SB Nation - Rylan Reed

Five Things // Building the Offensive Line

Seth C — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:00:18 -0000

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

Building the Offensive Line

I know that I'm not worried about the quarterback, the running back and the receivers, but this is an in-depth look at the offensive line.

1: Is Experience Overrated?

Much of Phil Steele's rankings are based on the experienced players returning and right now, Texas Tech sits at 106th in the nation. The experience factor is why Texas Tech isn't even in Steele's top 40 teams of 2009 (again, it's just someone's opinion) and much of that probably hinges on the fact that Texas Tech, on the surface, may be replacing 3 startes from last year, C Stephen Hamby, LT Rylan Reed and LG Louis Vasquez. There's really no way to write how much those guys meant to the Texas Tech offense last year especially if you consider how much time QB Graham Harrell had last year. Last year, Texas Tech gave up only 13 sacks the entire year (113 yards) and RB Baron Batch lost only 13 yards and RB Shannon Woods lost only 12 yards in 2008. That's a very low total of only 138 yards for the entire 2008 campaign. Again, that's an incredibly efficient offense that starts entirely up front with the offensive line, so to dismiss the importance of replacing starters along the offensive line isn't a bad line of thought when looking at offenses in 2009.

2: The Man at the Top

I had my doubts whenever Captain Leach hired little-known offensive line coach Matt Moore, hired from Troy University with only one year of college coaching experience and a number of years at the high school level. It seems like quite a stretch to be quite honest, but I'm not sure that this could have worked out any better for Texas Tech. I'm not sure who to attribute the quote, but it was something to the effect of find the guy that can hike the ball, and play the best four players after that. I don't think it was Moore, but you could certainly say that he believes in that philosophy. I'm not certain about this, but I believe that Moore, regardless of position, wants to find the best players and really doesn't worry too much about position. Of course, there are limitations to this, as you obviously cannot have a guy that has really bad feet or isn't athletic on the edge, but he did do this in some respect with Rylan Reed last year. Reed seemed to be a very athletic LT, but after his ankle injury in 2007, he wasn't as mobile as he had been the previous two years. Despite that, Moore felt that Reed was the best player available and he needed to be on the field.

3: Change In Tackles

Rylan Reed was a wonderful left tackle for Texas Tech, but he wasn't exactly mobile. He was incredibly strong and Texas Tech certainly played to his strength. Playing on an island, you can sometimes minimize the faults of a player, but it can also feature those faults. Brandon Carter started the spring out at left tackle and I thought at the time that this may not be the position best suited for Carter. Carter, much like Reed, is a huge guy and strength is his forte and I think he has decent footwork, but to me, he's not the kind of footwork to play left tackle. I'd even go so far to say that Carter's best position in the NFL will be at guard and I think he'll excel at that position. With Carter's knee injury, although not serious, he was replaced with redshirt freshman Terry McDaniel at left tackle. One of my thoughts during the spring game was that I was very much impressed with the way that McDaniel played and was especially impressed with his athleticism at this position. The difference between Carter and McDaniel, in my opinion, was that McDaniel seemed to have better footwork, but lacked the strength that Carter has, not to mention the all important know-how in playing along the line. There's no doubt that whoever plays at left tackle, that player is going to have to handle the likes of UT's Sergio Kindle and OU's Gerald McCoy, to name just two, and if it were me, I'd fall on the side of having the more athletic guy.

Marlon Winn is a guy that doesn't get much pre-season press, but if you want to talk about guys that are true athletes along the offensive line, I think you start with Winn. Winn, at least to me, represents the wave of the future with the Texas Tech line. Winn is the type of player that can contain most defensive ends and to be honest, prior to the spring, I thought that he would be a perfect replacement at left tackle. Not knowing the progress of McDaniel, especially since he didn't play all of last year, I thought that Winn would pick-up right where Reed left off and would protect Taylor Potts blindside for the next year. And perhaps this is a bit of forward thinking by Moore, but I get the feeling that Moore wants to have a guy in McDaniel to hold that spot for quite some time, which may explain the reason why he's staying at right tackle, but if push came to shove and none of the LT options work out, I have no doubt that Winn could step-in without missing a beat.

