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Taking a Breath :: Looking Ahead to the Texas Tech Offense of 2010

Seth C — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:00:30 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

2 months ago: Texas Tech running back Harrison Jeffers (10) leaps over Houston linebacker C.J. Cavness (40) as he rushes for a first down during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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THE OFFENSE

With the football bye week, DTN is taking this opportunity to look at Texas Tech's offense and defense in 2010. Up today is a look at the 2-deep, the talented players who are on the roster, but have not contributed much this year, the 2010 offensive recruiting class and a look back at the past 5 years recruits and the washout rate of players who were recruited by Texas Tech.

Who Returns (2010 Projected 2-Deep)

POSITION	PLAYER	STATS	YEAR
LT	Terry McDaniel	6-7/335	SO
	Chris Olson	6-5/296	SR
LG	Lonnie Edwards	6-5/290	JR
	Chris Olson	6-5/296	SR
C	Justin Keown	6-4/302	JR
	-------
RG	Mickey Okafor	6-7/319	JR
	Deveric Gallington	6-4/350	JR
RT	LaAdrian Waddle	6-6/350	SO
	Joe King	6-6/319	SO
QB	Steven Sheffield	6-4/190	SR
	Taylor Potts	6-4/218	SR
RB	Baron Batch	5-11/205	SR
	Harrison Jeffers	5-9/204	SO
HR	Tramain Swindall	6-3/180	JR
	Adam James	6-3/216	JR
YR	Detron Lewis	6-0/205	SR
	Austin Zouzalik	6-1/181	SO
XR	Lyle Leong	6-1/165	SR
	Eric Ward	5-11/202	FR
ZR	Alexander Torres	6-2/196	SO
	Jacoby Franks	6-1/185	JR

So there's definitely some advantages to having so many injuries in a season. Right now, there's not any one position where there is not a returning starter on offense. Think about that for a minute. Almost the entire 2-deep has at least 1 start. If there was ever a reason to look forward to 2010 it's the offense. Right now, the offensive roster appears to be a well-rounded group, probably because of necessity. This doesn't take into account the various redshirts from the 2009 recruiting class that could step up and help and the other players that have experience, but just don't fit on the 2-deep.

Lots more after the jump.

Don't Sleep On:

OL: Kyle Clark (6-5/277; RS FR); Blake Emert (6-5/287; JR); and Joel Gray (6-6/306; RS FR)
WR: E.J. Celestie (5-11/174; RS FR); Aaron Fisher (6-3/182; RS FR); Derrick Mays (6-0/166; RS FR) and Cornelius Douglas (5-9/193; SO)
RB: Eric Stephens (5-8/182; SO) and Aaron Crawford (5-11/204; JR)
QB: Seth Doege (6-2/205; SO) (6-4/218; SR) and Jacob Karam (6-1/205; RS FR)

Irregardless of whether or not you like Potts or not as a player, you could probably argue that Leach might put Doege ahead of Potts on the 2-deep next year, but based on last week's results, that may not be the case. Still, Leach is still undecided on some level and there's competition, which is good. There's really not any one position that's going to be lacking over the next few years, especially if some of the younger players develop as we expect. And I'd also add that although Scotty Young (detailed below) appears to be just a tremendous football player, I'd just like to remind everyone that Karam is traveling with the team every week. That says something about his personality and what the coaches think of him. Don't anoint Young too quickly. It's easy to get wrapped up in the new guy, but sometimes it's the least likely guy that can lead your football team and Karam had an impressive pedigree -- 3,291 yards / 38 TD's / 10 INT's (thinking of some guy named Sheffield). Let's also not forget that Ward was a 4-star receiver last year, came to Texas Tech early and I'm hoping that he can make a significant impact sooner rather than later.

Recruiting, The 2010 Class

POSITION	PLAYER	STATS	RR	STARS
QB	Scotty Young	6-3/185	5.8	4
RB	Delans Griffin	5-10/181	5.8	4
RB	Aaron Spikes	5-10/185	5.6	3
WR	Kadron Boone	6-1/190	5.8	4
WR	Shawn Corker	6-1/183	5.7	3
OL	Beau Carpenter	6-7/269	5.6	3
OL	Eric Lawson	6-6/320	5.5	3
OL	James Polk	6-7/290	5.6	3
OL	Denton Simek	6-6/260	5.6	3
OL	Javius Townsend	6-4/297	5.6	3
AVERAGE			5.66	3.33

I think it's safe to say that offensively, the class is probably finished. Leach is recruiting at every position and just about every one of these recruits are high quality players and this year, there are no 2-star players on either side of the ball, which is an upgrade in talent. If I had to guess which players receive early playing time, you should probably consider Boone and maybe Corker. Both are supremely talented I also wouldn't be surprised if Griffin gets a look as well. I'd also imagine that considering the depth on the offensive line, all of these guys should redshirt.

Recruit Trends

YEAR	AVG. RR	AVG. STARS	WASHOUT RATE
2010	5.66	3.33	-
2009	5.51	3.10	1/10 = 10.00%
2008	5.58	3.00	0/7 = 0.00%
2007	5.49	2.80	6/15 = 40.00%
2006	5.47	2.79	8/14 = 57.14%

Disclaimer: I'm using the Rivals recruiting rankings and each player is assigned an RR number and a star.

I probably need some explaining as the wash-out rate, which is the rate of players that either played just 1 season for Texas Tech or never really made it on campus. The reason to even judge some of these players is that the rankings can look great, but if the players do not contribute or make it on campus, then you haven't done much. I think it's also important to add that the washout rate is something that's going to happen to any college football team and the trend that you would prefer to see is the rate to be lower than it was in 2006, but I think the key is that in 2006 and in previous years, the staff had two options: take safe, but less talented athletes or take more risky, but more talented players. I think that's the reason for the high washout rate in 2006 and in 2007, however, as the team improves, I think a staff is able to recruit a higher caliber player, both personally and on the field.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.26.09

Seth C — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:06:38 -0000

Some Stuff: [Note by Seth C, 09/26/09 8:24 AM CDT ] I just wanted to point you to a couple of additional links this morning. First, the SB Nation college football sports stream is a good place to get your fix for all of the games this morning. Second, is the FanShot of the guys from Patton Productions with the Red Raider Roadshow. Lots of good pre-game video from last week's game.

