SB Nation - Baylor Bears

What Big 10 Expansion Could Mean For BYU

Layton — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:14:37 -0000

The Big 10 (really 11, but who's counting?) came out with word recently that they're seriously looking into expanding the league to 12 teams, even as soon as 2011. And while we think about the prospects, let me put a quick end to the excitement you're feeling on behalf of Bronco and Co.: BYU would not be invited to join that league, the Big 12 or the Pac-10 as a result of the Big 10 expanding. However, that doesn't mean the Cougars won't be seriously affected by what may happen after next season. Here's why 1) BYU won't be invited, and 2) why they may be feeling the brunt of such actions by the already big Big 10.

Before I examine the reasons of leaving BYU out, here's what the expected plan is: when the Big 10 (11) expands to 12, Missouri jumps ship and joins the Big 10, or Notre Dame flees its independent status and joins. The latter is less likely as Notre Dame enjoys being able to play anybody, at any time of the season, and not splitting any possible earnings. A "conference" schedule's not really their style.

As for BYU...

1. As an avid college football fan, and obvious BYU fan, I'd love nothing more than to see some of the Baylor's, Arkansas's, and Colorado's, be relegated to mid-major status, and have BYU (or other "worthy" teams) take their place much like what happens in England's Premier League (yes, that's a soccer reference). Without question there are few teams in the power conferences that should be demoted (Baylor, Colorado and Texas Tech, first and foremost).

Unfortunately, relegating these teams, or expanding conferences, doesn't open the door for BYU to join them; TCU and Utah? Perhaps, but not BYU. Though the Cougars have tradition, high-powered offenses and a national following, they're still the odd man out in these scenarios. Why? For starters, they can't compete on a national recruiting stage with Utah or TCU, not to mention Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio St., etc. I know they get the likes of Jake Heaps, Kyle Van Noy, Zac Stout and others, absolutely terrific talent, but they're more scheme players (maybe with the exception of Heaps) than superior athletes with speed and strength. As long as the program focuses their attention on players who will live by the Honor Code (which I whole-heartedly support and agree with), they will be left with mostly second-tier talent.

As for Utah and TCU...

TCU absolutely makes the most sense of joining a BCS conference when you consider recruiting demographic, geographic positioning and natural rivalries (Texas, Oklahoma, etc.). They've been one of the most consistent (and winning) teams over the last decade, and with this year's success, they're a very sexy pick to join. The only thing that may hold them back is a very fickle fan base and a terrible basketball program.

Next up, after TCU, would have to be Utah. With their success in 2004 and 2008, great recruiting channels, a known basketball program, and a very zealous fan base, they've got all the ingredients to make an impact and land the coveted spot. The only thing holding them back might be their lack of sustained success/history, and the fact they play in Utah (it's kinda out of the way...just sayin').

In any event, with either of those teams leaving the MWC, BYU suffers big time. All of the sudden the MWC becomes an average league at best. The best hope is to expand the MWC very, very soon by adding Boise St., Houston, Tulsa, Nevada, and Fresno St., and dump a couple cellar-dwellers, and then get an automatic BCS bid (by addition or elimination). If the MWC were to obtain such a bid, TCU, Utah nor BYU would have any inclination to leave the conference for greener pastures because they'd be feeding where the cows are fat and happy, and this whole argument becomes unimportant, much like the climate talks in Copenhagen.

Poll

What's the best scenario for BYU?

Cal-Penn State VBall Open Thread 12.12.09

TwistNHook — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:00:19 -0000

Hana is the best hitter in the country, but can she beat PSU alone?

GO BEARS! The VBall team is red hot right now! They just defeated Baylor to make the NCAA Regional Final. Elite 8!

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The ninth-seeded California volleyball team (21-10, 11-7 Pac-10) defeated Baylor (24-10, 11-9 Big 12) in three sets (26-24, 25-20, 25-17) on Friday, Dec. 11, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship Gainesville Regional semifinal. The Golden Bears will advance to the NCAA regional championship match for the third consecutive year where they will face either top-seeded and No. 1-ranked defending champion Penn State (34-0, 20-0 Big Ten) or host No. 14 Florida (25-5, 16-4 SEC). Cal will take the court for the regional final in a 4 p.m. ET match on Saturday, Dec. 12, to be aired live by ESPNU. Please check local listings for availability.

Cal was led by senior outside hitter Hana Cutura's match-high 18 kills (6e, 40att, .300) and senior middle hitter Mindi Wiley's nine kills (2e, 17att, .412) and match-high five blocks (one solo). Sophomore outside hitter Tarah Murrey added eight kills in an efficient performance (1e, 15att, .467) that included six digs. Junior setter Carli Lloyd dished out 38 assists and added three kills (0e, 9att, .333) and eight digs with freshman opposite hitter Correy Johnson as the beneficiary of six of those assists. Johnson finished with six kills (1e, 13att, .385) as Cal logged a .330 attack percentage with 47 kills (13e, 103att) in the match.