4: Versatility

Chris Olson represents Moore's philosophy more than any other player. Moore has said that Olson could essentially play any position along the offensive line. Olson is too good to be on the sideline this year, and if a guy struggles then you could see Olson relatively quickly. And that's not to say that Olson won't start either. But that type of versatility is something that's starting to show up in recruiting as well.

2009 signee Kyle Clark's ESPN evaluation starts off by saying that Clark is a versatile player:

Clark shows some versatility at both offensive guard and offensive tackle. He is a big tall and lean football player that can become a real talent if he works on foot agility and plays with better leverage.

Same goes for Joel Gray, where the ESPN evaluation states that Gray could play either tackle or guard:

Gray has a good motor as a strong side offensive tackle but is better suited for the guard position. He is an impressive 6'6" and at 285 pounds and has the dimensions you're looking for in an offensive lineman.

LaAdrian Waddle is another guy that was mentioned as coming in second in the discus throw in state, and the ESPN evaluation confirms that he's another projectable athlete:

Defenders have trouble getting around such a huge specimen and the long arms are effective in keeping pass rusher away from body. Must be careful to not be beaten underneath. Waddle has real potential because he moves well for such a big player. If he works on trimming down and improve foot quickness and technique he will be a highly sought after lineman.

Matt Goetz, I think is penciled in as a center, played guard in college, but there's nothing for me to think in his ESPN evaluation that he couldn't play guard or tackle:

Goetz is a very solid offensive lineman that is made for the guard position. He has good size and still could add strength and bulk. Very good run blocker that comes off the ball quickly and delivers a real jolt to the defender. Sometimes loses control and has trouble sustaining; needs to be consistent at locking into the defender's frame. Gives excellent effort and drives his legs after contact at the point of attack. Has a little problem with the backside cutoff and loses defensive man across his face. Good short stepper on the reach and zone block. Goetz should develop into a fine offensive guard at the next level.

5: Rounding Out the Rest

If you're wondering about the rest of the line, I think the same type of thing can be said about the rest of the group. Shawn Byrnes is expected to start at center, but I've come around greatly on Byrnes' backup Justin Keown. After watching him a bit during the spring game, he can play. The same goes for right guards, Mickey Okafor and Deveric Gallington, additional athletic guys that I think could play a number of positions if asked. After Winn graduates next year I get the feeling that if Olson hasn't found a spot anywhere else, he'll step up at this spot and Joe King could easily assert himself, much like McDaniel, during the offseason. Lonnie Edwards was one of the higher rated recruits coming out of the 2007 signing class, and although he's yet to find a spot, that's another player that could step up for Carter at left guard when he graduates next year.

Texas Tech Monday Morning Notes - The Kids Competed Edition

Seth C — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:18:49 -0000

If you haven't been around all weekend, then you need to make sure and check out both DTN posts (here and here) on Sally Kipyego, who tied an NCAA record for national championships at nine and was a breath away from winning her tenth on Saturday. This may sound strange, but Kipyego may be the best best athlete to ever wear the scarlet and black and in a sport where she is either a winner or loser it's amazing that she's won nine national championships.

Congrats to Sally, an amazing athlete.

Spring Previews

The DMN previews the Big 12 teams and picks a position that poses the biggest challenge, with the DMN staff picking quarterback:

What he brings: At 6-5, Potts has a stronger arm than Harrell, although he may not be quite as accurate or polished. He has completed 64.7 percent of his 85 career passes in backup duty the last two seasons. Ideally, coach Mike Leach would like competition at quarterback, but he conceded that the battle now is for the backup role. Potts' development will be crucial. Tech's third game comes at Texas.

Leach also talked quarterback and Taylor Potts in his big leather chair with Fox34.

Rylan Reed Update

FWST's Dwain Price updates Rylan's Reed injury, which was a ruptured patella tendon. According to Price, Reed is scheduled to be out at least nine months and Tennessee Titans' head scout had this to say about Reed:

"The boy was working hard and he was doing a good job and he just popped it," said C.O. Brocato, the Tennessee Titans’ head scout, who lives in Arlington. "He’s really a nice kid and he had a chance.
"But now I don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s a shame because he was doing a good job on everything."

