SB Nation User Blog: NM99

Keys to the Game, A&M Revisited and Kansas

NM99 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:36:47 -0000

More photos » by Mike Fuentes - AP

Gigged.

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Q: What do fat little girlfriends and the 2009 Texas Tech - A&M game have in common?

A) Ugly.

B) Both are accompanied by a hangover the next morning.

C) You really just want to forget it ever happened.

D) All of the above.

Join me after the jump for a deeper look into the A&M game and what we must take from it to win against Kansas.

Trick question. The answer is

E) None of the above.

While the Tech-A&M game was ugly and some fat little girl friends may be ugly, we cannot assume all fat little girlfriends are ugly. Similarly, we have no evidence to support the hangover theory. And while the easy thing would be to forget the whole experience, we must learn from it or it will come back to haunt us.

So what did we learn this weekend? Let's start with the QB's, since that is the hot topic. Some would say that we learned that Potts is not the QB for Tech and that Doege is a better option. I did not attend the game, so I have not seen any evidence other than their stat lines. These indicate that, while Potts did throw 2 INTs, Their completion rate was comparable (Potts 69.4%, Doege 72%) and Potts was significantly better in yds/attempt (8.6) than Deoge (5.8). Does Potts always make the best decisions? Nope. Is he comparable to every other first year QB in Leach's tenure? Yes. Neither INT resulted in Aggie points.

And what about Doege? Hard to say. He did get some meaningful snaps in, but it was after A&M was up by 24 points. Again having not seen the game, it is hard to say if they were bringing as much pressure or playing as tight as they were earlier in the game. He certainly did not check to the run any more often (4 rushing plays, though both TDs were runs), and as mentioned above his productivity was not that great. The first TD came on a very short field.

Does something need to be done to get the offense firing on all cylinders? Yes. Is Doege it? I can't say. Our offensive line went through what I believe is it's 6th different group of starters and gave up 3 sacks. Not bad, but not great. We learned that Adrian Waddle will be solid for the next 3 years. We learned that we cannot just show up and score points to win football games. We learned that, contrary to what many would have us think, it takes more than a pulse to pilot this offense. From what I can tell, neither QB lit it up out there. Both led the team to 2 TDs. Many people were excited to see Doege, but I have to question if some of the excitement isn't just the excitement that comes from something new and support of the under-dog? As the saying goes, the 2nd string QB is always the most popular guy on the UT campus. He has done nothing wrong. Let's reserve judgment and not fall into that trap.

As much as Potts has drawn the ire of fans and Leach for allowing him to start, I want to point out one very important statistic: 52 points allowed. The Tech offense may not have won this game, but they certainly didn't lose it.

On defense, I believe that we were exposed by a coaching staff that watched just a little bit of film. In last week's recap, I noted that Nebraska was able to push us around and run the ball when they committed to drive blocking. Further, I noted that the routes across the middle were open, and that we were burned several times due to lack of containment. The Aggie game plan took advantage of every single one of these aspects. I have to believe that we were overconfident having beaten NU on the road. Nobody checked the scoreboard prior to the A&M game to find out they had just lost to Iowa State at home as well.

Two weeks ago following Kansas State, I noted that the Wildcats beat themselves in many ways, which allowed Tech to play almost exclusively pass defense against a team that does not like to pass. Yet we were lulled into complacency by the non-existent transitive property of football, which would have had us believe that we would beat the Aggies by 100 points.

For the past 2 years many people have harped about playing soft on the corner. This week, A&M picked on LaRon Moore both in the air and on the ground, running sweeps to his side of the field. When the DE loses containment and the corner is 10 yards off the line, that's a lot of green space.

This week we learned that we have gotten some lucky breaks and have been a one-trick-pony of sorts on defense - good at pass rush, not good at containment and run defense. We learned that statistics and rankings tell you what you want to read, which may not be the truth. Our run D looked good on paper because we played games in which teams opted to throw the ball.

On to Kansas.

There's no place like the Jones....

Mangino and Leach know each other well. They know the other's tendencies and strategies. They do many things similarly. This game is not about outwitting the other guy. This is almost always true, but more so in this game than most, the winner will be the one that executes better.