Cal now faces Penn State in the Regional Final. It is a place they've been before:

Cal faced a top-seeded and top-ranked Penn State team in the 2008 NCAA University Park Regional championship where it fell in three sets. The Nittany Lions have since extended their winning streak to 98 consecutive victories. In 2007, Cal took on defending NCAA champion Nebraska at a neutral site in the Wisconsin Regional and dethroned the Cornhuskers in a three-set sweep. Only Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and Texas have also made the NCAA regional final in each of the past two seasons.

Ya, Penn State is good. 98 consecutive victories good. This..........will be tough. PSU is led by coach Russ Rose:

As his team scrimmaged a few courts over, Rose, the Penn State women's volleyball coach, stopped in front of three wooden containers, rolled one aside and boxed himself in near the corner of the gym.

"Welcome to my office," he said.

The moment was classic Rose: humble and down to earth, but delivered with a wit as sharp as his team's record 98-game winning streak, which began in 2007 and has produced two consecutive NCAA championships.

It is the longest NCAA Division I winning streak in women's sports history, and the second longest of all time behind Miami's 137 straight match wins in men's tennis. He recently passed John Wooden's 88-game win streak in men's basketball at UCLA from 1971-74 and North Carolina's 92-game win streak in women's soccer from 1990-94.

"We've been fortunate that we've been on a hot streak as of late," said Rose, 56, who has 997 career wins and has coached here for the last 31 years, 13 shy of Joe Paterno's 44. He's turned down both professional and collegiate jobs in favor of sticking around Happy Valley. (And yes, he does have a real office.)

The game starts at 1 PM PST and is televised on ESPNU.

PRD will stream this match
http://www.justin.tv/prd74_2

After the jump, Danzig has provided us with some more in depth analysis that is unremarkably good. I say unremarkably, because his analysis is always top notch and it is no different here. So, read that, comment below, and GO BEARS!

#9 Cal vs #1 Penn State: Sound familiar? We were here in the exact same spot last year. Quarterfinals vs the #1 team in the country. Last year we lost 3-0, but this year is different.

WHY WE WIN: How can I tell I'm a Cal fan? It's because I think we can win. How can others tell I'm a Cal fan? It's because I think we can win.

Streaks are mental hurdles - PSU is looking for their 100th straight win. No bullshit. They can make history if they can just beat us. The 99th win was meaningless. The 100th win, on the other hand, can be a mental hurdle for them. The PSU players know they can be recognized in the Volleyball Hall of Fame if they can beat us. Ahem... no pressure or anything.
They're not the same team - Nicole Fawcett and Christa Harmotto are gone. Those two seniors accounted for over 700 kills last season, or over 40% of their team's total offense.
We have blocking now - Mindi is exploding. Carli is blocking like crazy. We brought in two big freshmen in 6'4 Correy Johnson and 6'3 Kat Brown. Our blocking is 2X better than what it was last year.

WHY WE LOSE: It's pretty obvious to everyone except me.

Best of everything - PSU has the best offense in the country, the best defense and the best record in College Volleyball history, men or women's.
Talent up the wazoo - I honestly can't name you one player on their team that was not a Fab50 recruit, a high school All American, state POY or VB Magazine Senior Ace.
Our offense is one dimensional - Like years past, they will focus exclusively on stopping Hana. Expect Hana to have the lowest output of her season. It will be up to Tarrah, Mindi and Correy to make up the difference.
PSU can dig - They are, by far, the best digging team in the country. Getting an offensive point against them is difficult. It's best to let them make mistakes.

CALIFORNIA

KEY PLAYERS

Mindi Wiley (6'3, Middle Blocker, Senior) - She must have a monster performance for us to win. We're going to slide her a lot and probably quick set her in the middle, a ton. We're not very good a quick setting the middle, but it's a risk we have to take vs PSU.

Carli Lloyd (5'11, Quarterback, Junior) - Carli must just be her incredible self. She needs to continue with her drop shots, roll shots and one-handed-sets. Quick setting the middle will be a challenge, but we'll win if she can pull it off. Her serve has been a liability, but if she can serve well, we can swing the match.

Hana Cutura (6'5 Outside Hitter, Senior) - Who's the best hitter in the country? Hana. Who will PSU focus their entire defense on? Hana. She's hitting .320 with 612 kills at 5 kills/set. She also has 64 blocks at .54 blocks/set. These are INSANE numbers. If she can hit to even half her potential this match, we'll have a great chance at an upset.

