiders. Taylor Charbonnet does have a slight build, but he can stick with opposing receivers. The guy is fast. LaRon Moore got the other cornerback start and I didn't think he did horribly, so that's a good thing. The thing that impressed me most about this group is that they didn't give up anything extraordinarily deep and I think Ruffin McNeill values that immensely in his defense.

Poll

Who was the MVP of the White defense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Daniel Howard

4 votes

Marlon Williams

4 votes

Cody Davis

47 votes

Taylor Charbonnet

6 votes

Richard Jones

2 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 04.16.09

Seth C — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:37:01 -0000

View full size photo »

Odds and Ends

Arsenal 3, Villarreal 0

It's been a long time since I've been able to watch an Arsenal match and it just so happened that yesterday I was able to watch the Gunners absolutely whip Villarreal, 3-0. I won't bore those of you who could care less about the other football, but last summer I decided to take on another sport and after much consideration, decided that my team was Arsenal. I've been following the blog Arseblog and this has been, at least for me, the best way to start following a sport, caught a handful of games and last night's game was the first game that I've been able to watch for at least a month. Offensively, Arsenal is a special team to watch and considering how young the team is, it's pretty amazing to see these guys operate on such a high level. Theo Wolcott had a great match, absolutely loved watching him play yesterday. Manchester United is up on Saturday.

I'll stop boring the rest of the class.

Texas Tech Football

It's All About the Defensive Line

There are a number of articles this morning, and they all touch on the McKinner Dixon-less Texas Tech defensive line. Up first, LAJ's Don Williams talk with senior defensive tackle Richard Jones. Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill says that Jones is certainly improving:

"He’s making a lot of plays," defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said. "I like the way he’s stepping up."
Snip

"Richard’s getting better with his technique this spring, and his experience is showing," McNeill said. "I hold him responsible for a lot of things, and I hold him accountable for leading our defense up front."

Jones notes that strength coach Bennie Wylie's been pushing him, and he's now got the big Guy upstairs on his side:

"Actually Bennie, at workouts now, he’ll make sure I’m working out with him," Jones said. "He’s made me way stronger than I was. Like, in the morning, I’ll come in and there won’t be a time that I won’t lift with him. He always makes sure I’m with him, and he’s pushing it heavy."
Snip

"One thing about me this year, I’ve got Christ on my side," he said. "I give it all to him, and he’s giving me the ability to make plays. That’s the difference maker this year. It’s a big change.

"I was always a believer, but I just started walking in the faith. It’s started to pay off for me."

D-Line Stepping Up

DT's Adam Coleman writes about the progress of the defensive line and I thought this was pretty interesting at the beginning of the article:

But there's something about this defensive line that has Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill adding a few more blitz packages, allowing the linemen to play free.
"It's always been on my mind," he said. "It's always been my package. It's always been my thought process, but I feel this group is ready. Everything moves in sequence for me. I'm a sequence guy. Step A, Step B, Step C. Step 1, Step 2, Step 3."

Just thinking out-loud here, but with the loss of Dixon and Brandon Williams, I would have guessed there would be even less blitzing next year, but I hope like hell I'm wrong.

Red Raiders Football Notebook

LAJ's Don Williams' Red Raiders Notebook has a ton of notes (duh.) so let's briefly look at them:

Here's your starting defensive line right now: DE's Rajon Henley and Daniel Howard and DT's Colby Whitlock and Richard Jones. The second team was Sandy Riley and Ryan Haliburton at DE with Victor Hunter and Britton Barbee at DT.
No, Brandon Sharpe? Hmmm. Williams accounts for Sesay, who is studying and mentions that Chris Perry is slowly returning from an injury that had kept him out previously this spring. McNeill may also be counting on incoming recruits Myles Wade and Pearlie Graves to help with the depth. Everyone say a prayer to the diety of your choice that both guys qualify.
The offense had the upper-hand yesterday, with Taylor Potts leading two touchdowns and Seth Doege leading the third.
Former Mike Leach mentor, Hal Mumme is back coaching at McMurry Sate.

Darcel McBath Ready to Shine in NFL

The FWST sits down with Texas Tech safety Darcel McBath about next weekend's NFL Draft, who talks about how he was a basketball guy until his junior year of high school where he began playing football and talks about his competition in the Big 12:

"Playing defense in the Big 12 is no easy task," says NFL Draft Scout, a Web site devoted to the draft. "Neither is playing against the Raiders’ offense every day in practice. McBath has the versatility and confidence to star in the secondary."
Snip

"I played some of the best receivers in the country, [against teams that] passed on almost every down," McBath said. "I think I’ll be prepared in that aspect. I’ll definitely be ready to defend the pass. I got the best of [Crabtree] most of the time."

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Defensive line looks to rebuild from Daily Toreador on Vimeo.

Texas Tech Basketball

David Tairu Signs?

At some point, I'm expecting Pat Knight to announce that guard David Tairu, a 6-3/180 shooting guard who played at South Plains College the past two years, will be signing with the Red Raiders. Tairu verbally committed to Texas Tech back in November of 2008, but has not signed a letter of intent. I believe that April 15th was the day that he would be able to sign that LOI, so I'm assuming (i.e., me praying) that Tairu has signed on the dotted line. David, if you haven't, the Red Raiders welcome you with open arms. If you'd like to know who else is a part of this class, check out the sidebar on the left.