And Ruffin McNeill describes the injury:

"It was like he was running in the Olympics and he was trying to lean [at the wire]," Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill said. "He’s too big to be leaning.
"When he put that leg out to lean and run through the line, all that weight came on one leg. It was weird."

Red Raiders Have Plenty Returning

LAJ's Jeff Walker discusses the returning players to the men's basketball squad. We're going to delve into each position once the basketball season ends, but this will certainly whet your appetite for now. Pat Knight talks about Mike Singletary's contribution to the team:

"He has just been a solid contributor to us," Knight said after the Missouri game. "He is only a sophomore. That’s the thing - that’s the thing that I really like. … This (tournament) is something he can build on, not just the performance (against A&M), but also, I think, (against Missouri)."

Texas Tech Takes Series from Nebraska

Date	Start Time	Texas Tech Starting Pitcher	Nebraska Starting Pitcher	Result
3/14/2009	1:00 p.m.	Brian Cloud (W, 2-2)	Eric Rose (L, 1-1)	16-8
3/14/2009	5:00 a.m.	Louis Head (L, 0-1)	Jordan Roualdes (W, 2-1)	10-1
3/16/2009	2:00 p.m.	Michael Mariot (1-1, -)	Chad Bettis (2-0, -)	10-3

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

*Click on the score for boxscore.

Nebraska 3, Texas Tech 10

Very nice win and the combination of AJ Ramos (4.2 IP; 7 H; 3 ER; 2 BB; 6 SO) starting the game and Chad Bettis (4.1 IP; 3 H; 0 ER; 2 BB; 4 SO) closing it out worked out great for a series win against Nebraska (recap). I wasn't sure about using Bettis out of the bullpen, but it's obvious that his efforts helped Texas Tech garner both victories, the first game Saturday and yesterday's game. Leading the way on offense was sophomore catcher Jeremy Mayo (2-4; 4 RBI; 2 HR) had 2 home runs on the day and drove in 4 for the day, while Chris Richburg (4-5; 2 RBI) was on fire.

LAJ's George Watson's game story paints a picture of a team willing to take the ball and compete for the win, while head coach Dan Spencer sounds happy:

"The kids competed, and it’s nice because they’ve competed before and lost," Spencer said. "It’s nice to compete and get that kind of production and win and we can build on it from here. Until you get something done a time or two, you’re just going on faith and we all need to have a little faith. But once you get it done it should give you confidence you can finish a game and finish a weekend."

Previewing Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss: Offensive Line

Seth C — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:00:07 -0000

OFFENSIVE LINE

Player	Ht/Wt	Class	Position
Stephen Hamby	6'3"/292	Sr.	Center
Brandon Carter	6'7"/354	Jr.	Guard
Louis Vasquez	6'6"/335	Sr.	Guard
Marlon Winn	6'6"/325	Jr.	Tackle
Rylan Reed	6'7"/305	Sr.	Tackle
Ryan Hale	6'1"/227	Sr.	Fullback/Tight End
Adam James	6'3"/217	Fr.	Tight End
Daverin Geralds	6'2"/312	Jr.	Center
Maurice Miller	6'4"/343	Sr.	Guard
Darryl Harris	6'3"/300	Sr.	Guard
John Jerry	6'5"/350	Jr.	Tackle
Michael Oher	6'5"/318	Sr.	Tackle
David Traxler	6'6"/255	Sr.	Tight End

Texas Tech

Scary

I was trying to figure out a statistical method of determining the overall play of the offensive lines and although I don't have the mathematical smarts of Rock M Nation I did come up with a few metrics to figure out offensive line play.

Up first, passing stats. Texas Tech gave up 5 sacks for 604 passing attempts, which turns out to be 1 sack for every 120.8 attempts. In terms of a percentage, the Red Raiders are giving up a sack at a 0.83% rate, which is unbelievable. This offensive line has done an unbelievable job of keeping Graham Harrell upright all season long. I wish I had the time to look at offensive lines and how they have historically done as this seems almost unbelievable considering the volume of attempts that Texas Tech has. Granted, most of those throws are short passes, but still, this offensive line is outstanding at protecting it's quarterback.