Tarah Murrey (6'3, Outside Hitter, Soph) - Tarah is our key to victory. She's the only one with enough power to bash through PSU's block. However, she can't aim very well. Fortunately, she's been surging in the last six matches. If she can just continue that streak and hit in the 300s, we got a great shot at winning this thing.

Correy Johnson (6'4, Position Unknown, True Frosh) - We need her to block like she's never blocked before. She's a Florida native so she'll have a huge fan base on hand and a lot of motivation. We'll see.

Rich Feller (5'10, Head Thinking Guy, Old dude) - I think Coach Feller needs to play to win, and not just to survive. This means using high risk plays like quick setting the middle and pipe setting to Hana from the back row. I want to either get blown out badly or win. Nothing in between. PSU has knocked us out of the NCAA tourney the past three years. THE SAME FUCKING TEAM. Enough already. Let's go out swinging.

PENN STATE

Penn State is similar to Cal. In fact, we're almost the same, in terms of style. We both run a powerful 5-1, with most of the offense flowing through a single setter and a single hitter (if they want they can switch to a 6-2). The only differences are that they don't make mistakes (very efficient) and they serve extremely well. They also can dig a lot better than we can. Oh yeah, they were also the 2007 and 2008 National Champions.

KEY PLAYERS

Megan Hodge (6'3, Outside Hitter, Senior) - Hana is the best hitter in the country. Guess who's the second best? Yup...Megan Hodge. She only has 513 kills to Hana's 612, but those are still insane numbers. She's got a huge arm and they will go to her as much as possible.

Alicia Glass (6'0, Quarterback, Senior) - The only reason Carli isn't the best setter in the NCAA is because of this girl. She is the conensus best setter in the country. She's got moves, hops and she can hit. I'm actually a big fan. I image Alicia and Carli will be battling out in a few years for the starting spot on the US Olympic team.

Cal info:
Roster - http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/cal-w-volley-mtt.html
Sched - http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-volley/sched/cal-w-volley-sched.html

PSU info:
Roster - http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/w-volley/mtt/psu-w-volley-mtt.html
Sched - http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/w-volley/sched/psu-w-volley-sched.html

Tourney Bracket:
http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/2009/ncaa_bracket_DI_volleyball_women.html

Golden Nuggets: Awards Season

Berkelium97 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:30:14 -0000

Put your CGB tax dollars to work and vote in royrules22's top-25 ballot.

Last night was the annual Cal football banquet, where a variety of awards were handed out to members of the football team. Go here for the complete list of winners. Here are some of the highlights:

Most Improved Player
Skylar Curran

Lifter of the Year Freshman - Mark Brazinski
Senior - Tyson Alualu

Bob Simmons Award - Most Valuable Freshman
Offense - Matt Summers-Gavin
Defense - Aaron Tipoti

J. Scott Duncan Award - Most Valuable Special Teams Player
Bryan Anger

Joe Roth Award - Player best exemplifying courage, attitude and sportsmanship
Tyson Alualu

Everett Merriman Award - Demonstrating commitment to community service
Kevin Parker [AKA Rope Coach]

Bear Backers MVP Awards (voted on by team)
Offense - Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen
Defense - Mike Mohamed

Scout Team Players of the Year

Offense - T.J. Emery and Ryan Wertenberger
Defense - Steven Fanua and Keni Kaufusi
Special Teams - Tyre Ellison and Spencer Hagan

The scout team PotY awards caught me by surprise, as I didn't know Wertenberger was a QB until just a couple weeks ago. Remember the name Steve Fanua in the coming years, as he is certain to become a vocal leader on defense.

After the jump we have more awards as the All-Pac-10 team was announced, reactions from to the Poinsettia bowl from Cal/Utah players and coaches, a lolwut quote of the week as Wilner calls the BCS "fair and open," post-game quotes from women's bball's loss to Texas A&M, and more.

Cal Football

The All-Pac-10 team was announced this morning. Tepper, Alualu, Syd, Mohamed, and Anger all made the first team. Jahvid Best was the lone Cal player on the second team.
Ted Miller provides a brief preview of the Poinsettia Bowl. With its struggles at quarterback, Utah sounds like it won't have an easy time lighting up the Bears' defense like Locker did.
Utah looks forward to playing Cal in the Poinsettia Bowl. Utah's coach Kyle Wittingham says it will be an interesting matchup, as Ludwig knows Utah's defense very well while Wittingham is very familiar with Ludwig's. JO has quotes from Tedford, Wittingham, Vereen, and Tepper, as they react to the bowl announcement.
After getting blown out in their last game, many players want to redeem the season with a win over Utah.
Cal drops to seventh in Ted Miller's Pac-10 power rankings.
In the lolwut statement of the week, Wilner says "Texas’ game-winning field goal was the most important kick in BCS history because of what it did to the BCS: It made the flawed, oft-criticized but incredibly successful system appear fair and open."