Offensive Keys

1) Run the ball. Last week the key was to stick to basic play calling, which we did with moderate success. Though Leach thought that the offense looked contrived. I am assuming Doege starts, based on "sources" (though Leach claims this is another game time decision). Based on his numbers last week and against KSU, Doege is going to have to rely on the other skill guys to make the plays, as he doesn't seem to be a threat to really stretch the field. Our success passing will be predicated on the fear that Batch, Jeffers, or Stephens may rip off a 20 yard run at any moment. I hope for at least 3 of these.

2) O-line: play as a unit. I am done trying to figure out who is going to start and play where on the line this year. Just keep the QB of the week clean and create a few holes for Batch. To do this, you have to work together. Guys are in new spots all the time this year - watch out for each other and make sure everyone is clear on their assignments.

3) Get the ball in space. Once again, this is the key principle of the Tech offense. If Potts has a fatal flaw it is that he will try to force the ball into a tight spot. Whoever starts needs to learn from this mistake. In space, we have skill players that will occasionally make a guy miss and that is what creates the big play. If that space comes on the ground because the defense drops 8 guys, take it.

Defensive Keys

1) Cover like a blanket. This is a repeat. Even though A&M did most of their damage on the ground, we certainly weren't generating a lot of highlight material here. Kansas will run the crossing route all day long if we let them. We struggled to cover it for two weeks in a row. Fix this. Please.

2) ~~Reisling~~ Reesing. This guy is absolutely the key to the KU offense. As he goes, so do they. He has the ability to extend plays with his feet and to scramble for yards. Last year we harassed him and kept him from finding a rhythm. We need to do this again. As Seth said earlier, we need to contain. This is another problem that must be remedied. Let the pocket collapse, and when this happens, we need a spy ready for when he rolls out. We don't have to get sacks, we just need to keep someone in his face, use the sideline, and not let him run for 7 yards and slide.

3) 3rd downs. Kansas is really good at converting 3rd downs. We can't sit back on 3rd and long and try to keep it in front of us. Our guys have ot know where the sticks are and not let their receivers get to them. Bronte Bird needs to settle down a little as the Joker on third down and not bounce around so much. Keep 'em guessing, but don't be in hopping around and in mid air when the ball is snapped.

Special Teams

This is another of those weeks where we don't need any miracles in this aspect of the game, just don't let anything bad happen. No muffed punts or kickoffs, no big returns allowed. Just solid play.

WRECK 'EM TECH

Keys to the Game - Texas A&M Edition

NM99 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:39:14 -0000

It's that time of year again. The wind starts blowing from the north, all of the ranchers make sure their sheep are pinned up, and the old army starts clambering for another new coach. The toy soldiers are coming to town. There was once a time when winning this game would ensure a Tech football coach another year on the job. Those days are gone, but that doesn't mean this game should be taken lightly. Our first week in the rankings this season, and you can be sure that most Aggies don't think we deserve it. Let's take a look at how we make sure to prove them wrong.

I have many Aggie friends, and they know I jest about sheep and toy soldiers. The coach thing is a fact of life in College Station, and you better have think skin if you're going to sign a contract to lead that team. They have a lot of pride at that school, a huge alumni base, and they still draw a lot of excellent players to their program. All reasons to make sure and ignore any recent history and prior games this season and remember that they do have guys who can make things happen. Here are my thoughts on what we do to keep them in check.

Offensive Keys

1) Continue the base play calling. We've seen the success that can happen when the Tech offense keeps it simple for the QB. Leach needs to continue with a steady diet of passes to the flat, designed runs, and play calls that allow Taylor Potts to go with his pre-snap read. Especially at the start of the game when he is seeing live action for the first time that he remembers since the Kindel hit. Now that our receivers and the O-line have worked out the wrinkles from the beginning of the year let's let these guys play together and see what can happen.

2) Keep Von Miller out of the backfield. Similar to last week, A&M has a guy on the defensive line that we need to game plan for. Though given the trouble we have had in previous games in protecting the QB from the edge, this may be a bigger challenge than containing the boy named Suh. Play calling (above) will help. If we can give him a reason to stay home instead of just making a b-line for Potts every snap, it will give our committee of OTs a chance to get in front of him.