The running statistics are plainly yards per attempt, where Texas Tech averages 4.71 yards per attempt and to top it off, Texas Tech averages a touchdown for every 10.82 attempts (303 rushing attempts and 28 touchdowns). For comparison purposes, this leads the nation. Again, pretty amazing stats for a team that primarily passes. Nationally, just basing this off of yards per attempt, Texas Tech sits 31st in the nation.

Post-season awards have seen quite a few of Texas Tech's offensive linemen receive accolades. Brandon Carter was named to Phil Steele's 1st team offense and the AFCA coaches' All-America team. Louis Vasquez was named to Steele's 3rd team offense. Rylan Reed was named to the Walter Camp All-American team and ESPN's 1st team all big 12. Bottom line, three of the five offensive linemen have been named on various all-america teams for their play this year (Brandon Carter, Rylan Reed and Louis Vasquez).

Quite frankly, this is an offensive line that folks have noticed and may have missed the most consistent lineman in right tackle, Marlon Winn.

Mississippi

Michael Oher, dominating tackle.

Same stats above apply to grade out Ole Miss' line. Ole Miss gave up 23 sacks in 311 passing attempts, which works out to be one sack for every 13.52 passing attempts. In terms of a percentage, Ole Miss was giving up a sack 7.40% of the time, and as mentioned above, Texas Tech's percentage was 0.83%. These Ole Miss numbers aren't bad, in fact, I think they are pretty good.

As far as rushing statistics, Ole Miss is averaging 4.62 yards per attempt. Nationally, this puts Ole Miss at 36th in the nation in yards per attempt, which is a very good rate. As far as attempts per touchdowns, Ole Miss is scoring 1 touchdown for every 25.05 rushing attempt (476 attempts and 19 touchdowns). This ranks 68th nationally and puts Ole Miss near the top half of punching the ball in the endzone rushing the ball.

Michael Oher is the unquestioned leader of this offensive line and future top 10 pick in the NFL and much like Crabtree, would be silly for me to name every All-American team Oher is on, because it's probably every one. To put it simply, he is absolutely dominating. Michael Oher is to Ole Miss as Michael Crabtree is to Texas Tech.

Tackle John Jerry is on Steele's 2nd All-SEC team , as well as 1st team All-SEC according to the AP, and Ole Miss' other offensive line standout.

Conclusion:

A close matchup again, but a slight edge to Texas Tech. Ole Miss has one absolutely dominating tackle in Oher and Jerry is an All-SEC performer. It bothers me that Ole Miss has given up so many sacks relative to the number of passes. The Texas Tech line does a better job of protecting it's quarterback and is slightly better running the ball on a yards per attempt analysis.

I know that this is looking a little one-sided, but it's not even close to being over. Be patient Ole Miss fans.

Previous Matchups

Quarterbacks :: Running Backs :: Receiver :: Offensive Line :: Defensive Line :: Linebackers :: Secondary :: Special Teams :: Coaching

Matchup	Advantage
Quarterback
Running Back
Receivers
Offensive Line

Poll

Who do you think wins this matchup of offensive lines?

Texas Tech

222 votes

Mississippi

120 votes

342 votes | Poll has closed

Morning Coffee Wonders What The National Punditry Is Smoking

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:10:21 -0000

Gary Danielson goes Schlabach on Colt McCoy. Apparently, being no. 1 means the national punditry makes ill-considered statements about that football team. In a word, goes all Schlabach on you, while slobbering all over Georgia's Matthew Stafford. Take it away Gary Danielson (and remember, as a CBS analyst, he knows good offenses):

I'll take Stafford [over Colt McCoy]. He's a 235-pound player; more of a pro. If Stafford played in one of those junk offenses, he'd be putting up numbers just like McCoy. I think he's more the pro body-type, he's more Matt Ryan. I think he's just a brilliant football player, I really do. He's gonna be an NFL franchise quarterback.

