SB Nation - Marlon Winn

Post Game Thoughts :: Oklahoma Sooners Edition

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

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

29 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.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.21.09

Seth C — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:20:20 -0000

Let's hope this happens. ~~I'd love to give credit to whoever did this, if you know, leave a comment.~~ Texas Tech alum Brian Crowell gets credit for the photoshop skills. Thanks to Brian for the foreshadowing.

Senior Day: LAJ's Don Williams writes that on previous senior days, the Red Raiders have made it count. The first 2 paragraphs were pretty good:

Texas Tech tackle Marlon Winn started the week reminding teammates the added significance of today’s regular-season home finale against Oklahoma. It’ll be the last trip down the tunnel at Jones AT&T Stadium for 19 Red Raiders seniors.

"He said it (Sunday) night: ‘How would you want to be sent out when you’re a senior?’’’ Tech linebacker Bront Bird said. "’We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores playing right now. Think about whenever it’s your time, how you want your legacy to be left in the Jones.’ So I think the team’s going to rally around that.’’

Injuries Hurt Red Raiders and Sooners: LAJ's Don Williams runs down the injury situation for both teams and reminds me that the only significant injuries that Texas Tech suffered that year was DT Rajon Henley for 3 games and G Louis Vasquez and CB L.A. Reed for 2 games. I could spend quite a bit of time going over the injury situation this year, but it's certainly been significant.

Howard Has No Limits: FWST's Dwain Price features DE Daniel Howard, who fellow teammate LB Bront Bird feels that Howard isn't as known and opposing linemen should know about him:

"Maybe he’s not as tall as the other guys, or as strong, or maybe not even as fast, but he makes up for that in effort, that’s for sure," Red Raiders linebacker Bront Bird said.

"I’m not sure what [opposing offensive linemen] think of him, but I know they better respect him. He causes havoc off the edge, I know that much."

Here's Howard on coming to Texas Tech:

"I got recruited by the rest of the schools around here to play linebacker, and Tech was the one that came in and told me, 'You’re going to play defensive end.’ I said, 'OK,’ because everybody else told me I was too small [to play defensive end], I wasn’t fast enough and I wasn’t tall enough, and I think as a defense we’re making statements because we’re all those guys."

Go read the whole thing, it's worth your time.

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: Crimson and Cream Machine with 5 keys to beating Texas Tech . . . NewsOK's David Ubben with the weekly blitz package . . . NewsOK's Jake Trotter writes that the Sooners might need some magic today . . . NewsOK's Berry Tramel writes that the Sooners have struggled on the road . . . the Tulsa World with 3 storylines for today's game . . . FWST's Mike Jones with a look at RB DeMarco Murray and WR Ryan Broyles are playmakers . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich wirtes that the OU defense is one of the best in the Stoops era . . .

Game Tonight: Lamar Cardinals vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Time: 7:00 p.m. :: Location: United Spirit Arena, Lubbock, Texas
Preview and Game Day Thread: Scheduled for 6:00 p.m. post

Stressing Defense: LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that head coach Pat Knight is stressing defense:

Skeletons dance across the backs of the Texas Tech men’s basketball players. The frightful figures are printed on their T-shirts, but they carry a message coach Pat Knight hopes rattles his team this season: Play to the bone.

"It’s a fighting term: it means you have to fight to the end, until that final bell goes off," Knight said after the Raiders’ 94-75 win against Northwestern State on Thursday. "Look at boxing, how many guys lose it in the 12th round, get knocked out because they’re playing it safe or just think they have the fight won."

And Knight was not happy with the first the first half of the game against Northwestern St.:

"It was going back to the same old BS as last year: not guarding people, trying to out-gun the other team. You might be able to do that against some teams in the preseason, but you’re not going to be able to out-gun Texas and Kansas."

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 :: 11.18.09

Seth C — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:07:16 -0000

Clogged Pipes: Remember when I said that I was busier than normal this week? I am, and now I've got a clogged kitchen sink. The night before last, I spent a couple hours after work trying to unclog the damned thing and then I called a plumber, who then spent a couple of hours trying to unclog the thing. No dice. Our only options are for the plumber to crawl under the house and cut some pipe to find the clog or use some sort of fancy machine that produces 3,000 p.s.i. of water that will blast any clog a few miles away. Pray for me.

Leach to ________: I refuse to post to any link regarding any coaching vaccancy and Captain Mike Leach. I would love it if Leach just made a statement regarding the fact that he has no interest in __________ University. I understand that all of the "sources close to the program" is mainly B.S. What this really means is that high profile booster at _________ University got drunk, started talking about who he would like and thought that Leach would like it too. There's nothing concrete nor is there any actual quote from said source. Besides this entire situation gave me tremendous tired-head last year and I'm not going to feed the rumors unless there's actually something to report.