3) No stupid penalties. This is a ~~rivalry~~ really important game to the Tech fans and players, but of marginal consequence to the aggies. If guys come in wound up too tight then false starts, late hits, extra-curricular activities after the play, and ramming the goal post into the stands might ensue. The next thing you know the aggies are fighting among themselves and there is laundry on the field. We have had two pretty clean games in a row in this department. This trend needs to continue. Play with intensity, but keep it under control.

Defensive Keys

1) Cover like a blanket. As already mentioned, Texas A&M has two quality receivers in WRs Nwachukwu and Tannehill. They also have a couple of qulity possession guys in WR Howard Morrow and TE Jamie McCoy. Each of these guys needs to be wearing a Red Raider DB as a shirt for 3 seconds after the snap. That will give our defensive front time to generate some pressure and Jerrod Johnson will get happy feet.

2) Watch for Johnson to tuck and run. Aggie QB Jerrod Johnson is a big guy (lists at 6-5, 243), and he is good for 10 carries a game, not counting sacks. When he opts to run, he generally picks up positive yards. Last week, Howard and Henley did a great job with containment. We need that effort again and we need some of the same from Sharpe, who pretty much just pinned his ears back and went for sacks the entire game against Nebraska.

3) No stupid penalties. See Above.

Special Teams

Ryan Erxleben saw way too much time last week. This week, I hope he's board. Corona has got to find some consistency in his kicking.

Who needs the corps?

GO TECH!

Keys to the Game, Revisited - Nebraska Edition

NM99 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:43:54 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

24 days ago: Texas Tech's Daniel Howard (53) scores a touchdown after he picked up a loose ball, as Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee (5), gives chase, in the first half of their NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009.(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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I don't need to say it, but this was a good win for Texas Tech, though it came differently than I would have thought. The defense carried the day for the Red Raiders, who were actually out gained offensively by Nebraska, though about half of NU's yardage came late in the 4th quarter. In my opinion, the way this game played out hinged on 3 plays in the first quarter: 1) Lyle Leong's acrobatic catch on 3rd and 13 followed by 2) A long completion to Detron Lewis on 3rd and 17 in the first series. 3) is obvious: the loose ball recovered for a Touchdown by Daniel Howard. These 3 plays allowed Tech to jump to an early 14 point lead, put Tech in control of the game, and once the momentum swung in Tech's favor, the Cornhuskers were not able to get it back.

It is interesting to me how many teams seem to get nervous when Tech scores on the first series of the game. Similar to KSU last week, Nebraska, a running team, tried to beat Tech through the air, and actually threw more passes than did the Red Raiders. Similar to last week, this was a function of Nebraska getting behind early and either the NU coaching staff or QB Lee feeling that they needed to push things to get back into the game. This played into Tech's hands defensively, set the tone for the rest of the game, and set the stage for Tech's success. Let's take a closer look.

Rewatching the game, it seemed to me that coaching - on both sides of the ball for Tech, and offensively for Nebraska had - had a larger bearing on the outcome of the game than did the performance of any individual or unit. The game play was far from perfect. The Tech offense clicked when Steven Sheffield was not forced to progress beyond his pre-snap read and the play call did not require the receivers to get deep.

On the designed plays to the flat, and throws to the sideline, Sheffield excelled. This is a function of the play call. Sheffield sees 1 on 1 coverage on the outside, knows his receiver is running an out route, it is a no-brainer spot throw. On the first TD throw to Baron Batch, the receivers on the left side drew the DBs across the field, leaving te LB 1 on 1 with Batch. Get the ball to him in stride and it's a race to the corner, which Batch won. In these plays, Sheffield is able to get the ball out and does not have to progress through his receivers.

Plays in which Sheffield held the ball longer than 3 seconds resulted in sacks (5 of them for 42 yards...almost 6 with the reversed intentional grounding call) and an apparent broken bone is his foot. Running backwards seems to be a skill taught in Pirate QB school. Leach himself commented that Sheffield should have gotten rid of the ball on several occasions. Much of the 3rd quarter was dominated by offensive ineptness (when is ineptness not offensive?) as the Cornhuskers made adjustments at halftime and switched to a nickle/dime defense and allowed their front 4 to control the line of scrimmage and get pressure. The bright side is that, despite pressure, there were no interceptions or fumbles, and Sheffield was able to extend a couple of plays by rolling out of the pocket, and even scrambled for 7 yards on one play.