Rivalry Renewed: LAJ's Don Williams writes that the UH vs. TTU rivalry is coming at a time when Houston is playing lights out. Williams talks with RG Brandon Carter, who is excited that the Cougars are playing at the top of their game:

"So early in the season, I think they’re still going to be hungry to play and excited to play," Carter said. "I wouldn’t have it any other way. I want them at their best, I want us at our best so we can have a good football game."

And CB Brent Nickerson is concerned about the calls that UH offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen will be familiar with on the Texas Tech defense:

"The challenge is, with coach Holgorsen being there, they know a lot of what our defense does," Tech defensive back Brent Nickerson said. "They know a lot of our checks, what we like to do as far as the secondary, as far as our blitzes and as far as our defensive line. But we have great play-calling on defense as well, so we’ll know how to counter their attack."

Jones Becomes a Man: FWST's Dwain Price profiles DT Richard Jones, who acknowledges that had he stayed home in the Houston area, he may not be the man he is today:

"I know if I would have stayed home there’s no telling what kind of trouble I would have been in," Jones said. "Just me being far away from home, I had no choice but to grow up.

"I had to learn how to survive on my own, I had to wake myself up every morning for classes, I learned how to grocery shop, and it made me a better man."

And Brandon Carter has some high praise for Jones:

"I’ve always enjoyed going against him because he challenges me and I believe and hope that I do the same for him," Carter said. "He’s a great athlete with his hands ... not many can move as fast and as quick as he can. I never see him taking plays off."

Go read the whole thing.

Five Good Minutes with Brandon Carter: ESPN's Tim Griffin sits down with RG Brandon Carter to talk about last week's Texas game and the Houston game this week. I thought this answer on the struggling running game was and is worrisome:

Your running game has struggled a little bit early in the season. What are you going to try to do to help improve that against Houston and during the rest of the season?

BC: With the running game, we’re just as close as we can be to getting it fixed. We’re one block from making some of those plays happen. We just can’t afford to make mistakes like that. We did better against Texas, but we’re still far away from where we want to be. And I think eventually, we’ll get there.

Carter sounds positive about the progress, but saying "we're still far away" makes my stomach hurt.

Craig James Set to Call Game: LAJ's Adam Zuvanich talks with ESPN color guy, Craig James, who is set to call a game with his son, Adam James playing. Craig says that he's going to be respectful about the game:

"You can be 100 percent certain that inside I will be going crazy excited about it," he said earlier this week. "But I’ll be fair and have integrity for the broadcast and for University of Houston fans and for college football fans. They don’t want to hear me up there being a homer."

Another Test for Texas Tech: DMN's Chuck Carlton writes that this is the second week in a row that Texas Tech is tested against a very good team.

Texas Tech Blogs: RA's ayleein on why Texas Tech hates Houston . . . TR's dedfischer with some thoughts on college football . . . RRS.com's Joe Yeager looks at the matchups . . .

Houston Cougar Links: The Chron's Steve Campbell dubs QB Case Keenum as Captain Case, who will hopefully lead the Cougars to a win . . . DMN's Kevin Sherrington writes that the Cougars are looking for national respect (as ayleein noted in his article, this was the same thought that Texas Tech fans were asking last year) . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich writes that Kliff Kingsbury and Dana Holgorsen bring the knowledge from Lubbock to Houston . . .

Writer Picks: Dr. Saturday's Matt Hinton with some thoughts on a Texas Tech win . . . kinda funny, Sporting News Dave Curtis picks games against his grandmother, his grandmother picks Texas Tech and she has a better overall record . . .RRS.com's staff picks a handful of games . . . NY Times staff is somewhat on board with a Texas Tech win . . .

Big 12 Links: Big12Sports.com's Wendell Barnhouse previews all of the Big 12 games . . . SAEN with a preview of the Big 12 games . . .

2010 Recruits Update: Last night, it appears that Scotty Young was pulled somewhat early as his Denton Ryan Raiders defeated Ft. Worth Rider 52-7 and Young was 21-36 for 320 yards 2 touchdowns and no interceptions (game story) . . . for those of you who want to see a great football game, Southlake Carroll is set to take on Houston area North Shore at 6:00 p.m. on FSN, while Texas Tech commit Jackson Richards for SLC and NS has a Texas commit Trey Hopkins, which should be a great battle . . . ESPN's Julie Turner sits down with LB V.J. Fehoko:

"My brothers both are so supportive. One thing that I know and my brothers told me is that I got to go and see all my trips for myself if I fit in that program," he said. V.J. has one official visit planned so far, a trip to Texas Tech on Nov. 20.

Post-Game Thoughts :: Rice 10, Texas Tech 55

Seth C — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:56:05 -0000

via spotted.lubbockonline.com

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Box Score :: SB Nation Coverage :: College Football on SB Nation

This was an incredibly quick trip to Lubbock. I ended up leaving, somewhat on a whim, and returned by noon (DFW) on Sunday. I made the trip for one reason and one reason only, in that listening to two games on the radio just wasn't going to cut it for me. I felt that I needed to see some things with my own eyes, especially before Texas next week. I was hoping for and did see quite a bit of improvement from last week to this week and there's definitely more positives coming from last night's game that against North Dakota. With that being said, Rice is the same team that lost to UAB, who just lost to SMU, 33-35. In other words, we can be excited that some things have been ironed out, but neither UND or Rice are very good and this was the expected result.

Lots of small things to talk about.