Sooners Want Win in Lubbock: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the Sooners would love to get a win in Lubbock. Here's CB Dominique Franks on wanting to play well:

"We haven’t played too well in the past in Lubbock,’’ Franks said. "We know this year also, we haven’t played too good on the road. We want to make sure we go out there and give them our best shot on Saturday.’’

Not the Same Sooners: DT's Adam Coleman writes that this year's version of the Sooners are not the Sooners of previous year, but head coach Mike Leach knows that the Sooners still have talent at every position:

"The biggest thing is they don’t have any serious holes," Tech coach Mike Leach said. "They are a team that would like to have some games back, but they don’t have any serious holes. They have good talent and good coaches. They played together really well last year."

And RT Marlon Winn talks about DT Gerald McCoy:

"Very athletic, very strong, fast around the edges. He can work inside as well, good with his hands and he is always focused," Winn said. "I think he is an awesome athlete really."

Texas Tech Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams writes that WR Jacoby Franks has been demoted to the scout team this week and Williams has this from WR coach Dennis Simmons and where players played in practice yesterday:

Simmons said Lyle Leong divided his time between split end and flanker in Tuesday’s workout, so it was starter Alex Torres and Leong at flanker, and Edward Britton, Leong and Brik Brinker at split end.

Snip

"I fault myself, because they’re a direct reflection of me,’’ Simmons said. "If they’re not playing well, then obviously I’m not doing something right. I need to fix me in order to make sure that they’re fixed. That’s what we’re doing. We’re fixing each other right now.’’

. . . LB Marlon Williams and CB Jamar Wall did not practice yesterday, which means there is a good chance that they will not play on Saturday. If Wall doesn't play, then CB Brent Nickerson will get the start and in place for Williams, you could see LB Brian Duncan move over to the weakside and LB Sam Fehoko to middle linebacker or move S/LB Julius Howard to Williams spot . . . the Baylor vs. Texas Tech game is almost completely sold out . . . DE Brandon Sharpe has been added to the Hendricks Watch List, a post-season award that goes to the nation's top defensive end (huge congrats to Brandon!)

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: TulsaWorld's Dave Sittler writes that the Sooners need to be ready for strange happenings in Lubbock . . . NewsOK's Jake Trotter with an extensive OU notebook, including WR Brandon Caleb and OG Brian Simmons should be back for this weekend's game . . . TulsaWorld's Guerin Emig also has a notebook . . .

Its Official on 3 Signings: The official site finally announced that all of the paperwork has been returned on the 3 players who have signed with Pat Knight's Red Raiders.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.17.09

Seth C — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:53:39 -0000

Sticking With Potts: LAJ's Don Williams writes (also found here with DT's Alex Ybarra) that Captain Mike Leach admitted yesterday that he should have stuck with Potts on Saturday, which seems to me to be a clear indication that Leach will be going with Potts for the rest of the year, barring some unforeseen event. Here's Leach:

"I probably should have kept (Taylor) Potts in the whole game,’’ Leach said during his weekly Monday news conference. "I should have played him the whole game.’’

Asked if that thought was based on what he saw from Potts or what he didn’t see from Steven Sheffield, Leach said, "I base it more just on the shuffling around. I don’t need to mess with a bunch of shuffling around.’’

And Leach has quarterback regret:

"Well, the last time was when I felt like I messed with Chris Todd a little too much with regard to Graham Harrell that first year (Harrell started),’’ Leach said. "I should have just kept Graham in. There were several series I played with Chris Todd. Not to take anything away from Chris Todd, and part of it is you want to give a guy perspective. But part of it is there’s a disruption to it, too. I got a little fancy with that, I thought. That’d probably be the last time.’’

I find this fascinating that Leach has this sort of regret (and regret is probably not the right word, but just go with me) regarding his quarterback play. I think Leach knows quarterbacks and he probably thought that he may have gotten a bit fancy on Saturday.

OU Tail Whipping: FWST's Dwain Price and DT's Alex Ybarra write that the Texas Tech players have not forgotten last year's loss to Oklahoma and this quote from RT Marlon Winn made me laugh out loud this morning:

"The thing I remember the most about that game is when the Kriss Kross song 'Jump’ came on, there were 80-year old women getting out of their wheel chairs and jumping up and down," offensive tackle Marlon Winn said. "The whole stadium was jumping up and down, and it was just demoralizing and it was one of the most humbling situations you can ever be in.

And Leach says that the team needs to put that loss behind them:

"They need to not worry about it," he said. "They need to forget it. All that counts is the next game. Nothing from that game impacts this game. There’s not one play that we made or they made that affects this game. Any reflection on that is a complete waste of time."