Offensive Keys

1. Protect the rock. Pretty good job here. As I mentioned above, Sheffield did a good job of pulling the ball down when being sacked and not throwing picks under pressure. The tipped ball to himself by Leong (# 1 key play above) had me really nervous as there was a CB and a Safety on top of him, but he made a great play. +2 in turnovers this game brings us almost back to even for the year,

2. Make sure life ain't easy for a boy named Suh. Suh moved around a lot more in this game than I expected, and the NU front really abused the left side of our o-line. We did just enough on the quick plays to keep Suh and co. occupied for 3 seconds, but on any play that took longer to develop, he was in the backfield. Our running game was pretty much held in check.

3. Work the clock. I think this is one of the best games Tech has played with regards to clock management. In the first half, we ran the hurry up offense and kept Nebraska on their heels. We were content in the second half to use the entire play clock, use more slow developing plays, and not force things on 3rd down. I think this has much to do with trusting the punt. Baron Batch and Harrison Jeffers combined for 24 touches in limited ground action.

On defense, Tech was able to focus on pass rush once they realized that Nebraska was going to try and put the game on Lee's arm. Most of the Husker pass plays were deep routes, which allowed Brandon Sharpe to use his speed to get around the tackle and have a field day. When they were allowed to line up and drive block, the Nebraska offensive line pushed around the Tech front 4 like they were 90 lb weaklings. Fortunately, they can't pass block and the pass heavy game plan exposed them. I felt that if NU ever committed to the run during this game, they would have worn down the Tech defense and kept the game within reach. I also don't understand changing QB back and forth mid game. It just exudes lack of confidence and the players feed off of that. The combination of poor coaching by Nebraska (pass dominant game plan, switching QBs) and solid play calling by Tech defensively made Nebraska look a lot worse than they really are on offense.

Defensive Keys

1. Contain. Howard did an excellent job of containment and made several plays, including the TD, as a result. Sharpe was obviously not concerned about containment. I think this was the play call from Ruff, and it seemed to work out well. Though on runs to his side and on QB reads, Sharpe was burned several times for big gains. Why NU didn't take advantage of this more, I don't know.

2. Cover the tight ends. McNeill only had 2 catches on the day. The underneath routes seemed open to me for NU, but that was not the play Lee was looking for, so McNeill didn't get many opportunities.

3. Win first down. Another area where I felt Tech did a great job. I wonder if Ruffin either spent a lot of extra time in the film room or stole a copy of the Nebrasla playbook, because we seemed to know exactly what was coming and played it accordingly.

Special Teams

The punt team got a lot of work this week. There were a couple of uncharacteristic short punts by Ryan Erxleben. Carona put one out of the endzone, and pooched a couple. I guess the inconsistency keeps the other guys guessing, but I don't think that was the plan.

Proposition 4 = $$$ for Tier 1 status

NM99 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:42:01 -0000

Proposition 4 = $$$ for Tier 1 status

This is not a political blog, but on November 3rd a measure will be on the ballot with implications for Texas Tech. Proposition 4 will grant access to funds for research at emerging (not yet Tier 1) universities. Regardless of whether you are for or against it, get out and vote.

Keys to the Game - Nebraska Edition

NM99 — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:20:09 -0000

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For those who may have ~~repressed the memory of~~ forgotten the 2008 University of Nebraska @ Texas Tech game, here is a quick recap: Texas Tech scores first and leads the Corn Huskers at halftime 17-7. Nebraska's lone score of the half came on an 8 minute drive, and back-to-back holding penalties killed what looked to be another long scoring drive for NU, forcing a missed 53 yard field goal attempt.

Nebraska leads off the second half with 7 minute drive for a field goal, and Tech responds with a touchdown in 2 minutes. NU follows with another 7:37 drive and a TD. Tech: 2 minute drive, punt . Nebraska: 4 minutes, TD, Score is tied at 24. Tech, 3:45 drive, TD. NU 2:02 drive, TD. Tie game. Overtime.

Tech gets the ball first and scores a TD, but the extra point is blocked. Nebraska ball. Ganz throws an incomplete pass followed by an interception to Jamar Wall. Game Over. Tech 37, NU 31. Over 40 minutes TOP for NU resulted in 21 points in the 4th quarter against a tired Tech defense.