It's certainly true that Stafford has the type of arm that scouts drool over and McCoy doesn't. But beyond that debate, Texas runs a junk offense? What makes it a junk offense, Danielson? Because McCoy is on pace to shatter completion percentage records in the NCAA? If it's such a junk offense, why has no one figured out how to stop it yet? Wanna see a junk offense? Go watch Auburn play. I don't think Matthew Stafford could complete 80% of his passes against air. Gary Danielson, you, sir, are a moron. Go start a club with Schlabach.

Do good teams squeak by the Huskers at home? Tip of the hat to texascfo for bringing attention to this, as Nebraska controlled the clock in their game against Tech in a manner reminiscent of the Texas/Texas Tech game last year. Nebraska held the ball for more than 40 minutes, while holding Tech to 16 first downs and under 300 yards passing. Tech won the game with an interception in overtime, but the blueprint Nebraska used is similar to the blueprint for Texas success mentioned in Morning Coffee on Tuesday. Most relevant to the Longhorns, Nebraska controlled the clock passing the ball (357 yards), rather than running 60+ times (35 for 114) as the Longhorns did last season against Tech. It's no secret the Longhorns will try to control the clock, and if Nebraska can take Tech down to the wire in Lubbock with maybe one player (Marlon Lucky) who would compete for a starting job at Texas, there's no reason to think the Longhorns can't do the same and better on Saturday.

Respect Rak. Tech bloggers are remarkably unconcerned about slowing down Brian Orakpo, quite possibly the best defense end in the country and currently ranked 7th on SI's draft board (h/t jc25). Unlike the second ranked defensive end, Michael Johnson, playing the run is not a liability for Orakpo, who has 12 tackles for loss on the season. Dedfischer concedes that point, but calls Orakpo "primarily a bull rusher" and believes that the immensely strong Rylan Reed will neutralize the strength of Orakpo. Perhaps he is forgetting that Orakpo runs a 4.6 40 and has run by nearly every left tackle he's faced this season. For some reason, Orakpo's destruction of Phil Loadholt is dismissed as irrelevant, even though Reed and Loadholt are of similar size and strength. As way of anecdotal argument, I recall a shot from the Missouri broadcast from behind their offensive line showing Orakpo shifting quickly to left in a four-point stance before blasting through the Missouri split. That would be a display of quickness, not bullrushing. I don't care if you can bench press a Buick, it won't help you stop Orakpo charging through a split in the offensive line.

Blitz at your own peril. Despite an overwhelming lack of success, teams continue to blitz the Texas offense. Seems suicidal doens't it? PB has you covered on the problem opposing defensive coordinators face:

Blitzing Colt McCoy and his band of telepathic receivers is a fool's errand.

Not getting pressure on Colt McCoy is inviting another Heisman-worthy stat line.

Getting through Texas' offensive line and to McCoy without a blitz has proven exceptionally difficult.

With the Texas offensive line and running backs picking up blitzes in pass protection, Colt McCoy is often finding the middle of the field wide open. Think the long Brandon Collins catch-and-run against Missouri. Pressuring Quan Cosby in man coverage has often resulted in Cosby shedding defenders with quick moves. Zone defenses aren't working. Amazingly enough, Texas Tech actually has some talented defensive ends this year who may be able to get pressure on Colt McCoy without having to resort to blitzes, but I wonder if there isn't another solution.

Bill Belichick has long given opposing offenses fits by only rushing three defenders, while dropping eight into coverage. The Longhorns haven't seen that look yet this year, but McCoy has been picking apart blitzes and conventional coverages with equal efficiency, so it makes sense to try to further squeeze the already small windows into which McCoy often fits passes. Dropping eight into coverage could force the Longhorns to become more vertical in the passing game, which they have been reticent to explore since McCoy doesn't have the arm or release point to consistently make those throws. Not to mention the fact they don't have to make those throws with shorter passes open consistently. The issue with dropping so many defenders? Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley use their bodies so well to shield defenders while elevating in traffic that nearly perfect coverage often results in completions for the Longhorns. Amazing how hard it is to defend the "junk offense" Texas runs, isn't it?