FWST's Dwain Price also logs a couple of blog posts, the first from LB Bront Bird, who says that Texas Tech has a lot of respect for OU:

In the ultimate respect paid to OU, Bird said: "One thing I know about Oklahoma is that _ we always say this as a joke _ whenever they step out on the field and they are coming out of their tunnel, that is what some of the best athletes in the whole country look like and it’s true. It doesn’t matter if it is their second string, third string, whatever.

"Those guys get amazing recruits and whoever it is going to be that lines up is going to be good. And you can never underestimate a team like that, when you have that kind of recruiting and that kind of coaching and that kind of school history.''

. . . and the second blog post with a little more detail about how Leach wants the players to forget about 2008 and the seniors don't need to get all emotional:

"We're looking forward to them as well as coming in and playing another game,'' Leach said. "We missed too many opportunities this last game.

"We're preparing to do the best we can and see where it takes us. Right now we are a team that is explosive, but we're not real consistent.''

Snip

"It's kind of a milestone that it's their last home game,'' Leach said of the seniors. "We have two more games after that (if they are bowl eligible) and we don't need a bunch of bologna.''

Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams football notebook suggests that there's a reason why Harrison Jeffers has not been utilized recently:

"Some of that’s kind of up to Harrison," Leach said. "When Harrison plays hard, he has a tendency to get into the lineup. When Harrison jogs around, he tends to not be in the lineup. So we’ll see how that goes."

. . . Leach would like for his receivers to play better this week:

"We had a bunch of receivers just eat, ride and warm up this last week," Leach said, "and they need to take it upon themselves to improve. This business that I’m going to pretend it’s otherwise, that’s just not the case. So I’ll address that with them – and have, and will do it repeatedly."

. . . and your captains for the week are IR Austin Zouzalik, RB Baron Batch, RT Marlon Winn, DE Daniel Howard and LB Bront Bird (congrats to all 5 players). . .

Oklahoma Sooner and Big 12 Links: NewsOK's Jake Trotter with an OU football notebook and a bit about the new uniforms that OU will wear on Saturday (I do not understand why OU didn't save these for a home game) . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich has lots of Big 12 notes (this is actually an enjoyable read for me personally and I do not know why it's relegated to his blog rather than the actual paper) . . . TR's dedfischer with an OSU post-morten . . .

Tairu Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week: Congrats to G David Tairu, who just wrapped up being named the MVP of the Duel in the Desert on Sunday, to being named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week:

Tairu was named the MVP of the Duel in the Desert Tournament as the Red Raiders started the season with a 3-0 record. The junior guard led the team in scoring in two of three contests, averaging 14.0 points for the weekend. He started all three games, connecting on 14-of-27 (.519) shots from the field. He was also 5-of-9 (.556) from the floor and 9-of-11 (.818) from the charity stripe, while adding three assists and three steals. Tairu’s accolade marks just the sixth time in Big 12 history a Tech player has won rookie honors.

Neglected video after the jump, both football and basketball.

Neglected Video: KAMC and Fox34 with G David Tairu winning MVP of the Duel in the Desert . . . Fox34 on who will play quarterback against OU (there's no answer, it's what you would call a tease) . . . NewsChannel 11 with some clips from Leach's press conference from yesterday:

Post Game Thoughts :: Kansas Jayhawks Edition

Seth C — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:28 -0000

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

The Result :: Decidedly Defensive: This might be something that the entire fanbase might have felt prior to yesterday's game. Everyone was a tad bit jumpy, defensive if you will, regarding the current state of this team. I thought before the game that the defensive MVP would be Ruffn McNeill and that's probably a good place to start. Kansas hasn't been the Kansas of prior years, but they've still be pretty good. The Kansas that Texas Tech beat yesterday was dominated defensively, and you can argue over whether it was Kansas or Texas Tech that did the dominating, but 6 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 10 pass break-ups isn't a bad afternoon defensively.

Join me after the jump for storylines and MVP's.

The Storylines ::

Leach is Emotional: With Saturday's win over Kansas, Leach tied Spike Dykes for the number of wins at Texas Tech. I never thought I'd see the day where our very Captain Mike Leach showed any emotion at any press gathering, but if you ever thought there was a disconnect between Leach and the man that he replaced then I'd encourage you to watch this video of Leach after this win. Here's the text, but the words on paper don't do Leach's emotion justice:

Well, Spike's, you know, it's funny. I think the young guys don't do maybe as good a job of thanking the older guys as they really ought to. You know, when I was coming up in coaching, Spike's a guy that I always really admired. I think that I learned a lot from Spike like all of us do. Well I just really want to thank him, you know. But, you know, there's no new guys without the old guys. The old guys are what made it happen.