The Offense

Yes, Potts was really working the underneath stuff and there seemed to be quite a few short passes than last week, but especially in the second half, Potts worked the ball down the field and his arm allowed him to complete passes over the middle that most Texas Tech quarterbacks would not be able to complete. Potts squeezed the ball in to coverage, which can be incredibly dangerous, but he's got all of the confidence in the world in his arm.But I think this is part of the maturation process of our quarterback. And despite working most of the stuff underneath, he still had 8 yards per attempt for the game. Potts didn't throw an interception, but Rice did drop at least 1, but on the other side of things, Potts did throw the ball away on one play in the 2nd half. It's going to be a give-and-take. And as far as that maturation process is concerned, after the game, on the 4th and 2 from the Rice 2 yard line, Potts made the call to go for it, and here's what he said after the game:

That was a dumb call on me really. You check what you see. That was just a dumb call by me. Looking back on it, I should have thrown a fade to Jacoby there on the outside, but I didn't. That's that. But that was just a dumb call by me.

That's two weeks in a row that Potts has acknowledged a mistake he made in the game and as perfect as well all want him to be, it's going to take time. With that being said, we have a quarterback that's willing to take responsibility for his actions. I like that.

The line looked much better and the insertion of Lonnie Edwards for Mickey Okafor probably has something to do with that. Not seeing what transpired last week the line looked solid. Plenty solid to handle Texas. It still bothers me to no end that the running game hasn't gotten on track and that should have happened this week. At some point, I think every Texas Tech quarterback has to figure it out on their own that checking down to run the ball can be a good thing. Back to the line, I think the experience factor with Edwards is what caused Moore to make the move. And this isn't a knock on Okafor, who needs to continue to work on his strength and quickness, but with Edwards to left guard, Brandon Carter moved back to his right guard position, and Chris Olson and Marlon Winn remained at the tackles. I liked the fact that Moore was willing to make this change early in the season and as stated above, the line will be plenty good against Texas, bu the key will be whether they can figure out how to fix the running game in one week, but it starts with more than 13 carries for the game.

There's no doubt that Baron Batch is back. He played like he had something to prove last night. He was putting his head down, moving the pile and running with wreckless abandon. Harrison Jeffers and Eric Stephens are freaking electric. I don't know what else to say about the runners themselves. They are talented and there's three of them. Somoeone needs to figure out how to get them the ball.

I had pegged Tramain Swindall as one of my guys this season. I thought that from what I saw last year, he was going to be an incredibly talented receiver for Texas Tech. A week 1 benching and things seem to have changed dramatically for Swindall. Think about 6 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lyle Leong deserves praise too and he should have first billing here because he's not the guy that got suspended, but he dropped a pass last night (I'm pretty sure of it) and I was shocked. It's probably going to be the only pass he drops all year. And speaking of drops, Edward Britton missed a gimmie in a flea-flicker and there were groans in the crowd, justifiably so, but the key that everyone needs to keep in mind is that Britton does something that no one else does. Stretch the field. Yes, there are players than can do this, but experience still counts and despite Britton's frustrations he's incredibly important to this team. You hate the drops, but he's a big piece of this team, including being an incredible blocker. And to top it off, all of this was done without Detron Lewis for a good chunk of the game. There were 13 different receivers who caught a Potts pass yesterday, Austin Zouzalik caught his first touchdown pass on a beautiful fake inside and a pass zinged right where Potts knew that Zouzalik would be.

You saw quite a bit of the jumbo set with Ryan Hale and Adam James, with mixed results. When Texas Tech did run out of this set, there was success, but those opportunities were few and far between.

The Defense

The defensive line was really good. Yes, Rice did manage to move the ball some, but the line allowed a net of -60 yards on the ground. Yep, some of those are sacks, but the defense was all about trying to make things happen, and the entire defensive unit improved on those things that needed improving from last week (forcing turnovers, quarterback pressure, and pass deflects). Brandon Sharpe was featured in the morning paper and he delivered big time. An early injury to Rajon Henley (which does not appear to be serious) left a depleted defensive end unit of Daniel Howard, Sharpe and a good chunk coming from Bront Bird and Ryan Haliburton later in the game. Howard and Sharpe were relentless all night and those two were the big reasons for the 6 sacks on the night. That group was relentless and that was without Henley who was pretty good last week. Colby Whitlock and Richard Jones gave their usual effort up front and although Victor Hunter and Chris Perry do an admirable job as theh second unit, there is a drop-off. I do think that David Neil and Ryan Haliburton are going to be contributors by the end of the season, especially Haliburton. He can play and I was wrong about him during the spring. In fact it would benefit this program tremendously if Haliburton played more than he does. With the eventual loss of Henley, Howard and Sharpe there's going to need to be someone who has playing experience.

I'm tired of talking about this, and maybe I just need to stop, but Bront Bird should not be covering slot receivers. This isn't Bird's fault, and he gives 100% effort every play, but he gets picked on by opposing coaches and players because he just can't keep pace with those quicker players. Bird is a really good linebacker when playing the run and he was more than decent rushing the passer, although he needs to develop a few more moves, but making plays in coverage is not one of them. And that's not to say that Bird is incompetent, but whenever Bird was in the game and covering the slot receiver, Rice seemed to find the open receiver, but when McNeill switched to a Daniel Cobb or Brent Dewhurst rather than Bird, the defense was that much more effective. Bird's a tough guy to place for McNeill because he does give maximum effort, but he's also limited on what he can do well.

I don't have many things to say about the other linebackers other than Brian Duncan can sometimes be plagued by the same thing that Bird does in that he's not great in coverage, but he's still really good. Marlon Williams also played very well and although he was credited with the sack, Howard and he were there at the same time.

The biggest difference between this week and last week was the pass-breakups. LaRon Moore had the hit of the day, de-cleating a Rice receiver. This is something that I didn't get to visualize last week, but the secondary is a hard-hitting group. They're not the biggest, but they will hit you and I think this type of thinking is becoming infectious because Moore and Wall are hitting receivers. D.J. Johnson is going to move into Wall's starting job next year. He was tested almost the entire last series by Rice and he stepped-up. He is long and rangy and can do things that Moore and Wall cannot do, but he is good. Will Ford seemed to be all over the field, although he didn't really show up much in the box score.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.11.09

Seth C — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:34:59 -0000

Odds and Ends

9/11: I don't want to ignore the significance of this date, but I don't want to get political either, that's not why you're here, but it is still a significant date and a time to reflect. I hope you do that some time today.