Cal Basketball

Boyle was pleased with the effort, aggressiveness, and rebounding in the loss against Texas A & M, but she was disappointed with all the missed free throws.
Monty's team fell out of both rankings after splitting last week's games. They received 5 points in the AP poll and 10 in the coaches' poll.

A Decidedly Premature Independence Bowl Preview: Will the Georgia Bulldogs Face the Iowa State Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies?

T Kyle King — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:11:50 -0000

Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking, "Is Chip Kelly trying to make coaching decisions so strange as to baffle Les Miles?" As Joe Tiller learned the hard way in the 2000 Outback Bowl, no coach should ever go for two unless he has to go for two, and, after scoring a touchdown to go up 34-33 with more than sixteen minutes remaining in the game, Oregon didn’t have to go for two.

Because the Ducks didn’t kick the extra point the way they should have, Morgan Flint’s fourth-quarter field goal gave the home team a four-point lead instead of a five-point lead. That proved to be huge when Oregon found itself facing fourth and two at the Beavers’ 19 yard line with 1:43 showing on the game clock. Had the Ducks been up by five at that point, they could have kicked a 36-yard field goal and kicked off to an Oregon State team that hadn’t scored a point in nearly sixteen minutes and hadn’t scored a touchdown in more than 24 minutes, secure in the knowledge that the Beavers would have to drive the field, score a touchdown, and get a two-point conversion just to force overtime.

Granted, Oregon might have gone for it, anyway, but the difference between a field goal representing a seven-point lead and a field goal representing an eight-point lead foreclosed what ought to have been legitimate options for the Ducks. After picking up the first down and forcing Oregon State to expend its last time out, though, Coach Kelly inexplicably dithered about with what ought to have been the easy process of kneeling out the clock.

Oregon had a first down at the visitors’ 14 yard line, Oregon State had no time outs, and the Ducks held a four-point lead with 82 seconds showing on the scoreboard. At that point, it’s time to go into the victory formation. Instead, Jeremiah Masoli ran around (rather than backed up behind an offensive line in max-protect mode) for a four-yard loss, stopped the clock on a delay of game penalty, stopped the clock again by calling a time out with 40 seconds remaining, and finally did the sensible thing after much needless rigmarole. The two-point conversion call may have been harmless error, even insofar as Coach Kelly’s later decisionmaking process was concerned (although it certainly changed the math on his range of choices), but, after watching him botch what ought to be the simplest play in football, I had real questions about whether what appeared at first to be shrewd gamesmanship in the wake of a disastrous start was merely beginner’s luck. Rarely has a coach impressed me less in the act of capturing his team’s first Rose Bowl berth in a decade and a half.

After that, though, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season, and to the Georgia Bulldogs’ potential opponents in the Independence Bowl, who appear to be (depending upon the outcome of tomorrow’s Big 12 title tilt) either the Iowa St. Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies, and about whom I had the following thoughts:

Frankly, neither team especially excites me as an opponent, but beggars can’t be choosers and I certainly wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to expect a victory over either club. (Repeat after me, Bulldog Nation . . . when you expect the worst, your only options are to be proven correct or pleasantly surprised.)

The Red and Black have no gridiron history with Iowa State, or (for that matter) with teams from Iowa, or (for that matter) with teams whose names begin with the letter "I," perhaps because there is no "I" in "T-E-A-M" (although there is an "M" and an "E"). The Cyclones, who are represented at SB Nation by the weblog Clone Chronicles, are coached by Paul Rhoads. Coach Rhoads served as the defensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers in 2008, the only year since 2004 in which the Plainsmen held Georgia under 30 points.

Coach Rhoads is not the only former Auburn defensive coordinator to have served as the head coach in Ames, of course, and that fact may have something to do with the fact that the Tigers are heading to the Outback Bowl, as the fine folks in the so-called Loveliest Village undoubtedly were not anxious to risk facing Gene Chizik’s former team in Shreveport. (Note to Auburn fans who read this: I used the word "may"; I am drawing logical inferences from the circumstances surrounding Auburn’s odd invitation to the Outback Bowl, not stating facts known to me to be true. Please refrain from displaying your usual lack of comprehension any time I mention the Bulldogs’ oldest rival.)

The Cyclones rank eleventh in the Big 12 in scoring offense, ahead of only the lowly Baylor Bears, but Iowa State boasts its league’s fourth-best rushing attack, averaging over 175 yards per game on the ground. ISU has done a poor job of stopping the run, once again ranking ahead of Baylor and Baylor alone in rushing defense, but the thirteen rushing touchdowns the Cyclones have surrendered in a dozen outings this autumn are the sixth-fewest conceded in the Big 12.