There's not much there with those words, but watching the video along with reading the words, you know that Leach respects Dykes and the things he was able to accomplish at Texas Tech. Leach is a fan of history and his comments lend to the idea that he respects the history of his own company.

Who Is Calling Those Running Plays: An absolutely dominating performance from one RB Baron Batch. I think there's this misconception that the lack of running game is a direct reflection on Leach and his willingness to run versus the quarterbacks checking down into a running play. I think the only thing we do know is that I believe that Leach gives his quarterbacks quite a bit of latitude offensively and if the running game isn't working, it's not always a reflection of Leach not wanting to run the ball. If you look at rushing statistics from 2008, the one constant during the 10 game winning streak was that this team ran for over 100 yards every game. That means two things: the quarterback isn't losing a ton of yards on sacks and the running backs are getting the ball.

If my math is correct, Batch ran 8 times for 7 yards in the first half. Perhaps this is a situation where QB Seth Doege didn't check to the running game in the right situations. Complain all you want about QB Taylor Potts, but there's something to be said for his ability to make the right reads and Batch acknowledged that after the game:

Q. How did it feel to rack up so many touchdowns today on a team that's kind of known for passing?
BARON BATCH: I mean, it's nice, but the touchdowns I score is a reflection of everybody doing what they're supposed to. Receivers blocking down field. Linemen doing a great job blocking the quarterback. You know, Potts did a great job checking into those runs. I don't think many of those, maybe two of the plays that we scored on were called in the huddle. But every other run, pretty much, was checked into. That's a great job by Potts just doing what he's supposed to, and recognizing what they're giving us and being a smart player.

Potts didn't have a great passing game, and we'll get to being a leader later, but I hope like hell you're not one of those people who refuse to give credit to a player for making the right calls and the right reads during a game. I have high hopes for Doege, but to me it was clear that Potts had a better command of the offense on Saturday and I think a big part of that command is repetitions. Doege will have that soon enough, but we might all think about giving Potts some love after previous week criticisms from a fanbase. His recognition of the defense may be the reason Batch rushes for all of those yards and touchdowns.

How to Dominate Defensively: Right now, I'm not sure which defense shows up for each and every game, but if Texas Tech gets the same performance last week, then the game is at the very least quite a bit closer.

Yesterday, the entire unit just looked cohesive, all on the same page. I thought McNeill utilized good stunts, blitzed a few times and was successful, pressured Kansas receivers, etc. Generally speaking, the defensive line was active and it was nice to hear DT Colby Whitlock's name more than once during a game. The hits that KU QB Todd Reesing took were sometimes brutal, especially the hit from DE Daniel Howard that caused the fumble. Rajon Henley stepped up his play. But the true difference maker on Saturday was again DE Brandon Sharpe. More about his play below, but there is a distinct difference when Sharpe plays and opposing offenses have to account for him. Sharpe was ready to move forward after last week:

Q. Did what happened last week have an effect on you guys just from a private standpoint, make you mad? Want to come back out there and show that you were a different team today?
BRANDON SHARPE: Yes, I mean, any time you have a loss you have to just fight back and build yourself back up. You don't just sit there and wander on and pout about it. You just have to beat yourself up, go play hard, and comes in the morning. I just want to thank the D-line and the defense because we all work as a team. We make things happen.

I think the linebackers and secondary need some mention here too. LB Marlon Williams has been relatively quiet for most of conference play. His play early in this game was a big part of this team's success and there was that late hit in the dive for that fumble in the 4th quarter, the 4th down and 1, that caused the ball to squirt down the field. Not a huge play, but Williams was going for the ball all game long. I think you also saw the relative strength of Brian Duncan and his ability to stop the run. Just outstanding from that repsect.

The secondary was huge all game long. There were certainly breakdowns, but the hits that S Cody Davis and S Franklin Mitchem had were big. Those two ran down plays all over the field and it was apparent as Davis had 10 tackles and Mitchem had 8 for the game. And CB Jamar Wall's hit on ~~Kerry Meier~~ Jake Sharp (thanks to kayakyakr) does not require a comment:

Doege vs. Potts: First and foremost, QB Seth Doege was in a tough position. The offensive line was an absolute mess in the first half. The problems he suffered were not always related to his play. Doege certainly wasn't perfect and he missed on more than a few throws, but Doege was under a tremendous amount of pressure for the entire 1st half. Leach isn't throwing anyone under the bus, here's Leach on Doege:

I think that he's -- I think Doege's well ahead of schedule. I think that Doege, you know, the toughest thing is there is this area where experience, you know, meets confidence and all those things. And I think that, you know, the biggest thing is that more reps, you know. I think that you know, practice played real well this week. And I think in the game as it started moving faster, you know, he's a conscientious guy, too. He didn't want to make a mistake. So I think things moved slowly, and our tempo was slower than it should have been.