Going to the Game: I'm headed to Lubbock sometime Friday morning and will be there way too close to kickoff but if I don't go to the game this weekend, it's going to be quite some time before I'm able to head that way. Very excited about the game, although I'm not excited about the chances of rain.

CN Writing Guide and Community Rules: If you ever wanted to know essentially how I feel about community guidelines for DTN and how to write FanPosts, FanShots, etc., then check out Corn Nation's post yesterday. I'm thinking about copying and pasting the entire thing and claiming it as my own (I'm kidding . . . sorta).

Texas Tech Football

Swindall to Play: LAJ's Don Williams reports that IR Tramain Swindall will play on Saturday, according to receivers coach Lincoln Riley, and will likely bump either Adam James or Cornelius Douglas to the third team:

"He’s practiced a lot harder and a lot better (this week),’’ Riley said. "You see a sense of urgency with him that we didn’t see in camp. I think anytime you’re a guy that’s played some and you get demoted to scout team for three weeks, all of a sudden your effort and intensity and all that magically seems to pick up.

There's also a bit about Matt Baldwin, Captain Leach's agent, in this article, mentioning something about how although he played for Rice in the late 90's, he's cheering for Texas Tech because of Leach. Really? There's no school loyalty? I think now we know why this took a meeting between Leach and Hance to get things done.

Williams also has a recruiting update at the end of the article, noting that the Red Raiders will likely take 1 more offensive lineman, 3 or 4 defensive linemen and a linebacker, although this is the most prevelant part:

Tech’s two oral commitments this week give the Red Raiders 19 pledges for their 2010 class. With Tech likely to sign 24 or 25 players, that leaves five or six spots to fill.

Dallas Madison offensive lineman Javius Townsend (6-foot-4, 300 pounds), who committed to Tech on Tuesday, and Navarro College’s Lawrence Rumph (6-3, 270), who has played both defensive end and defensive tackle, are expected to visit campus this weekend.

According to the Rivals.com recruiting service, Rumph has scholarship offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Southern Mississippi, but not yet from Tech. He was a high-school teammate of Tech defensive tackle Chris Perry at Keller Fossil Ridge and was credited with 16 sacks as a senior.

Rock M Nation Dominates the Interwebs: Rock M Nation has a couple of items that need pointing out, first up is the Week 2 Big 12 Roundtable Recap and in addition to that is the Beyond the Box Score for all week 1 Big 12 games last week and I encourage you to read the whole thing, but the numbers say that Texas Tech must do a better job running the ball:

Tech fell into WAY too many passing downs for this caliber of opponent. Potts' three interceptions came on 3rd-and-15, 2nd-and-13, and 3rd-and-15. Granted, he should really learn what passes he should and shouldn't make, but...a 29.4% rushing success rate? Against North Dakota? That MUST improve, and immediately. Tech is obviously not tremendously likely to beat Texas or OSU on the road, and they'll certainly be underdogs against OU at home, but with poor line play and no threat of a run, suddenly trips to Houston and Nebraska become dicey (especially against NU's defensive line), as do home games against Kansas and Baylor. You have to figure Tech will go 8-4 like they almost always seem to do, but if they can't even pretend to be capable of running the ball, then they're in trouble.

Freshman Focus on Joel Gray: LAJ's Don Williams looks at the redshirts this year and LT Joel Gray is up and offensive line coach Matt Moore likes what he has in Gray:

"Joel is just one of those guys that very consistently wins,’’ Moore said. "It’s not always pretty, but he seems to get the job done. That’s the same thing he did in high school. He always found a way to win, and he’s real competitive. He’s athletic, has really good feet. That helps him out a lot.’’

Owls Look to Rebound: The Chron's Jeffrey Martin writes that the Owls must rebound quickly from their loss to UAB last week and focus on the Red Raiders.

"You want to put (UAB) behind you, but you have to remember it in a way," sophomore safety Travis Bradshaw said. "You don't want to have that feeling again, but it's something you also want to use as motivation.

"We were confident going in, and we knew what we had to do. We just didn't execute."

Rice Finding Identity: DT's Adam Coleman notes that the Owls are still looking for their identity after losing so much talent last year (Jarrett Dillard, Chase Clement and James Casey come to mind) and Captain Mike Leach (emphasis mine) says that his team would be stupid to look past the Owls:

"If they’re that stupid, we’ve got a lot of problems," said Leach, whose Red Raiders take on Rice at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium. "I mean, we’re only playing Rice this week."

And Leach acknowledged that although Rice lost quite a bit, much like Texas Tech, they manufacture talent and production:

"They’re missing a quarterback from last year, who I thought was a great player, one of my favorite all-time," Leach said. "I enjoyed watching him play. Everybody says ‘Well, they lost so-and-so.’ Well they also coached and manufactured these guys to some point, so there’s nothing to say they can’t do it again."

Thoughts from Tortilla Retort: I've fallen a little behind on linking to the Tortilla Retort and dedfischer and RRR have thoughts on the UND game (here, here and here).

Neglected Audio and Video: KAMC and Fox34 ask the same question, which is if Texas Tech looking past Rice. Check out the video for the surprising answer.

National and Big 12 Links: ESPN's Tim Griffin looks at how effective the Big 12 offenses and defenses are and predicts outcomes for this weekend's games . . . The Rivalry Esq. previews the USC vs. Ohio St. game . . .

2010 Recruiting Tidbits: Tonight, quarterbacks Scotty Young and Zack Lee will face off as Young's Denton-Ryan Team will take on Lee's McKinney squad. Young is committed to Texas Tech and Lee, initially looked at Texas Tech, committed to LSU . . . the first commitment this week, LB Fred Harvey talks about his commitment to Texas Tech:

"The first time I ever talked to coach Simmons, he had told me that whenever they were able to send me a scholarship offer, they were going to do it," said Harvey, who tallied 78 solo tackles and 21 sacks as a junior last season.

"Out of all the schools, (Texas Tech) recruited me the hardest. They made sure I always had e-mails coming from them. ... It's like they were really working hard, wanting me to come there."