Obviously, the ‘Dawgs have considerably more history with the Aggies, whose network-affiliated partisans at I Am The 12th Man aren’t necessarily stoked about the prospect of meeting Georgia in Shreveport. It’s difficult to draw a bead on either team, as both appeared to play well above their heads in season-ending in-state rivalry showdowns right around Thanksgiving and neither is likely to be able to duplicate that same intensity in a matchup with the other. Obviously, the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Texas Longhorns would slaughter the Georgia team that showed up against the Kentucky Wildcats, while the Georgia team that showed up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would thump the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Oklahoma Sooners. The reality likely would lie somewhere in between the two extremes.

Georgia is 1-3 all-time against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs fell to the Aggies in the 1950 Presidential Cup bowl game, in Dallas in 1953, and in Athens in 1954. The latter loss was particularly painful for the Red and Black, who came into the game with a 2-0 record while in the process of rebounding from a 3-8 season in 1953 that remains to this day the worst in Georgia history. The 1954 Aggies---the legendary "Junction Boys"---were in their first year under Paul "Bear" Bryant and they lost nine games, although seven of their losses were by ten or fewer points. That year’s Texas A&M team formed the foundation for future success, but the Bulldogs were the only victim of that 1-9 outfit.

Georgia exacted its revenge in 1980, when the Classic City Canines handed the Aggies a 42-0 thumping between the hedges in Herschel Walker’s first home game as a Bulldog. The Goal-Line Stalker rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yard scamper. That game also was the first game since Vince Dooley redesigned the Georgia uniform in 1964 in which the Red and Black wore the silver britches Wally Butts had first introduced in 1939. They have been a staple of the Bulldogs’ uniform ever since.

The potent Texas A&M offense ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring (33.9 points per game), second in the league in rushing (190.4 yards per game), and sixth in the conference in passing (274.9 yards per game). The Aggies stand atop the Big 12 in total offense (465.3 yards per game). Fortunately, they also feature the league’s worst pass defense (262.8 yards per game allowed), third-worst rush defense (168.6 yards per game allowed), and worst scoring defense (32.7 points per game allowed).

No matter which opponent the Bulldogs face, the Classic City Canines likely will benefit from the fact that three of their coaches will be on the Georgia sideline for the final time. I don’t mean that in an obnoxious way; I merely mean that the Red and Black have a history of playing hard for departing coaches, even in consolation games. The ‘Dawgs sent Coach Dooley out a winner in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day 1989, "won one for the Goffer" in an 18-17 road triumph over Georgia Tech on the Saturday after Ray Goff’s firing was announced, and delivered an O’ahu Bowl victory to the deposed Jim Donnan in his last outing with the Red and Black. With any luck, the Georgia defense will be intense for their postseason tilt as a farewell gift to Willie Martinez, Jon Fabris, and John Jancek.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Post Game Thoughts :: Baylor Bears Edition

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

by Jerry Larson - AP

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

View full size photo »

SBN Box Score :: TTU Box Score

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

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

Storylines and MVP's after the jump.

The Storylines ::

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.30.09

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

More photos » by Jerry Larson - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KICKING THE TIRES: Season Review

BracketCat — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:00:15 -0000

K-State's season might be done, but there's still another week left in the Big 12 regular season — starting with that amazing shootout last night between the Aggies and the Longhorns. Plus, I thought this would be a good chance to look at our season-ending numbers, so click the jump for my usual statistical/opinionated analysis.

KEY STATS

Rushing Offense
K-State (37 | -6)

Passing Offense
K-State (104 | +1)

Total Offense
K-State (80 | -5)

Scoring Offense
K-State (88 | -13)

Rushing Defense
K-State (19 | +4)

Pass Efficiency Defense
K-State (81 | -6)

Total Defense
K-State (41 | +6)

Scoring Defense
K-State (48 | +11)

Net Punting
K-State (64 | +9)

Punt Returns
K-State (45 | +2)

Kickoff Returns
K-State (8 | -2)

Turnover Margin
K-State (26 | -7)

Pass Defense
K-State (79 | +11)

Passing Efficiency
K-State (88 | -10)

Analysis

Granted, these aren't 100-percent final statistics because there still are games to be played, but they're close enough for our purposes: Evaluating the improvement (or perhaps lack thereof) from last year's team.

Rushing offense went from 80th in the country in 2008 to 37th in 2009. Clearly, Bill Snyder understood more than Ron Prince that running the ball is important. Having Daniel Thomas didn't hurt, either.

Passing offense tumbled from 19th to 104th. Some dropoff was to be expected with Josh Freeman leaving for the NFL, but not that much. That is a stat we desperately need to, and I believe will, improve dramatically if we are to compete for the North title in 2010.