With that being said, I was shocked to see QB Taylor Potts enter game in the 2nd half. It was painfully obvious that Doege was having a tough go at it, and I think Leach made the right decision. The Texas Tech passing offense only managed 253 yards for the game and Potts averaged a measly 4.9 yards per attempt with 1 interception that he threw behind his receiver. But Potts managed the game and I thought he managed the game well during the second half. Go read the entire post-game quotes from Leach, where he goes on a ramble that will eventually make it's way to some highlight reel, but the point that sometimes gets lost, and I would guess that Leach struggles with this issue as well, is that quarterback is a tough position to master in his offense.

Doege will be fine, but the offense certainly did respond in the 2nd half.

Offensive Line Mess and Eventual Rebound: The offensive line started C Shawn Byrnes, LT Marlon Winn, LG Lonnie Edwards, RG Brandon Carter and RT LaAdrian Waddle. Carter pulls a hamstring on the 2nd play of the game and things get messier. Mickey Okafor took over at right guard and then things started to get messy. It only took Doege getting pounded a couple of times to realize that this wasn't working. Relatively early in the first half, Wynn was moved back to right tackle after getting Doege annihilated and Chris Olson was moved to left tackle and things actually started to settle down. It wasn't until Carter made his way back to right guard that the offensive line truly clicked and the running game picked up. If there's one thing that the offensive line can say is that they persevered. It wasn't always pretty, but at the end of the day, the offense persevered.

The Offensive MVP :: RB Baron Batch: A special and well-deserved MVP for Batch. At the end of the day, Batch finished with 131 yards on 17 carries and 4 touchdowns.

The Defensive MVP :: DE Brandon Sharpe: As mentioned above, the guy is a difference maker and makes things happen defensively.

The Special Teams MVP :: Coverage Units: I think everyone one of these guys that play on this unit deserves some credit. For the day, Kansas averaged 15.2 yars per kickoff return and 0.5 yards per punt return. Not to mention, Texas Tech almost blocked a punt, and looked pretty good doing it. I think we need to see more of this aggressive type of play, but there's no doubt that from a coverage perspective, the special teams were outstanding and really limited the Jayhawks.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.23.09

Seth C — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:11:01 -0000

Running Behind: I'm really running late today, so I apologize for the brevity. [Note by Seth C, 10/23/09 7:20 AM CDT ] I'm also going to be at the game I'm I'd love to meet some of you guys so please leave comments as to where you'll be tailgating before the game and I'll try to stop by, steal one of your beers and say hello.

I Have Dinner With My Parents and a New Left Tackle Is Named: Seriously, I go to have a nice dinner with my parents and my wife, decide not to turn on the computer last night, and we have a new left tackle and right tackle.

LAJ's Don Williams writes that LaAdrian Waddle, a true freshman who pushed for playing time early (seriously, click on his name and see the times I wrote about Waddle previously) will start at right tackle, and Marlon Winn will start at left tackle. Here's OL Coach Moore:

"It’s just one of those things where he kept improving, kept improving, kept learning the offense,’’ Moore said. "That’s why we have Thursday night football (scrimmages for young players). He was getting 30 or 40 reps there every week. He’s been getting better and better, and with Terry getting hurt, I was looking for answers and that’s the answer I’ve come up with. He’s looked good in practice, so I’m going with him.’’

And Moore talks about, despite the numerous injuries, there being no excuses for this team:

"For as long as I’ve been around the game, it always seems to come in bunches," he said. "You have really healthy (seasons) one year, and the next year you have a bunch (of changes). But they’re going to step up every snap, no matter if it’s the first-team guy, second-team guy, third-team guy.

"That’s the way coach Leach coaches them to be. We’re not going to make excuses for anything. We’re just going to go out there and keep working. That’s what he’s instilled in this team, and it’s showing right now.’’

I'm not sure what to think here. If Waddle is as talented as Moore says he is, then this is a great move. I'm sure that I'm not alone in that the one play that is still ingrained in my memory is the play that Winn took off and Kindle leveled Potts. That cannot happen this week on either side. I'm nervous. Very nervous.

More notes and links after the jump.

Hawk Leaves Team: LAJ's Don Williams writes that WR Rashad Hawk has decided to leave the team and focus on track. I hope that Hawk has a tremendous amount of success in the track program.