Smart Football on Wes Welker: Smart Football's Chris Brown guest-posted on the NY Times pro-football blog, the Fifth Down and had this about former Red Raider Wes Welker and how he is so effective in New England (I would love for some of our current receivers to read this):

He does this by running every imaginable route that can be run from a depth of about 5 to 15 yards. Although he has enough speed to get downfield, it is his quick feet that are his biggest asset, and he marries them with his precise routes — revealing his art like a great violinist playing his favorite Vivaldi pieces. Keep in mind that Welker stepped in with a low profile and almost immediately earned Brady’s trust simply by getting open, all this in an offense not designed to get the ball to a single guy on a given play, but rather to spread the field and let the expert reader of defenses deliver the ball to the open guy.

Position Matchups :: Rice vs. Texas Tech

Seth C — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:18 -0000

Check out the fancy table after the jump.

		MATCHUP
QB/WR: It seems unlikely after so much hoopla about the depth of the receiving corp and the stronger arm of Taylor Potts, but as with most things, the transition from first-time-starter to well-oiled machine takes time. For a first game, it's not all bad (70.83% completion rate and 8.44 yards per attempt), and in fact I think the thing that I take away from Saturday's win is that the mistakes that Potts made are correctable. Interceptions in your own territory and not converting on 4th down inside your opponent's own 5 yard line are things that can (hopefully) be corrected. I do like the fact that IR Detron Lewis averaged 18.3 YPC, which is surprising, especially considering he had so many yards after catch. Potts did spread the ball around to 10 different receivers and besides Lewis, Lyle Leong had a good day as did Alexander Torres and Adam James.		QB/WR vs. DB		DB: The leader of this group is S Andrew Sendejo, however, and he could certainly cause concern for Potts throwing over the middle. However, the entire Rice secondary may be in some serious need of re-tooling in the second week of the season. UAB QB Joe Webb was an efficient 12-15 for 221 yards and 2 TD's last week, although there's certainly something to be said for having to also guard against Webb's ability to scramble, for 198 yards to be exact, an incredible figure. The Rice secondary won't have to guard against that with Potts so the Red Raiders may see an entirely different effort. Even then, it can't be good that 2 UAB receivers averaged over 20 yards a catch on Saturday.
RB: What was supposed to be a strength turned out to be a pretty big dud on Saturday. The Texas Tech running attack was non-existent on Saturday although I don't know how to much blame to put on the runners or the guys up front. Let's just assume that Baron Batch may not have been fully healthy and if that's the case, then there's room for improvement. The running backs had a total of 11 carries between Batch (9), Harrison Jeffers (2) and Eric Stephens (1). One of two things needs to happen: Potts needs to check down to the running game more often or Leach needs to make it more of a priority this week against a susceptible Rice rushing defense.		RB vs. LB		LB: The Rice linebackers didn't do much to stop the run against UAB. Starters Terrance Garmon (7 tackles, all assists) and Justin Hill (3) tackles weren't overly active on the defensive front while the UAB offense ran for 295 yards on 39 carries. That's over 7.5 yards per carry. Granted, almost 200 of those yards came from the UAB quarterback, but even then, you'd have to think that the linebackers would do a better job stopping the run.
OL: There's quite an opportunity here for the Texas Tech offensive line. It should be pointed out that the offensive line did give up 1 sack, although I think expectations should have been that no sacks should have been given up. With the injury to Marlon Winn and the shuffling of the offensive line, there may have been some consistency issues. Most Red Raider fans would like to see a nastier group this week and I think that Matt Moore has built up enough credibility to either make a change or motivate some players to step up their game.	PUSH	OL vs. DL	PUSH	DL: Still cannot get over the fact that UAB rushed for almost 300 yards. As bad as the Texas Tech rushing offense, the Rice defensive front may have been worse. Even though there was 39 rushing attempts, the Owls only managed 3 tackles for a loss, one of which was a sack. The defensive front for Rice hardly touched a UAB defender as Cheta Ozougwau (2 tackles), John Gioffre (1 tackle), Scott Solomon (4 tackles) and Kramer Lucio (2 tackles) hardly made an impact, with only one of those tackles, a Solomon sack, was for a loss.
DL: This effort was expected as the defensive line did dominate. Not to inflate the statistics because of the opponent, but the Texas Tech defense only allowed 73 yards rushing on 29 attempts, good for a 2.51 yards per attempt average. The biggest disappointment from this group was the two personal foul penalties that kept a UND drive alive for much longer than needed. Rajon Henley really made some nice plays as he had 5 tackles, including 1 sack and fellow defensive end Daniel Howard also had a sack, although I understand he was close to having multiple sacks. Texas Tech gets a slight edge, but I'm interested what Rice can do on Saturday.		DL vs. OL		OL: The Rice offensive line did open up some holes for the Owl rushing attack and a pretty decent 4.58 yards per attempt isn't half bad. Not to mention, UAB only managed 1 sack for the day and you're talking about a fairly solid effort. I don't think that you can pin the Rice offensive woes on the O-line. In fact, Rice's first three possessions were either turned over because of a fumble or a missed field goal. Again, not necessarily the offensive line. However, the offense did sputter for 4 of Rice's 12 offensive drives.
LB: This was certainly a game where the Texas Tech linebackers played well. The defense was led by Marlon Williams (10 tackles, 2 TFL), who said that the defensive line allowed the linebackers to make plays all night. Bront Bird (4 tackles) made the hit of the night while Brian Duncan (4 tackles) had a relatively quiet night. Again, being part of a defense that allowed only 73 net yards rushing is pretty good.		LB vs. RB		RB: The Rice running backs didn't have a stellar day, although Charles Ross was tremendous on his very limited 5 carries for 37 yards. Tyler Smith was solid in his starting debut, but only had 11 carries for 47 yards for the entire game. You would think that the Rice offense would have relied a little more on their runners since they were starting a new quarterback (sound familiar?). It was also somewhat strange to see 5 Rice running backs receive carries on Saturday. You would think that you'd try to limit to two or three at the most.
DB: Somewhat hard to gauge as the Texas Tech secondary allowed UND to complete 20 passes for the night, but only allowed 6.7 yards per attempt. Not too bad, but there's room for improvement. There's no doubt that Rice will attempt the same type of passing attack against Texas Tech, and defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill typically will play off of receivers in this type of game, a game the offense could win single-handedly, and you'd like for this group to make some plays, whether they be interceptions or otherwise. Another indication that the defense played off of UND was the fact that freshman S Will Ford had the only pass break-up of the night.		DB vs. QB/WR		QB/WR: The QB combination of J.T. Shepherd and Nick Fanuzzi wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't an abject failure either. I do think that Fanuzzi will get the call on Saturday and although he did fumble, he was the better passer of the two. Receivers Toren Dixon the main target with 9 cathes while Luke Willson, a tight end, had a 52 yard reception for a touchdown. With Fanuzzi at QB, I'd expect the recievers to be much more involved and I think these are capable players, especially since the Texas Tech defense is probably going to play off the line of scrimmage.