Last week, the Huskers score 28 4th quarter points to beat Mizzou, after being shut out for the first 3 quarters.

Last year, we played in the Jones. This weekend, we play in their house. Join me after the jump for this week's Keys to the Game.

There are several things to take away from these two games. 1) Nebraska will NOT give up and roll over. 2) As we have talked about all week, they will continue to hammer away with long drives until their opponent breaks. my impression is that the Nebraska offense is adequate, but not great, and that they have struggled a little against teams with a pulse. They have almost even play distribution (run vs. pass), though given the opportunity, they will run first if they can. And they play a little defense. So how does Tech take advantage of this situation?

Offensive Keys

1. Protect the rock. I am sure I am starting to sound like a broken record on this one, but it is for a different reason this week. The children of the corn are pretty good at forcing fumbles. This is not a team where we can afford to make mistakes and get bailed out by simply scoring faster than they do. Possessions will be limited. We have to make the most of each one. And we are still negative on the year in turnover margin.

2. Make sure life ain't easy for a boy named Suh. I started to try to incorporate as many Johnny Cash lyrics into this as possible, but time wasn't exactly draggin' on this week. Brandon Carter's draft position will either move into the first 3 rounds after this game, or he'll drop to the 6th. I think we'll be best served if we only double team Mr Suh on runs and let Carter work him in pass protection. If he can't give Sheffield 3 seconds by himself, his draft stock deserves to fall. If Byrnes/Keown are having to help out a lot for pass protection, look for Pelini to bring the blitz more.

the other man in black

3. Work the clock. We have the luxury of some depth at DT, and we know because of injuries that we can rotate guys around on the DL to provide depth at tackle. But I don't think this group can hang for 40 minutes. Certainly it will be on them to get some stops and get off the field, but answering a drive that takes half of the quarter (an eighth) with a 3 and out is a recipe for disaster. With the way our running backs have been playing, we should have some opportunities to put together some sustained drives of our own. We just need to make sure they continue to get at least 20 combined touches.

Defensive Keys

1. Contain. Lee can run the ball, and I expect Helu to play, despite rumors of a hurt shoulder. If his shoulder truly is hurt, up the middle is not where he is going to want to run the ball, so we need to watch for it to come outside. Stretch out the option and use the sideline. Don't let these guys get turned north and south.

2. Cover the tight ends. McNeill (not our DC) is big target and a touchdown machine. Helu catches quite a few passes, and they have a couple of solid WR's but Tech hasn't faced a good receiving TE this season. Bronte Bird matched up pretty well to Pettigrew is the OSU game last year. We need him to do the same against McNeill.

3. Win first down. As I said, Nebraska is a run-first kind of team. They are also very efficient in converting 3rd down. To get to 3rd and long, we need to win 1st down. We need our front 7 to limit the yards on first down carries to less than 3. Our tackles are doing a great job of keeping the LBs clean. If they continue to do this, we will be able to force Lee to throw the ball. Not that he can't, but it is not Nebraska's comfort zone and it gives us more opportunities to make plays on the ball and try to snag an interception or get a big hit from our DBs to knock one loose. Pasing downs also increase the likelihood of Ford being on the field, and this guy makes plays.

Special Teams

Change your latitude. Somebody besides Corona make a tackle.

Keys to the Game, Revisited - KSU Edition

NM99 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:51:22 -0000

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When you win a game by 52 points, it is hard to be critical of anything. Which is why I like to wait a couple of days before positing this article. It gives me time to digest the good and bad and make a more objective assessment of how Texas Tech performed.

In general, I think this was one of the better games that Tech has played. This is the first game this season in which we put together a complete 4 quarters of football. Not everything was perfect, but the guys seemed to be playing together as a team and to start to trust their abilities.

Before we all get ahead of ourselves, let's remember that this was K-State, not Alabama. We are starting to dial things in on offense, and this should serve as a big confidence booster going into the rest of conference play.