So One Sided: DT's Alex Ybarra details the one-sided affair that the Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M game has been. Here's head coach Mike Sherman:

"Certainly they have been a nemesis for A&M, particularly here in the last seven trips and even longer than that," Sherman said. "They have kind of been a thorn in the Aggies’ side for a while."

What If: FWST's Dwain Price has a lengthy blog-post about freshman QB Seth Doege, wondering what would happen if Doege did play for Texas Tech. For those of you who don't know much about Doege, this is a good primer.

Texas A&M Aggie Links: Dr. Saturday's Holly Anderson writes that the TAMU vs. TT game will be one of the worst of the week . . . B/CS Eagle's Robert Cessna writes that the Texas A&M defense will have its hands full with the Texas Tech offense:

"Texas Tech's scheme has proven through the years to be one of the best throwing the football in the country," A&M defensive coordinator Joe Kines said. "Coach Leach has been in this system a long time, understands it, has developed it, grew it. I've played him at several different places, and he just does a phenomenal job teaching the fundamentals of throwing and catching."

Big 12 Media Days: Lots of stuff from the Big 12 Media Days and I'd love to be able to get to all of it, but for now, I'll have to point you in the right direction. First off, check out the official Big 12 Media Days page where you can find video and also a transcript of head coach Pat Knight's Q&A with the media (pdf). There's a lot to get to in those quotes, probably in another post next week that's solely dedicated to basketball, but here's a bit about what Pat Knight is expecting from some of the newcomers:

You know, we're always going to be halfjunior college when I recruit. It's just Texas Tech is just a really good situation to recruit junior college and high school kids. The three junior college kids -- Reese, Tairu, and Jenkins -- we brought them in immediately to upgrade our talent and athleticism, and I think you'll see them in the starting lineup a lot this year or being one of the first to come off the bench.

So really those three kids are going to make a huge impact for us just from an athletic and talent standpoint that we didn't have last year. You know, I think they'll be having those kids added to the mix with good players like Roberson and Singletary, now you have five guys that are actually a threat with the ball. But we can actually play defense now. We can get back to playing man to man.

No More Zone: LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that PK is done with playing zone defense, had a Big 12 hoops notebook, where she talks about PG John Roberson's role changing:

"I want him to be more well-rounded the next two years, because he really is," Knight said. "People haven’t seen what a good player he is cutting and moving off of screens."

And PK confirmed that SF Mike Singletary has lost 20 pounds over the offseason, and this bit is very encouraging:

"Now Mike’s able to drive more, get by guys," Tech coach Pat Knight said. "He actually dunks in the half-court situation."

Pitching Depth on Display: LAJ's George Watson writes that the pitching depth will be displayed in the Red & Black series starting on Friday. Head coach Dan Spencer is encouraged:

"We’re not as deep as we think we will be in a couple of weeks when we get a couple of guys back (from injury) and can add them to the active roster," head coach Dan Spencer said. "I think if the (doctors) are kind to us … and we’re all able to progress and able to pitch in the spring, then the depth on the mound will be very good."

And I really love this quote about guys who think they are starters separating themselves:

"We feel we don’t have anybody positionally that will make this club and we’ll take into the spring who are pretenders," Spencer said. "They’re all Division I talent. We told them Tuesday that it’s time for guys who think they need to be a starter and those who need to fill roles to start believing in that and start separating themselves. I hope we’ll see that."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.21.09

Seth C — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:03:14 -0000

Selling Stuff: After thinking about it for a few days I've made a decision regarding those that want to sell their wares on DTN. If there are any additional FanPosts where someone is trying to sell something, no matter the product, they're going to get deleted. If you email me and you have a good cause, i.e. proceeds are going to charity, then I think the best thing is to run it by me first and then I'll give you the green light to post. I'm sure this makes me a look poorly to some, but I've worked very hard on DTN becoming a somewhat popular place and if you want to advertise to make a profit or get noticed by 3,000 people a day, then I'll get you hooked up with the right people.

It's Going to Be Potts: Thanks to the djollie111 FanShot last night and it's being reported by multiple sources, including LAJ's Don Williams, FWST's Dwain Price, DT's Alex Ybarra, that QB Steven Sheffield will be out 2 to 3 weeks and QB Taylor Potts has been cleared to play Saturday against the Aggies. Price's article has a source (that sounds so mysterious) that was quoted as saying that the controversy as to whether or not Potts would be cleared to play was "blown out of proportion":

However, of Potts' status for the A&M game, the source said: "He's fine.''

Asked about the controversy on whether Potts hasn't recovered from the concussion, the source said: "That's completely been blown out of proportion.''

There you have it, straight from an unnamed source's mouth.