Drive Chart :: North Dakota 13, Texas Tech 38

Seth C — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:08:19 -0000

Participation

Offense

Starters: LT Chris Olson, LG Brandon Carter, C Shawn Byrnes, RG Mickey Okafor, RT Marlon Winn, QB Taylor Potts, RB Baron Batch, IR Adam James, IR Detron Lewis, WR Edward Britton, WR Alexander Torres. Reserves: IR Cornelius Douglas, IR Austin Zouzalik, WR Jacoby Franks, RB Harrison Jeffers, WR Lyle Leong, RB Eric Stephens, RB Aaron Crawford, RT Joe King, RG Devric Gallington, LT Terry McDaniel, LG Lonnie Edwards.

Defense

Starters: DE Rajon Henley, DT Richard Jones, NT Colby Whitlock, DE Brandon Sharpe, SLB Bront Bird, MLB Brian Duncan, WLB Marlon Williams, CB Jamar Wall, FS Cody Davis, SS Franklin Mitchem, CB LaRon Moore. Reserves: S Will Ford, S Julius Howard, S Jared Flannel, CB Taylor Charbonnet, S Brett Dewhurst, WLB Blake Collier, CB Nathan Stone, MLB Sam Fehoko, S Daniel Cobb, SLB Tyrone Sonier, DE Sandy Riley, DE Ryan Haliburton, NT Victor Hunter, DE Daniel Howard, DT David Neil, DT Chris Perry.

Drive Chart Texas Tech Offense

Texas Tech Drive 1

What Went Right: 10 of Texas Tech's 40 rushing yards came from this drive, while Taylor Potts completed passes to Detron Lewis, Lyel leong, Austin Zouzalik and Adam James. Batch finished up the drive with a 3 yard touchdown

What Went Wrong: Not much. Only one incomplete pass to Britton

Texas Tech Drive 2

What Went Right: This drive was about to fall flat but was kept alive with a UND facemask. Potts then had a 14 yard completion to Alexander Torres and Potts rushed 1 yard for the touchdown.

What Went Wrong: Looks like some end-arounds and fancy running plays rather than straight ahead rushing. Potts also missed on 3 pass attempts.

Texas Tech Drive 3

What Went Right: Started nicely with a 15 yard completion to Harrison Jeffers and another pass completion to Lewis for 21 yards.

What Went Wrong: Potts first interception of the day while inside the UND 20 yard line. That's either 6 or 3 points that get taken off the board because of Potts mistake.

Texas Tech Drive 4

What Went Right: Potts gets back on track with a nice 6 play 74 yard drive. Completes passes to Torres, Britton, Cornelius Douglas, and Lewis gets the touchdown.

What Went Wrong: Nothing, other than an incomplete pass to Jacoby Franks.

Texas Tech Drive 5

What Went Right: Started great with completions to Torres for 9 and Lewis for 14 yards. Then things fall apart

What Went Wrong: After those 2 completions Potts gets sacked, fumbles the ball and Marlon Winn recovers. Perhaps Potts is a little gun-shy or is wanting to do too much. Remember that Texas Tech is again on the UND 26, within field goal distance, and Potts throws his 2nd INT of the day on 3rd down and 15. It's the end of the half, but there's 3 or 6 more points not on the board although Texas Tech was primed to score.

Texas Tech Drive 6

What Went Right: Nothing.

What Went Wrong: A Matt Goetz false start and this is a whopping 3 play drive for 1 yard. Carona punts and Nathan Stone recovers a fumble giving Texas Tech the ball back.

Texas Tech Drive 7

What Went Right: Potts completes passes to Britton (15), Leong (11) and Britton (6) again.

What Went Wrong: Terry McDaniel holds on first down and this is the last you see of McDaniel for the game. Potts pulls Texas Tech out of the whole and gets Texas Tech to the North Dakota 3 yard line on 4th down, but a jump-ball pass to Detron Lewis falls flat. Again, this is the 3rd drive for Texas Tech inside the UND 20 yard line and no points are on the board.

Texas Tech Drive 8

What Went Right: This is the infamous 4 down on the North Dakota 1 yard line with Potts scoring on the 4th down play. In between then, Potts completes passes to Franks (4), two to Jeffers (24 and 5) and Lyle Leong (8).

What Went Wrong: It takes Texas Tech 4 times to score from UND's 1 yard line.

Texas Tech Drive 9

What Went Right: A nice 19 yard completion to Detron Lewis.

What Went Wrong: Potts' 3rd and final interception of the day.

Texas Tech Drive 10

What Went Right: The return of RB Baron Batch. Batch touches the ball 4 times in this 10 play drive that ended in a Matthew Williams field goal. Also included was a pass to Leong for 28 yards and a 13 yard run from Batch.

What Went Wrong: Texas Tech was driving down the field nicely, but a false start penalty stalled the drive and this is the 4th drive of the day that ended in the UND 20 yard line, although Mike Leach did finally go for the field goal.