Texas Tech Baseball

Kansas Pitching is Stepping Up

LAJ's George Watson previews the Kansas Jayhawk pitching staff and discusses how Kansas, who lost their top two pitchers, is ranked and one of the top teams in the Big 12 coming into Lubbock.

Brian Cloud Named Finalist for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

Congrats to senior pitcher, Brian Cloud, who's been named as a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award:

Senior right-handed pitcher Brian Cloud has become the first Texas Tech Student-Athlete to be named a finalist for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The finalists, ten of NCAA baseball's most outstanding student-athletes, were announced this morning by Lowe's.
Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the third annual winner, who will receive the award from Lowe's, an Official Corporate Sponsor of the NCAA, during the NCAA Men's College World Series this June in Omaha, Nebraska.

"This honor couldn't go to a more deserving young man," said Texas Tech Head Coach Dan Spencer. "Brian is the model for what we want in all of our players - someone who takes academics seriously, cares about his community and family and is a hard-nosed competitor."

You can go vote at Senior CLASS Award. Go vote!!!!

Red vs. Black, Spring Position Battles: Defensive Line

Seth C — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:00:12 -0000

A position-by-position look at the Texas Tech Red Raiders heading into spring practice. "Classifications" are based on entering school next fall. "Probable Roles" are merely guesses and welcome comments, thoughts and suggestions.

After listening to Tech Talk a Friday or two ago, we learned that the defensive line is going to be a fluid thing for quite some time. Chris Level reported that Rajon Henley will work at defensive end, which means that there's as much concern with the staff with the defensive end position with Brandon Williams defection to the NFL, there's plenty of quantity, but the quality may be a question mark.

Thus, we'll talk about generalizations of players and guys like Henley, Sesay and possibly Graves, if he doesn't redshirt, could flip-flop between positions. Honestly, this could be a really interesting situation as players have the ability to move up and down the line of scrimmage, each playing various positions.

DEFENSIVE LINE

DE	McKinner Dixon	Daniel Howard	Sandy Riley
Height:	6-3	6-3	6-0
Weight:	250	239	237
Classification:	Senior	Senior	Senior
Probable Role:	Starter	Battle for Second String	Battle for Second String

Dixon is the unquestioned starter and there's no doubt that he is by far, Texas Tech's best defensive end. The problem of course is Dixon's balky knees, which can limit the time he's on the field. Dixon is solid against the run and had 8.0 sacks to go along with his 33 tackles. Other than Dixon's health, this is one position that I'm not concerned about in the least.

I've always liked Howard's motor and think he's a better than solid backup to Dixon, and in my opinion, could start for Dixon if needed. Howard mostly specialized last year playing the "Joker" linebacker / defensive end position. The problem here was that McNeill would fall in love with this look for a game, and then Howard would get little to no playing time. With Dixon's knees, I'm thinking that maybe Howard gets more time than not, but I could be wrong.

Personally, I think Riley is third-string, but McNeill does tend to utilize Riley as a pure-pass rusher. I don't think Riley has the size to handle the run and considering the movement along the line (Henley to DE, Sesay to DT, etc.) I'm not sure that Riley is a huge factor.

The one thing to keep in mind is classification of all of these players, every one of them being a senior. That's going to be a huge problem in 2010 and this is something that we've talked about before, but someone is going to have to be ready to play immediately after 2009 at the defensive end position, and whoever it is, they're going to have to do it without much time on the field.

NT	Colby Whitlock	Chris Perry	Myles Wade
Height:	6-2	6-3	6-2
Weight:	281	308	311
Classification:	Junior	Sophomore	Sophomore
Probable Role:	Starter	Second String	Third String

Whitlock is as solid as they come. I'd like to see him add a little more weight, but if Perry or Wade pan out, then I could see Whitlock move over to the tackle position rather than nose tackle. We've all seen what Whitlock is capable of, and I think he suffers at times because he hasn't had a capable backup for his freshman and sophomore seasons. If he can get a few series off during a game without the defense missing a beat, then Whitlock is that much more effective. Whitlock should be all-conference his junior year.

I don't know if everyone remembers, but Perry was one of the players suspended for the Cotton Bowl (I think) and the coaching staff has always proven to be forgiving for indiscretions, although it's imperative that Perry make some improvements on both his conditioning and being ready to play every game. Perry would show flashes of being better than average and then quickly disappear. I'm hoping that a year of Bennie Wylie makes Perry a bigger, stronger and faster player.

Wade still has some work to do before qualifying, although I think (this is me crossing my fingers) that he qualifies academically. Once Wade arrives, I'm not expecting a game-changing tackle, but rather a tackle that is very solid, and sometimes spectacular.