Other Injuries and Notes: Also in the previously linked LAJ's Don Williams article, there's a run down of other injuries and other than Sheffield, LT Terry McDaniel, C Shawn Byrnes, and S Will Ford remain out for Saturday's game. Think a good thought for all of these guys today to get back on the field as quickly as possible . . . special teams Coach Russell is also concerned about Donnie Carona's lack of ability to kick the ball deep, despite having a strong leg, and had this to say about the situation:

Asked if he’d consider kickers Matt Williams or Brad Hicks, Russell said, "If anybody else would show they could do any better. We’re going to always go with the best guy. We’re also trying to work and get it fixed with Donnie.

"We’re just not striking it right. I don’t know what the issues are, whether our eyes are coming off the ball or what.’’

. . . and if the general public doesn't buy up the extra seats, the administration is prepared to fill those spots with students . . .

Seniors Want to Keep Streak Alive: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the current group of seniors do not want to be the class that loses to the Aggies (currently 4). RT Marlon Winn (again, becoming one of my favorite players) recounts his early games against the Aggies:

"That’s a very big deal,’’ said Winn, Tech’s three-year starter at right tackle. "My redshirt (freshman) year, the first year we traveled down there, I remember the touchdown catch Robert Johnson made in the end zone to seal the game (31-27). I felt the rivalry between the two teams and how we just snatched the air out of the stadium. I enjoyed the feeling.

"They come here the next year, and kind of the same thing happens,’’ Winn went on. "It’s something that, when you go into practice that week, you remember those kind of things, and you don’t want to be the team that ends up losing to Texas A&M, who of course is a great team.’’

And TAMU coach Mike Sherman knows the Texas Tech crowd and students can be "threatening":

"Playing at nighttime out in Lubbock, the crowd’s going to be right behind our bench, and it’s going to be very threatening,’’ Sherman said. "Our kids have to rise to that challenge. I’m not so sure we did a good job of that last week.’’

Offensive Line to be Tested by Miller: DT's Adam Coleman writes that the offensive line will be tested by talented TAMU DE Von Miller. Offensive line Coach Moore had this to say about the challenge:

"We’re not going to change anything in what we do, but they definitely have a little pep in their step," he said. "That’s the reason they came here. That’s the reason they came to the Big 12. If they wanted to go play against someone they could beat every time, they’d go play in a different conference.

"They come here for the challenge, and I feel like we stepped up to it last week."

And Miller had this to say about what they intend on doing this week:

"Our secondary — I know our guys are gonna bear down, hold the receivers up a little bit, give us a couple chances, a couple of opportunities to get back there and make a couple of plays," Miller said during A&M’s weekly press conference Monday. "Our secondary and our linebackers, I’m 100 percent positive that we’re gonna have a really good week."

Texas A&M Aggie Links: the B/CS Eagle's Robert Cessna writes that the Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M game is always interesting . . . the Chron's Brent Zwerneman recounts the Aggies' struggles in Lubbock . . .

Big 12 Links: Barking Carnival's srr50 with an interesting take as to why we (Big 12 schools) should all pay attention to Comcast's proposed takeover of NBC . . . FanHouse's Terrance Harris with a Big 12 notebook . . .

Media Days: The Big 12 Basketball Media Days are today in Kansas City, Missouri, and PG John Roberson and SF Mike Singletary will join coach Pat Knight today.

Roberson to Take Control: LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that junior PG John Roberson is looking to take a bigger leadership role this year:

"It’s tough, especially when things aren’t going well, but you grow up a lot quicker than you would if you weren’t a captain," Roberson, now a junior, said. "It helped me a lot to grow up and actually learn how to be a leader."

And coach Pat Knight had this to say about Roberson:

"I just want him to carry on what he did from an offensive standpoint last year," Knight said, "but he’s got to have less turnovers and he’s got to start guarding somebody."

Snip.

"Roberson’s got to be able to defend on the ball, cause problems without his hand on the ball, create deflections, steals," Knight said. "He’s got to be able to cause turnovers."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.19.09

Seth C — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:05:02 -0000

New Captains: LAJ's Don Williams reports that RB Baron Batch, LB Bront Bird, RT Marlon Winn and DE Brandon Sharpe were voted to be captains this week against Texas A&M and the team will vote weekly on who will be captains . . . also, Leach canceled the Sunday night practice . . .

New Seats: LAJ's Don Williams talks with AD Gerald Myers about the addition of the new seats and hopes to break the attendance record against the Aggies.

Rushing Ends: LAJ's Don Williams takes a look at the defensive ends and DE Daniel Howard talks about being the underdog:

"I’ve been the underdog my whole life,’’ he said. "I got recruited by the rest of the schools around here to play linebacker. Tech was the one who came in and told me, ‘You’re going to play defensive end.’ I said OK, because everyone else told me I was too small. I wasn’t fast enough. I wasn’t strong enough. I think as a defense, we’re making a statement because we’re all those (kind of) guys.’’