Total offense fell from 38th to 80th. Again, in sore need of overall improvement, but especially in the passing game.

Scoring offense dropped from 21st to 88th. Same story, different statistic. And it was made even worse by our goal-line flubs in the last two weeks, but not punching it in once we penetrated the red zone was a bugaboo all season.

Rushing defense jumped from 114th to 19th. Our defensive coaching staff deserves a huge shout-out, because that simply is stellar and is more than I thought was possible with just one year. If you ever doubt the power of coaching, just reflect on that stat.

Pass efficiency defense climbed from 93rd to 81st. Some improvement, but we can do better. Clearly, the Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Missouri games didn't help us much here.

Total defense went from 114th to 41st. Way to go, Chris Cosh and Vic Koenning.

Scoring defense improved from a tie for 110th to 48th. Again, that's just remarkable improvement in just one year.

Net punting went from 108th to 64th. Ryan Doerr made a lot of difference this season.

Punt returns dropped from 33rd to 45th. This is one area I'd like to see improve next year, and I think putting either John Hubert or Tramaine Thompson back there will help a lot.

Kickoff returns actually improved from 25th to eighth. Hard to expect any improvement from a Top 25 ranking, but we did it. God, we're going to miss Brandon Banks.

Turnover margin flipped from 109th to 26th. If you're looking for a single stat that explains the turnaround from Big 12 cellar to North contention, this is it. Granted, there only was a one-game improvement in the win-loss record, but this is one case where that record does not tell the whole story. Turnover margin is not really something you can control, because luck plays a huge role in it, but a team that does all the little things right usually will find the ball bouncing its way more often than not. The 2009 Cats certainly did.

Pass defense went from 97th to 79th. Again, marginal improvement, but more should be expected in 2010.

Passing efficiency fell from 41st to 88th. Gotta work on that.

And now for a few bonus stats. First, sacks stayed about the same, from a tie for 85th in 2008 to 80th in 2009. Still, that speaks to some improvement given that we basically were without Brandon Harold for the whole year and had to field a defensive line assembled from equal parts Jeffrey Fitzgerald, converted offensive players, spit, glue and prayer.

Tackles for loss, meanwhile, dropped from a tie for 53rd to 82nd. That's a bit depressing, and it speaks to the inability to generate a consistent push all year. It's only going to get fixed with better recruiting and time, unfortunately.

Even worse, sacks allowed decreased from 30th to 72nd. Although the offensive line generally seemed to play better this year, this stat was not a good thing. Part of it is because Freeman was so damn hard to bring down and he did a good job of getting rid of the ball most of the time, and thus part of the blame lies at the feet of Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory. But the line still has room for dramatic improvement, and I trust that Charlie Dickey eventually will get them there.

Where does this leave us heading into 2010? Well, many things have to shake out in recruiting and player development before I start projecting too far forward, but I do want to say something about the coaching staff, since there's a chance we could see a few changes in spots. (Indeed, Mike Kent already has departed as strength coach, so it's clear Snyder is willing to let some people leave if he doesn't perceive that they performed up to his standards.)

I'd really hate to see any of the defensive coaches leave, as that unit's massive improvement speaks for itself. But I can't say the same for the offensive staff. There were times that I found the offensive play-calling this season downright mind-boggling, and if Del Miller chose to gracefully ride into retirement and give way to someone like Chuck Long or Jonathan Beasley, I don't think I would shed a tear.

Also, I saw very little, if any, improvement from the wide receivers this year. Michael Smith better continue to butter his bread with recruiting, because I really don't think he cuts the mustard as a position coach. I felt that way when he was rehired, and I really didn't see anything to change my mind all year.

Tight ends were an enigma because we never threw to them, and I don't think you can give much credit for Thomas' performance to any single coach because DT simply is a natural. Basically, Dickey is the only offensive coach who could make me cry by departing. Everyone else is fair game if Snyder wants them to be.

BracketCat's Way-Too-Early Projected Starters for Next Year

QB: Sammuel Lamur
FB: Braden Wilson*
RB: Daniel Thomas

WR: Lamark Brown, Brodrick Smith, Tramaine Thompson**
TE: Travis Tannahill
OL: Zach Hanson, Zach Kendall, Wade Weibert, Kenneth Mayfield, Clyde Aufner

DL: Prizell Brown, Adam Davis, Brandon Harold, Ray Kibble
LB: Antonio Felder, Kadero Terrell
DB: Troy Butler, Stephen Harrison, Tysyn Hartman (get well!), Emmanuel Lamur, Joshua Moore

*if we start with a fullback and two wide receivers
**if we start with three wide receivers and no fullback

Elsewhere in the Big 12...