Texas Tech Drive 11

What Went Right: Potts completions to Torres for 12 yards and an 18 yard touchdown pass to Adam James.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

Drive Chart Texas Tech Defense

North Dakota Drive 1

What Went Right: A three and out is always a good outcome. Tackles by Brian Duncan, Jamar Wall and Rajon Henley with blocked punt by Edward Britton.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

North Dakota Drive 2

What Went Right: Not much, other than the defense finally holding from their own 22 yard line and allowing a 39 yard field goal. Lots of little gains for UND including a big 13 yard 3rd down completion from Jake Landry.

What Went Wrong: How about two personal foul penalties, the 1st one on Marlon Williams and the 2nd one to some unknown player. That's 30 gifted yards to UND

North Dakota Drive 3

What Went Right: 3 plays and 4 yards, thanks to a UND illegal formation penalty.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

North Dakota Drive 4

What Went Right: Too much yardage given up here including 1 pass for 18 yards and 2 for 10 yards. UND's kicker made a 52 yard field goal, so this wasn't a situation where the defense just gave up a ton of yards. Only 45 to be exact.

What Went Wrong: A 9 yard pass interference penalty by Julius Howard kept the drive alive.

North Dakota Drive 5

What Went Right: End of half.

What Went Wrong: End of half.

North Dakota Drive 6

What Went Right: Another 3 and out, 3 plays 8 yards.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

North Dakota Drive 7

What Went Right: And another 3 and out, 3 plays 9 yards.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

North Dakota Drive 8

What Went Right: Not much.

What Went Wrong: 13 plays and 80 yards, with a 9 yard rushing touchdown from UND and a roughing the passer penaltty that gave the ball to UND on the Texas Tech 9 yard line. Too many small completions in the soft underbellly of the Texas Tech defense.

North Dakota Drive 9

What Went Right: Not quite a 3 and out, but a 5 play, 13 yard drive led to another UND punt.

What Went Wrong: Not much, other than a 13 yard pass given up by Cody Davis.

North Dakota Drive 10

What Went Right: A 3 and out, but a Daniel Howard sack led to a 3 play, -7 yard drive.

What Went Wrong: Nothing.

North Dakota Drive 11

What Went Right: This was the end of the game and Sam Fehoko made two tackles. The clock ended this drive.

What Went Wrong: Nothing really and it was nice to see Fehoko make two stops for little yardage.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.30.09

Seth C — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:42:03 -0000

Texas Tech Football

James Improving Mental Aspect: LAJ's Don Williams focuses on IR Adam James attempt to get back in the good graces of the coaching staff after having a tough spring. James readily admits that he wasn't as focused during the spring:

"I think really the thing I had to improve on the most was my mental preparation and being able to complete a practice," James said Saturday. "In the spring, I would have good parts of practice and I’d have bad parts of practice, so really (it was important) being able to just put it all together for an entire practice and do it day after day."

James also gives credit to strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie:

"Also, this summer, Bennie (Wylie, the team’s strength and conditioning coach) did a really good job of getting us in shape," James said. "This is the best shape I’ve been in since I’ve been here, so that helps to be able to go an entire practice without having any slow-ups."

Texas Tech Football Notes: LAJ's Don Williams talks with DE Brandon Sharpe, who weighs in at 270 pounds (I had no idea he put on 20 pounds during the offseason):

"As long as I can keep my speed, that’s all I’m worried about — if I can keep my speed and run. The more weight, the heavier the hitting’s going to be.’’

. . . RB Baron Batch is ready to roll:

"I’m ready to go, ready to rock and roll, to get it started,’’ the junior from Midland said.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.26.09

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

Odds and Ends

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

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

Texas Tech Football

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

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

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

Snip

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Texas Tech vs Oklahoma St. 2008 (via WildmanZ33)

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

Depth Charting // The Receivers

Seth C — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:14 -0000

Receivers

X-Split End	H-Inside Receiver	Y-Inside Receiver	Z-Flanker
Edward Britton (27) SR; 6-0/167	Tramain Swindall (11) RS SO; 6-3/180	Detron Lewis (17) JR; 6-0/205	Alexander Torres (86) RS FR; 6-2/196
Eric Ward (18) FR; 5-11/202	Cornelius Douglas (2) RS FR; 5-9/193	Austin Zouzalik (6) RS FR; 6-1/181	Jacoby Franks (8) RS SO; (6-1/185)
Rashad Hawk (23) RS SO; 6-4/186	Adam James (82) RS SO; 6-3/216		Lyle Leong (19) JR; 6-1/165

X-Split End: The incumbent, Edward Britton, seems to have this spot locked up, as well he should. Britton is the speed threat on the outside that this offense needs, perhaps now more than ever with a quarterback who can just chunk the ball. I believe that Eric Ward was at another receiver spot, but has moved to this the X position, and I think it suits him well. As much as we're all falling over ourselves with the commitments of Kadron Boone and Shawn Corker (and we should, these are talented players), Eric Ward was the 2009 version of these guys. It's easy to forget about guys like Ward, but Ward has the skill set to be a tremendous playmaker. I'm not real sure about the third spot here and I'm guessing that it's Rashad Hawk, although I could be wrong. I had really high hopes for Hawk coming out of high school, but he's had a problem putting on weight and getting into the rotation. I'm not sure that the X position is what suits his skill set, although the thought of a big tall receiver that has speed to burn is certainly intriguing, but the problem is that he hasn't forced himself on the field yet.

H-Inside Receiver: Recent reports may mean that this position is subject to change and the coaching staff is not a staff that will stick a player with a position and refuse to make a change. Tramain Swindall was one of the players that I thought would have a break-out 2009, but if he's not impressing thus far, then I think the staff will have no problem making a change. Swindall has a ton of talent, but you've got to perform. Cornelius Douglas is the definition of inside receiver. He's shifty, incredibly quick, and from what I can tell, he's going to fit the mold of previous Texas Tech inside receivers. Adam James is the wildcard in that he was in Leach's doghouse during the spring, but has played well thus far. As I mentioned with the backfield, I'm not sure if James is going to be utilized as the second tight end that much this year, but if Leach does go in that direction then James will get plenty of time.