And DC Ruffin McNeill talks about DE Brandon Sharpe, and Sharpe comments as well:

"Everybody moves along and progresses differently,’’ McNeill said. "That’s the thing about coaching. You have to be patient. If the kids stay, they’ll play. You just have to keep coaching them up.

"Brandon’s one of those kids that stayed. He may have got frustrated at times, but he understands why now.’’

Tech coach Mike Leach said recently he thought Sharpe was capable of more dominating performances, and McNeill said Sharpe can have more games like Saturday if he has the proper frame of mind.

Lately, that’s all been true. Seven of Sharpe’s sacks have come in the last three games.

"I was just out there having fun and running hard, trying to get noticed and enjoying it,’’ he said Saturday. "This is my last year. I’m trying to play it to my fullest.’’

Texas Tech Red Raider Links: TR's dedfischer's post-mortem and RRR's had a few thoughts from the Nebraska win . . . LAJ's Don Williams grades the Nebraska performance . . .

TAMU Aggie Links: Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton wonders if the Aggies have given up the fight with a 6 touchdown loss to Kansas St. . . . EDSBS with Mike Sherman supporting breast cancer . . .

BCS and Big 12 Links: SB Nation has a new blog, BCS Evolution, and it's got all kinds of good stuff regarding the BCS . . . Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton takes a look at the BCS rankings . . . KC Star's Blair Kerkhoff look at all of the conferences and writes that the Big 12 North is down . . .

Practice Begins: DT's Zane Turner was at the open practice on Friday night and head coach Pat Knight is ready to start a new season:

"We’re excited. It’s tough, you know, when you have kind of a down season in your own mind just waiting all spring, summer and fall to get back at it," said Knight, who begins his second full season as head coach at Tech. "It starts today and to me we’re kind of getting a bad taste out of our mouths even though I’m proud of some of the things we accomplished last year. It’s still the team we wanted to have here."

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 10.17.09

Seth C — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:09:16 -0000

Nervous Computer: My computer didn't start initially this morning and made me very nervous. This explains why I'm a tad bit late this morning. It's 4 years old, it may be time to make a new investment.

Check It Out: Week 7 SB Nation College Football Sport Stream.

Lewis to Make Splash: LAJ's Don Williams writes that WR coach Riley thinks that WR Detron Lewis should make a contribution at the end of the season:

"Yeah, I think he will," inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley said this week. "He’s gotten on the same page with the quarterbacks. He came out of the blocks really strong, really played well against North Dakota and then since then he hasn’t been his usual explosive self. (But) he’s had his best week of practice this week, and I think he’s really going to start to get into a groove."

And Lewis may be looking a bit ahead for a week:

"I’ve been asked that question a lot, but I don’t really care now, because I think I’m in the right place," he said. "But honestly, I do put more into the A&M game. I want to rip them up, because I was right up the street back home and they didn’t look my way."

We can allow this, right?

Tough Nebraska Defense: LAJ's Don Williams writes that after two relatively weak teams, the Red Raiders are set to face a very tough Nebraska squad. RT Marlon Winn thinks QB Steven Sheffield is ready to play on the road:

"I think he’s ready to go on the road," Tech tackle Marlon Winn said this week. "I think he’s ready to go anywhere we take him. (Against New Mexico), he stepped in like he was supposed to be there the whole time, and he kind of took the (job) over like it was his deal anyway. He did the same thing against Kansas State, and I don’t expect any different of him in Nebraska."

Bird Takes Advantage: FWST's Dwain Price profiles LB Bront Bird, who is taking advantage of early playing time in his career and loves playing for Defensive Coordinator McNeill:

"He loves the game of football, loves the coaches around him and loves us as players," Bird said. "He’s passionate about what he does, he expects the best out of you, he sees what you’re capable of and he’ll accept nothing less than that.

"He’s a great guy to play under and I couldn’t ask for a better leader."

And Bird talks about moving to different positions:

"I got to play some defensive line some this year, and we’ve had tackles moving out to end," Bird said. "I think that’s great, because it’s a unit that, no matter what happens, somebody is going to step in, even if it’s a position they don’t normally play.

"It’s been fun to watch and fun to be a part of. It’s just a year where we want to do whatever we can to succeed."

Assorted Links: Corn Nation learns from super-secret sources that Texas Tech will start 2 QB's . . . LAJ's Tale of the Tape . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich profiles Nebraska QB Zac Lee . . . CN's keys to a victory over Texas Tech . . . Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton picks the Huskers . . . Crimson and Cream Machine's SBN Big 12 Roundtable Recap . .