Obviously, Colt McCoy put himself right in the thick of the Heisman race with last night's inspired performance, and Texas survived Texas A&M's upset bid, 49-39.

For those keeping score, Texas is in overdrive of late, having scored 100 points in its last two games.

More of the same might be on tap throughout the week. Although Nebraska's defense is stout, the Colorado-Nebraska has a history of being a pretty high-scoring affair. Not to mention the recent news of Hawk's reincarnation, which I suppose might reinvigorate his team somewhat.

Oklahoma's defense is in disarray, with Oklahoma State's balanced offense coming into town — but Oklahoma's offense has played extremely well at home this season.

And absolutely no one will be surprised if the Border War turns into a defenseless shootout and Texas Tech puts up 50 on Baylor in Jerryworld.

So, this week could end up looking like a throwback to last season's shenanigans before it's all said and done.

Nebraska at Colorado (ABC)
Cornhuskers 31, Buffaloes 20

#11 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (FSN)
Sooners 19, Cowboys 18

Missouri vs. Kansas (in Kansas City) (ABC)
Tigers 29, Jayhawks 24

Texas Tech vs. Baylor (in Arlington) (FSN)
Red Raiders 33, Bears 21

College Football Predictions - Week 13

JLew — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:04:03 -0000

More photos » by JACK DEMPSEY - ASSOCIATED PRESS

You mean I have to come back and coach again next year? What does a coach have to do to get fired around here? (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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I'm barely awake after eating too much turkey, and the Green Bay-Lions game is not helping me stay awake.But I'm thinking of changing jobs...

Dear Colorado AD:

If you would like to grossly over pay someone to run your football team into the ground, I would like to apply for that opportunity. I have the ability to make outrageous claims about winning 10 games, yell about playing intramurals, and run off players, Additionally I would take a much smaller buy-out than your current head coach. For a few thousand dollars I can fail for you.

I plan on bringing in my own coaching staff. Husker Mike will be the QB's coach, Jon will be the O-Line coach, Cobby will coach the defense, and I'll coach the rest.

Please see my attached CV that shows my NCAA football skills on the 360 which demonstrates my keen football mind.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future, possibly after late Friday night.

-Your Future Coach

JLew

Average results in the picks last week. Big upset by Texas Tech, and NU not covering the spread hurt us all.

	Last week W/L	Last Week ATS	Overall W/L	Overall ATS
Husker Mike	3-2	0-5	67-27	41-52
Corn Blight	3-2	2-3	62-31	41-49
JLew	4-2	1-4	64-31	35-58

Here are the Thanksgiving picks-

Texas (-21) @ Texas A&M

Mike: When A&M can't run the ball, they get blown out. Texas is #1 in the Big XII in stopping the run. Texas continues to roll. Bovines 45, Gaggies 13

Jon J: You realize that Colt McCoy has a losing record so far against the Aggies and this one is at College Station, right? Yeah, whatever. Texas 35, Texas A&M 14

JLew: I'd really like to pick Texas A&M here, but if we are going to play fantasy we might as well have Texas lose in the championship game to Nebraska. Plus I do not see any way that A&M stops the Horn's offense. I think it'll be closer than the spread though, if only because A&M plays better at home. Texas 35 A&M 28

Missouri (-3.5) vs. Kansas @ Arrowhead

Mike: Now that it appears Dan Hawkins will survive, what about Mark Mangino. Jayhawks are in the middle of a six game losing streak, and have been blown out badly in the fourth quarter the last four games. Missouri had been experiencing second half suckage until a couple of weeks ago, until Danario Alexander picked the Tigers up and carried them on his back. Look for KU to lead early, then wilt again down the stretch. Tigers 31, Jayhawks 24

Jon J: This should be a great game to watch because of the blood match between these schools. Missouri is playing better towards the end of the year while Kansas appears to have lost everything. Can the Jayhawks get it together one more time? Reesing, Briscoe, Meier - all Seniors. Kansas doesn’t play for their embattled coach, they play for themselves. Kansas 42, Missouri 38

JLew: KU is done. Carve up the Jayhawk for leftovers. (As if there are any leftovers near Mangino). Missouri looks to be putting the season back together after a injury to Gabbert and as the schedule gets easier. Missouri fans begin to whine about losing to NU... but, but it was raining! MU 27 KU 17

Oklahoma State (+9.5) @ Oklahoma

Mike: This is a line that makes people go whoa! after watching the Sooners get demolished by Texas Tech. Zac Robinson should be back. Now, the question is: which OU squad is going to show up? Last week's Sooners or the Sooners that only lost to Texas by 3? This game is in Norman...and the Cowboys pass defense is 10th in the Big XII. OU bounces back...but doesn't cover. OU 31, OSU 28