Y-Inside Receiver: This is the position that appears to have an abundance of talent. Deton Lewis is going to make lots of plays this year, I don't think that's much of a question. The real question is if Austin Zouzalik is having such a great training camp, and from all accounts he is, then he may be the guy that replaces Swindall if his play thus far warrants a promotion. If Zouzalik gets the time, then he's going to play well. After that, I'm really not sure. It could really be anyone at this point and it gets really messy if Zouzalik takes Swindall's spot at the other inside receiver position.

Z-Flanker: The battle for Crabtree's old position seems to be something fierce. We've heard that Alexander Torres is the guy who is catching everything thrown his way. He was very solid in the spring game and it wouldn't at all surprise me to see Torres start week 1. The conundrum of Jacoby Franks and Lyle Leong will work itself out as these things tend to do. I'm not sure if either one of these players will switch positions, but Leong is too talented not to be on the field and Franks has too much potential. If there's a logjam here, then I could see Franks getting moved somewhere else in order to get him some playing time.

Depth Charting // The Offensive Backfield

Seth C — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:13 -0000

via spotted.lubbockonline.com

View full size photo »

Offensive Backfield

Quarterback	Running Back	Fullback/Tight End
Taylor Potts (15) JR; 6-5/218	Baron Batch(25) JR; 5-11/205	Ryan Hale (5) SR; 6-1/227
Steven Sheffield (1) JR; 6-4/190	Harrison Jeffers (10) RS FR; 5-9/204	Omar Castillo (89) RS FR; 6-6/257
Seth Doege (7) RS FR; 6-2/205	Aaron Crawford (32) SO; 5-11/204	Gerardo Acevedo (36) JR; 6-1/197

Quarterback: Although there was some question about who would be the second team quarterback, this position has remained fairly static almost the entire spring and fall. Taylor Potts is your unquestioned quarterback and unless something devastating happens, he should be your guy. Everything that's been said about the guy is true. He's big, has a strong arm and may be a little stiff in the pocket. He could force some passes next year, but he'll also be able to make some passes that few quarterbacks have been able to make in Captain Leach's system. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tad bit nervous about Steven Sheffield being the second team. Not that Texas Tech fans should be afraid of walk-on's leading the league in passing. If there's one thing that Sheffield has going for him, it's that he's got a good head on his shoulders, he's efficient and he seems to keep his cool under pressure. Seth Doege is going to be good and it's just a matter of time before he gets the nod. If things go according to plan, Doege will be just like Potts in that he'll have the opportunity to start for two years, so long as he can keep Jacob Karam and Scotty Young on the sideline. Perhaps I trust Doege because he seems to have a better pedigree than Sheffield, or maybe it's the fact that Doege has been hyped as a Potts-competitor, but I like Doege and I like Texas Tech's future with Doege at the helm.

Running Back: I'm not too concerned about Baron Batch being ready by the Texas Longhorns game. I think we all know what we have in Batch and staying healthy and contributing on the field are his biggest concerns. Harrison Jeffers was the guy last year who took the team by storm by being an absolute best for the scout team. Despite Eric Stephens ink this fall, Jeffers will be the guy and he will turn some heads. Jeffers has break-away speed and can turn the corner like few running backs I've seen. Aaron Crawford should be the third back, and although he's had issues also staying healthy last year, there's no denying that when he plays he's been pretty good. We tend to forget how good he was as a true freshman and helped lead the team to a win over Oklahoma. I always feel that running back may be the most talented position since Mike Leach has arrived, and I can understand why in it's been somewhat over looked, in part because Batch was a relative unknown coming out of Midland, Jeffers was an Oklahoma recruit, and Crawford was another unknown from Tennessee. You've probably heard a time or two about how solid various Big 12 teams are at running back, but the truth of the matter is that Texas Tech is right there with the best of them. Obviously, Texas Tech isn't going to be breaking any rushing records, but the talent is there. I'm pretty sure of that.

Fullback and Tight End: I'm a bit anxious to see where and how Leach utilizes the two-tight end set. Last year, Leach used it quite a bit with Ryan Hale and H Inside Receiver Adam James. Hale returns for his senior campaign, but during the spring game, I didn't notice that the two-tight end set was utilized much at all. That's probably because both teams each had a blocking back, but that still doesn't solve the problem of figuring out which way Leach will lean. I did and still do like Omar Castillo moving to tight end. I have no idea if and where he'll really be able to play, but he should be able to lineup at tight end at some point during the season and block an opposing defensive end or linebacker. Castillo is listed at 257, but that's 257 pounds of ace-whipping material.

SB Nation - Adam James

Taking a Breath :: Looking Ahead to the Texas Tech Offense of 2010

THE OFFENSE

Who Returns (2010 Projected 2-Deep)

Don't Sleep On:

Recruiting, The 2010 Class

Recruit Trends

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.26.09

Post-Game Thoughts :: Rice 10, Texas Tech 55

The Offense

The Defense

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.11.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Position Matchups :: Rice vs. Texas Tech

MATCHUP

QB/WR vs. DB

RB vs. LB

PUSH

OL vs. DL

PUSH

DL vs. OL

LB vs. RB

DB vs. QB/WR

Drive Chart :: North Dakota 13, Texas Tech 38

Participation

Offense

Defense

Drive Chart Texas Tech Offense

Texas Tech Drive 1

Texas Tech Drive 2

Texas Tech Drive 3

Texas Tech Drive 4

Texas Tech Drive 5

Texas Tech Drive 6

Texas Tech Drive 7

Texas Tech Drive 8

Texas Tech Drive 9

Texas Tech Drive 10

Texas Tech Drive 11

Drive Chart Texas Tech Defense

North Dakota Drive 1

North Dakota Drive 2

North Dakota Drive 3

North Dakota Drive 4

North Dakota Drive 5

North Dakota Drive 6

North Dakota Drive 7

North Dakota Drive 8

North Dakota Drive 9

North Dakota Drive 10

North Dakota Drive 11

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.30.09

Texas Tech Football

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe // 08.26.09

Odds and Ends

Texas Tech Football

Depth Charting // The Receivers

Receivers

Depth Charting // The Offensive Backfield

Offensive Backfield