After watching the Texas game, I thought that this team had it in them, and they seemed to find it this week, what ever it is. Perhaps Steven Sheffield is the catalyst that this group needed. Though I think it is worth while to point out that the O-line did an excellent job of keeping his jersey clean. There were a number of plays where Sheffield had at least 8 seconds to find a receiver. Again part of this is due to the opponent, but it is also something that they should have been able to do against UNM and didn't. I think Matt Moore may have found his 5 guys that work together well and provide the best protection. If you are winning the battle in the trenches, you are probably going to win the game.

I have to admit that I started getting really nervous when, on the first drive we stalled on 2nd and short and decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from our own 38. But we did it right, bringing Jeffers in motion as we had done against U of H, theatening the end around, and forcing the KSU linebackers to not crowd the line. This allowed Sheffield to follow Brandon Carter and pick up the first down (Don't expect this to work this week against Suh and the Nebraska DL. If it's 4th and 1, we better punt or throw the quick slant to James.). After this near-miss, the offense quit sputtering and never looked back.

Defensively, we seemed to start a little slow as well. Luckily, though KSU was moving the ball well on their first drive, the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot with a hold and a false start that pushed them to 3rd and 16 and moved them out of field goal range. KSU's second drive didn't start out badly either, but a questionable play call, going deep on 3rd and 3 from your own 16 forced another punt. By the time they got the ball again, KSU was already down by 3 scores and had to shift their game to a more passing attack that did not fit their strengths. Read this carefully. The Tech defense got a lot of help, especially in the first series. Had KSU put even a field goal on the board, such that it was within 2 possessions, I think they would have stuck with grind it out tactics in hopes of wearing our defense down and coming back late. Bo Pelini knows this.

Offensive Keys

1. Avoid turnovers. Not bad. I can live with 1 INT a game, though it came on what Sheffield himself called a dumb decision. This will happen in your first game as the starting QB. Everyone else held on to the ball pretty well. I recall one drop by Leong on a deep pass that was just abouth perfectly placed, but other than that, pretty sure hands on the night.

2. Relax and play as a unit. As I alluded to above, the offense line finally seemed to get it together. I actually noticed them pointing to and calling out blocks on the line. Usually the center does this, but I noticed Brandon Carter taking the lead here. Maybe the suspension did him some good. Doing a little more to lead and playing with this kind of maturity rather than emotion and face paint is what will earn him a paycheck in the future.

3. Let Batch and Jeffers lead the charge. The first play of the game was a Baron Batch carry for 8 yards. This set the tone, and Batch managed to eek out a meager 86 yards on 9.6 yds/carry over the night, including a TD run. Even taking out his long run (33 yards) he still averaged over 6.5 yds/carry. What would normally be a good showing pales in comparison, as Harrison Jeffers only manged 7.9 yds/carry. Including receptions (our screen game looked good, too), these two combined for 200 yards on 25 touches. Yep. Your math is right. That's 8 yds/touch and was exactly what we needed from these two.

Defensive Keys

1. 3rd and long. After the first series, we were successful in this, in part because we knew they were passing and we were able to pin our ears back and bring pressure. Brandon Sharpe was playing like an MVP.

2. Stop the run. KSU actually had quite a bit of success on the ground, if you take out the sack yardage. Their running backs averaged 7.6 yds/carry, picked up 145 yards, and broke several long runs. Again, Tech dodged a bullet here in that KSU was forced to abandon their run game. I think the biggest issue here was losing containment. We did a decent job of stopping anything up the middle for short gains, save the first big run by Thomas. Our guys weren't used to anything that big running the football. Once they realized they couldn't arm tackle him, he was contained.

3. Contain Brandon Banks. 1 catch for 5 yards. I don't have anything else to say. I continue to be impressed by our young DB talent.

Special Teams

We kicked off 11 times, so obviously Kansas State got some return yards. The fact that Donnie Corona had 5 tackles should be concerning. I am certainly glad to have a physical kicker in the game who can make tackles, but the kicker is not the first guy down the field. We showed improvement, which is all I can really ask for, but we are not exactly pinning them deep following kick offs.

The story from this game is the offense. KSU is not stellar defensively, but we weren't making mistakes that killed drives, and when we did (offensive pass interference, illegal blocks) we came right back and made the next play. Sometimes, the best defense is a good offense...Is that kind of like sometimes a pirate can beat a soldier? Anyway, we were able to get KSU out of their game plan (or what I assume was their game plan) and control the game. Our defense isn't the best in the conference, but it is good enough to get at least one extra stop and break serve. It's who we are this year.