Jon J: Oklahoma’s season has astonished me. They’ve lost a lot of good players, but that’s no excuse for the talent level they have, and in losing games they way they have. It all points to a squad full of pansy boys masquerading as young men. Several games have seen even their good players not bother. This, however, is a rivalry. They’d damn well better show up. Oklahoma 35, Oklahoma State 27

JLew: Bedlam is always a good time. I think that right now OSU has more to play for and really wants it more. I really didn't think that OU would lose to Tech last week. As Mike and Jon said what is up in Norman? I guess the only answer is to fire Stoops. OSU 42 OU 37

Texas Tech (-20.5) vs. Baylor @ JerryWorld

Mike: Baylor left it all in Columbia. Tech rolls. TT 49, Bad News Bears 7

Jon J: What Mike said. Baylor had so much promise. Even has some players, but apparently they can’t find enough that everyone cares at once. Prove I’m wrong, Bears. Texas Tech 42, Bears 13

JLew: When does Baylor get booted from the B12? Wouldn't they fit in better somewhere else? Why keep punishing yourself? Anyway Tech rolls. Tech 48 Baylor 10

Nebraska (-10) @ Colorado

Mike: Dan Hawkins survives the hangman's noose...because the Buffaloes can't afford any rope. This is a bad matchup for the Colorado offense, with Tyler Hansen loving sacks as much as Ndamukong Suh and Jared Crick do. But we know Nebraska's offense can keep the Buffs in the game if they make mistakes. Fortunately, CU is 10th in the league defending the run...so unleash Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead. NU 24, CU 12

Jon J: They’re not rivals. They’re not because we’re so stingy with our hate. Yet they play us like rivals. Last year the game was close despite the discrepancy between the teams because of Nebraska mistakes and Colorado passion. That was in Lincoln. Why not expect the same this time in Boulder? Nebraska 28, Colorado 21.

JLew: Will Colorado fans bother to show up, or will they boycott the game? Maybe they show up and get escorted out in the second quarter? NU should be able to get the offense rolling. Especially the running game. The defense should continue to dominate. NU gets momentum going to Texas. NU 31 CU 13

Big 12 Cob of the Week - Very Late Edition

Cobby — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:02:38 -0000

Thursday? We used to get these things out on Tuesday, when people were still thinking about last week's games. What's happening here? I'll tell you what it is. It's that guy who went through the name change. All cocky now, but can't manage a deadline worth a damn.

You know, he told me once that in his 19 years of writing in the computer industry, he never once hit a deadline. Ever. So what do you expect here?

Heading into the last week of the regular season, the Big 12 is settled. The games are being played for pride, for bragging rights, or for a better bowl game. Ooooooohhh, the Cobs will come out!

Jlew:

Mike DeArmond who covers Missouri for the KC Star gets my cob nomination this week for his smarmy article to start the football season.He called anyone picking Nebraska to win the North as "abso-tooting-lutely nuts" Here is the money quote though-

The Cornhuskers have an inexperienced quarterback, lost just as much as Missouri on offense, don't have a running back of the caliber of MU's Derrick Washington. Shouting The Blackshirts Are Back! seems based more on the hope that Bo Pelini is a defensive genius rather than a first-year college head coach that was simply better than Bill Callahan.

He did post a preemptive defense, basically saying that he WAS right, MU and KU just sorta lost their way, NU does have a good defense but NU isn't really better than at least MU. So for his fine blogging work I nominate him for our Cob of the Week. May he find an appropriate place to stick it, in his office.

Husker Mike:

Alex Cate, the Cowboys backup quarterback that spotted Colorado a 14-10 halftime lead by not being able to hit the broad side of a barn before being pulled for Brandon Weeden. Cate was 0-9 passing in the first half and if the Buffalo secondary was capable of catching footballs, Cate might have been 0-9-5 or something close.

Jon J:

Baylor goes into the Texas A&M game last week and lies down like a dog, 38-3. Quarterback Nick Florence goes 21-for-31 for 177 yards and two INTS. The Bears managed 297 total yards against the 100th-ranked Texas A&M defense formerly known as the "Wrecking Crew". This is the week after Baylor went into Columbia and scoring 40 in a win over the Tigers. Was Baylor wanting to end their season that quickly?

Poll

Your vote for Big 12 Cob of the Week:

KC Star’s Mike DeArmond - big preseason words with a wiener-like follow up

79 votes

Alex Cate - horrid first-half performance that nearly cost Oklahoma State game against Colorado

12 votes

Baylor - For not bothering with the last game of the season. Next time, forfeit, huh?

13 votes

104 votes | Poll has closed

Five Reasons Texas Tech Will Win :: Baylor Bears Edition

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

by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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