DT	Rajon Henley	Richard Jones	Britton Barbee
Height:	6-3	6-1	6-2
Weight:	266	272	282
Classification:	Senior	Senior	Junior
Probable Role:	Starter	Second String	Third String

Henley may work out best at defensive end and we could see both he and Sesay flip-flop, with Sesay seeing most of his time at defensive tackle. For now, Henley is an undersized tackle, but certainly capable. Personally, I prefer bigger tackles and I think moving Henley to defensive end is going to work out nicely. I've always thought that Henley is a little under-rated, by me, and like Whitlock, I think wears down during a game or season.

I thought Jones played really well in place of Henley last year, or perhaps I should say that I didn't have high expectations for Jones, but he certainly surprised me. It wouldn't bother me to see him start in case of injury this year and he's better than you probably think.

Barbee is the wild-card here and the only reason I'm including him is because he was named the Defensive Scout of the Year, which means that although he didn't see a lick of playing time in 2008, he's working hard and he's making an impression on coaches. Barbee is an intelligent guy (pre-med major) and if he's making improvements, then perhaps he sees some time this year and makes a difference.

DE	Brandon Sesay	Brandon Sharpe	Ryan Haliburton
Height:	6-6	6-3	6-4
Weight:	278	244	242
Classification:	Senior	Senior	RS Freshman
Probable Role:	Starter	Second String	Third String

I think Sesay's better position is defensive end, and with Brandon Williams' departure and the overall lack of depth at defensive end, I could see Sesay seeing significant time at this position. Again, there's lots to be figured out, especially if Henley is in the mix, but I thought that Sesay was too tall to be an effective tackle, certainly has the size, but he was better at defensive end. In any event, things will be worked out shortly.

I have Sharpe backing up, although this could be any number of players. I'm not sure that we'll have a clear picture of who this is until after spring practice. My memory of seeing Sharpe on the field is fuzzy, but from what I recall I wasn't just real impressed with Sharpe. He's been injured for the most part the previous two years and with the coaching staff moving Henley and Sesay around, I'm a little concerned about depth

Haliburton is the mystery here and as of right now, he's had two years to put on some weight and work on his game. Haliburton shows up here because there's no other experience behind him. All of the other players are first year players and will be true freshmen. Haliburton is the lone defensive end that's not a senior or a true freshman. Be afraid for 2010.

Redshirts	Pearlie Graves, DT	Romario Cathey, DT	Kerry Hyder, DE	Aundrey Barr, DE	Chris Knighton, DE
Height:	6-3	6-3	6-2	6-3	6-2
Weight:	260	275	246	225	240
Classification:	Freshman	Freshman	Freshman	Freshman	Freshman
Probable Role:	Possible Redshirt	Redshirt	Redshirt	Redshirt	Grayshirt

I thought I'd include the true freshmen for no other reason than to give you an idea as to the depth at these positions. Considering the depth, I'm not sure that I'd burn a redshirt year on Graves and I could see Cathey moving to defensive end considering the depth at defensive tackle and the relative lack of depth at defensive end. Barr and Knighton are projects, so don't expect much here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is the group of players that I'm most excited to figure out where guys figure in 2009. I've made a few guesses here and I'm probably wrong on most accounts. There's talent here, but this would have been entirely a different group had Brandon Williams stuck around for his senior season. Lots to figure out here.

Thanks to kayakyar for helping out.

Previous Battles: Quarterback :: Running Back :: Receivers :: Offensive Line ::

SB Nation - Sandy Riley

Post Game Thoughts :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win ::Oklahoma Sooners Edition

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.03.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Depth Charting // The Defensive Line

Defensive Line

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.26.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

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

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // Red Defense

Red Defense

Defensive Line

Linebacker

Secondary

Who was the MVP of the Red Defense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Britton Barbee

Brandon Sesay

Tyrone Sonier

Blake Collier

Franklin Mitchem

Red-Black Spring Game Roundup // White Defense

White Defense

Defensive Line

Linebacker

Secondary

Who was the MVP of the White defense in the Red-Black Scrimmage?

Daniel Howard

Marlon Williams

Cody Davis

Taylor Charbonnet

Richard Jones

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 04.16.09

Odds and Ends

Arsenal 3, Villarreal 0

Texas Tech Football

It's All About the Defensive Line

D-Line Stepping Up

Red Raiders Football Notebook

Darcel McBath Ready to Shine in NFL

Neglected Video, Audio and Photos

Texas Tech Basketball

David Tairu Signs?

Texas Tech Baseball

Kansas Pitching is Stepping Up

Brian Cloud Named Finalist for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

Red vs. Black, Spring Position Battles: Defensive Line

DEFENSIVE LINE

DE

McKinner Dixon

Daniel Howard

Sandy Riley

NT

Colby Whitlock

Chris Perry

Myles Wade

DT

Rajon Henley

Richard Jones

Britton Barbee

DE

Brandon Sesay

Brandon Sharpe

Ryan Haliburton

Redshirts

Pearlie Graves, DT

Romario Cathey, DT

Kerry Hyder, DE

Aundrey Barr, DE

Chris Knighton, DE

FINAL THOUGHTS

Previous Battles: Quarterback :: Running Back :: Receivers :: Offensive Line ::

Pearlie Graves,
DT

Romario Cathey,
DT

Kerry Hyder,
DE

Aundrey Barr,
DE

Chris Knighton,
DE