It's good to be king. For the third week, the Longhorns sit on top of the college football world. But are Texas fans enjoying it? With another huge game looming against Texas Tech, the Longhorn faithful are holding their collective breath for the third week in a row, waiting for the football team to substantiate their belief or for their dream of another national championship to come crashing down. But isn't that attitude way too pessimistic, too fatalistic? What's the point of being on top if you can't enjoy it? Penn State fans are writing "Texas Hate Manuals" and hoping the Longhorns fall, because hoping for other teams to lose is the only chance they have to sneak into the national championship game. Instead of controlling their own destiny, they have to rely on other teams for help. Fellow Longhorn fans, let's take the next two days to enjoy the view from the pinnacle of college football and revel in this football team, that was never supposed to be in this position. My friends, while we all love putting two fingers in the air, glory in being the only fanbase that can put a solitary index finger in the air with any truthfulness.

Rylan Reed Is Amazing

Seth C — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:27:33 -0000

Rylan Reed's story never gets old.

Take the 4 minutes to watch this video of a guy who struck out Barry Bonds, beat cancer, was the rock in his family after his father died, and became one of the best left tackles in the Big 12.

CBS CS: The Comeback Kid (via CBS)

5 Reasons Texas Tech Will Lose: The Big 12 South Edition

Seth C — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:00:05 -0000

5 Reasons Why Texas Tech Will Win and 5 Reasons Why Texas Tech Will Lose will be a weekly post, but this week, because of the bye, we focus on why DTN thinks Texas Tech will win and lose the Big 12 South. Comments, criticisms and thoughts appreciated.

Reason #1: The Bad Loss

We've talked about the bad loss before on DTN and every year, there seems to be a loss to a bad team that makes Red Raider fans want to pull out their hair. We're all hoping that things have changed and this year will be different, but if history tells us anything, it's that this team will be due for a bad loss, and it will be when it's least expected (please don't let it be Texas A&M) and it will be devastating.

Reason #2: Total Defense Isn't Up To Par

The yards bother me. Despite being more stingy the defense is still 62nd in the nation and 8th in the conference in the Big 12. Texas Tech has played some pretty good offensive teams thus far, but they've all been relatively weak teams generally. The offenses in the Big 12 will be a big step up in talent and I'm not sold that the Texas Tech defense will be able to stop opposing offenses. Perhaps the number that gives me the greatest concern is the pass defense, which is giving 246 yards a game, which is 95th in the nation and 9th in the Big 12.

Reason #3: Unhealthy Offensive Line

One of the biggest reasons for Texas Tech's success last year was that the team fielded one of the best offensive lines in the country, especially in terms of keeping Harrell upright through a game. Rylan Reed is still recovering from an ankle injury in the Gator Bowl and Louis Vasquez still isn't quite himself, sitting out the UMass game. That's your entire left side and the most important in protecting Harrell. Opposing defenses only managed 15 sacks all of last year. When Stephen Hamby has moved over to guard with Shawn Byrnes replacing him at center, the offense has struggled a bit to protect Harrell. Granted, this year the offense has only given up 1 sack in 4 games, but the relative strength of those teams is relatively weak. Texas Tech needs Reed and Vasquez to be at 100% in order for this team to have a chance at the Big 12 South title.

Reason #4: Harrell Is Off

Graham Harrell just hasn't been himself. There have been numerous instances where Harrell has tried to force the ball deep, throwing up passes to receivers that just weren't there. Harrell's been prone to having a bad game and so far it hasn't happened, but Harrell's inconsistencies are troubling. I think this is a minor point, being one that the national media may not see, but it's one that Texas Tech fans will certainly can see that he just hasn't been playing up to his 2007 standards. It's been nice to see Harrell defer to his running backs, but in order for the Texas Tech offense to hum like we're accustomed to seeing, Harrell needs to be better. I'm confident that any issues that he's had will be remedied, but for now, I'm a little worried.

Reason #5: Carona-Extra Point

Saying that freshman kicker Donnie Carona has struggled would be an understatement. So much so that Mike Leach asked a student who kicked a field goal during the UMass game to try out for the team. Carona is only 1-5 kicking field goals, the longest being 35 yards, and has had 2 of those field goals blocked. Not to mention, Carona has already missed 2 Carona-extra points. So far, this hasn't been a huge problem, but at some point during the season a game will be on the line and Leach is either going to allow Carona to kick or he's going to go for it, putting the defense in a precarious situation should he the 4th down attempt fail. Carona has got to get better, but the problem is that there may not be a better alternative.

Hat-Tip to the great South Carolina blog, Garnet and Black Attack for the idea.

Report Card: SMU v. Texas Tech

Seth C — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:56:40 -0000

Offensive MVP: Baron Batch

Defensive MVP: Daniel Charbonnet

Special Teams MVP: Taylor Charbonnet

QUARTERBACK
B	A much better performance by Graham Harrell, at least in my opinion. I thought he looked sharper this week than he has in the past, although I understand Leach's criticisms of Harrell, he's not quite on target yet, but I trust Leach to correct that problem. No interceptions, although there were a couple of balls that easily could have been intercepted, one coming to mind was the pass that hit the SMU defender in the back. As far as good numbers are concerned, Harrell finished with 8.7 yards per attempt, which is very good. Five TD's puts Harrell ahead of Kingbury all-time at Texas Tech. I'd still like to see Harrell not force the deep pass, just take what the defense gives you and the deep stuff will happen. I especially don't like it when you're down at your own 2. Get out of your endzone and get some positive yards. I thought Potts looked pretty sharp and the one thing that I try and watch with Potts is how long does he hold onto the ball, and last night he seemed to get rid of it much quicker than in past year. That's a sign that he's making quicker decisions and he's making good decisions (6 for 7 for 95 yards). It would have been nice to see him lead the team for a touchdown that last scoring drive, but I'm not complaining. I thought he looked sharp.
RUNNING BACK
A	This is the best I've ever seen the running game. As a group, Batch and Woods averaged 6.7 yards per attempt, had 27 carries, and if you're asking me, the offense looked so much better against SMU, in large part because of the outstanding running game. Batch had 98 yards on 10 carries and 1 TD. Batch seems to do a better job of breaking off for longer runs, a trend that's been true for the first 3 games. Out of the backfield, Batch accounted for 5 catches and 71 yards, for a 14.2 yard per catch average. Shannon Woods was running with attitude (my wife even noticed) and he seemed genuinely excited to be able to break out a bit. Woods finished with 86 yards on 13 carries for 6.6 yards per carry and 2 receptions for 47 yards. That's a very productive day by himself. I like where this is headed and I just hope Leach & Co. continue to feed the ball to Batch and Woods from here on out. Aaron Crawford did not play last night due to a turf toe injury .
RECEIVER
C	A strange game for the receiving corp. As a group, they missed more balls than I can remember and that usually just doesn't happen with this group, they're usually pretty sure-handed. Other than Michael Crabtree (8 receptions for 164 yards and 3 TD's), Detron Lewis (5 receptions for 86 yards and 1 TD) had the best game, but after that, no receiver did much to impress. At halftime, Leach said that he didn't have an X-receiver who could catch a ball, which is Britton and Todd Walker. With Lyle Leong in the doghouse, and Leach disappointed with his regular X-receivers (Britton and Walker), expect to see Rashad Hawk (4 receptions for 44 yards) and Tramain Swindall (4 receptions for 31 yards) continue to emerge and start taking away some playing time from the veterans. This is the second game in a row where Eric Morris (5 receptions for 25 yards) has had trouble getting open. It would be nice to seem him get on track.
H-BACK AND TIGHT END
C	Adam James caught 1 pass, late in the game, for 16 yards. I would like to see a more power running game when Texas Tech goes to the H-Back/Tight End Set, and this may be a criticism of the staff more so than the players, but if Texas Tech is going to utilize the set, then run the ball. I recall using the set on the last play of the 2nd half, where Harrell threw incomplete to Crabtree, and then at the end of the game, where we couldn't punch it in the endzone. Would like to see some improvement there.
OFFENSIVE LINE
A	Only 1 sack and 180 yards rushing. That's pretty good, of course the sack resulted in Harrell coughing up the ball. Vasquez let his man go and I guess he wasn't sure that Harrell had dropped back that far. Other than that, there were some really nice plays by the line. On Batch's touchdown run, Brandon Carter pulled and just unloaded on an SMU defender, allowing Batch to romp 43 yards for a touchdown. Reed played most of the game and I imagine the staff is trying to stretch him out a little bit before conference play.
DEFENSIVE LINE
B	As a group, I thought they did some really nice things. McKinner Dixon (7 tackles, 1 sack) was dominant and I thought they did a good a job of controlling the line of scrimmage. Daniel Howard (3 tackles, 1 sack) saw a ton of playing time, mostly standing up as a rusher. SMU only rushed for 61 yards on 23 carries, so I'm pleased with that effort. Colby Whitlock, Rajon Henley, Brandon Williams (2 tackles) and Richard Jones (1 tackle) didn't show up much in the box score, but they allowed the linebackers and defensive backs to make plays. I would like to see this group get a little more pressure, and I'm tempted to blame the gameplan more than the players. Rushed 4 almost all game long and I didn't see much in terms of blitzes or pressure from other points of the defense. Bottom line, this group did their job.
LINEBACKER
B	A pretty quiet night for the linebacking group. Brian Duncan (5 tackles) led the way, but this was a game where the linebackers weren't going to be too heavily involved. Marlon Williams (3 tackles) and Bront Bird (1 tackle) were a bit off statistically, but again, with so many pass attempts and the defensive line stuffing the run these guys weren't going to get much action.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
A+	I'm going to have a hard time complaining about the defensive backs. The player of the game was Daniel Charbonnet (2 tackles, 3 interceptions and 1 pass break-up) as he was around the ball all night long. You love to see that from your strong safety. We also saw Darcel McBath (5 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass break-up) show some of the athleticism that we knew he had and probably should have had 2 interceptions on the day. Jamar Wall (3 tackles, 1 interception and 3 pass break-ups) redeemed himself from two subpar weeks with an outstanding performance. A very quiet night for Brent Nickerson, who didn't break into the boxscore, but that's a good thing. I didn't even notice him yesterday, which means that the quarterback never looked to his side or his receiver was covered up. L.A. Reed (3 tackles) was responsible for the lone touchdown, but I'm willing to cut him some slack as this was his first game back after nursing a injury the last two weeks.
SPECIAL TEAMS
B	Uggh. I'm still willing to stick with Donnie Carona (1-2, 35 yard make and 44 yard miss; 4-5 extra points; 8 kickoffs and 2 touchbacks). I see improvement, but he's still got a long way to go. I think Leach sees the improvement too, and he knows that Carona has the most potential and the more he works out his kinks here, the better Texas Tech will be in conference. Kickoff coverage limited SMU to 20.3 yards per return and the punt return, there was only 2 punts for Texas Tech for the game, resulted in -1 yard return. Taylor Charbonnet stood out last night on punt coverage. LaRon Moore (1 KO return for 25 yards) and Jamar Wall (1 KO return for 28 yards) were good returning kickoffs. While the Eric Morris (2 KO returns for 38 yards) had a nice 29 yard punt return, who was hit trying to return another punt, was solid. Jonathan LaCour (2 punts for a 45 yard average), the forgotten one, had a good day as well. I'm grading up here because I see improvement.
COACHING
B	Offensively, I thought Leach did a good job of taking advantage of a poor SMU run defense and thought it was great to see 24 rushing attempts. I like that Leach wants to see Harrell improve on his play, but I'm still not too worried, though I will be in two weeks if Harrell doesn't return to his 2007 form. Defensively, I would have liked to have seen a little bit more, but perhaps McNeill is waiting to for conference play to show his hand. D. Howard was utilized more this game than in previous games and that was an attempt to get some pressure on the SMU quarterback without having to change things up too much. Still, I'd like to see some safety blitzes or a linebacker streak up the middle of the opponents' line to pressure the quarterback.

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OFFENSIVE LINE

Texas Tech

Mississippi

Conclusion:

Previous Matchups

Who do you think wins this matchup of offensive lines?

Texas Tech

Mississippi

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Reason #1: The Bad Loss

Reason #2: Total Defense Isn't Up To Par

Reason #3: Unhealthy Offensive Line

Reason #4: Harrell Is Off

Reason #5: Carona-Extra Point

Report Card: SMU v. Texas Tech

B

A

C

C

A

B

B

A+

B

B