Keys to the Game - Kansas State Edition

NM99 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:00:17 -0000

Who are we?

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In many respects, I think this year's Texas Tech team is living in the shadow of the 2008 team. A lot of expectations, and everyone wants them to get it done in the same way. Call it the sophomore slump, the little brother syndrome, whatever. Until they find their identity and learn to be their own team, they will continue to live in the shadow of 2008.

Sometimes you have to tear things down to build them up again. The last couple of weeks have been about tearing down. Lets take a look at where the Red Raiders need to start to build, and where they just might find their identity.

I think that the root of everyone's frustration this year lies in the performance of the offense. For the past several years, Tech has lit up the scoreboard. This year, the offense has seemed anemic by comparison. The basis of Leach's offense is to take advantage of the space provided by the defense - get the ball in the hands of one of the skill players in space and let him make a play. In a sense, I think we departed from that a little last year because of the talents of a few individuals allowed Tech to be successful in a more traditional football way - by taking advantage of mismatches in talent and over-powering the other team.

The QB sneak is a perfect example of attempting to overpower the opponent. In theory, the offense, with the line in a traditional hand-on-the-ground stance, is able to take advantage of knowing when the ball will be snapped, gain leverage on the defense, and overpower the defense to move the ball. We do not practice overpowering anyone. We practice taking advantage of what is given. Finding the soft spot in the zone, taking advantage of man coverage on the outside, handing the ball off when the defense drops more than 4 men in coverage.

It is time to get back to the fundamentals of the system.

Offensive Keys

1. Avoid turnovers. They have plagued us so far this year. For the love of God, PLEASE hold onto the ball. We can't continue to beat ourselves. Enough said.

2. Relax and play as a unit. It would be really easy for this group to be distracted and uncomfortable together - new QB, Brandon Carter back in the line-up after a suspension, o-line struggling in general, and receivers struggling in their routes and catching the ball. It's the monkey on their backs, the effect of trying too hard and thinking too much, and one guy trying to do it all. Take some tips from Bull Durham if you have to - wear a garter and breath through your eyelids. Trust yourself and the guy next to you to do his job, and everything will be OK.

my left eyelid is jammed

3. Let Batch and Jeffers lead the charge. As I said in the review of last weeks game, our backfield is where the playmakers are this year. Take advantage of what they give you - check to Baron Batch in the run when the numbers are in our favor. Get the ball to Harrison Jeffers in space and let them make plays. If we rely on these guys to start making some plays, it will help relieve some of the pressure from everyone else and open up other things.

Defensive Keys

1. 3rd and long. Being a primarily a running team, I expect that we will see K-State in 3rd down situations many times on Saturday. They have one of the highest number of 3rd down conversion attempts in the country. They have converted 37%. Tech should be able to get some stops on 3rd down, especially if we can get to 3rd and 5 or more. A lot of 3rd and 2's, and this will turn into a slug-fest on the line, and our defense will be on the field for a long time. This was Nebraska's game plan last year, and we narrowly escaped.

2. Stop the run. Kansas State runs the ball as many times a game as Tech passes it. If we let them keep to their 4 yrd/carry average, they will do it all day and wear us down. 1st down will be especially key so that we can get to 3rd and long (see above). We have to stop the run and force them to pass the ball more. Our d-line has been pretty good so far against the run, but they haven't been tested like this. This game is one where the depth at DT will pay off.

Colby Whitlock - This is your chance

3. Contain Brandon Banks. K-State does not throw the ball much, by Big XII standards (15 receptions/game). But when they do, Banks is their #1 target. He accounts for 30% of their total receptions, yards, and averages more than 12.5 yds/reception. He is small and quick. Think Dexter McCluster of Ol' Miss from last year's Cotton Bowl and try not to have nightmares. KSU is not entirely one-dimensional in receiving, but we don't need to make it easy on them.

Special Teams

Again, coverage is going to be the key. The KSU offense is not terribly efficient yet, and we have the home field. If we force them to go the distance, our bend but don't break strategy will pay off because the Wildcats will stall. The secret lies in the first part: make them go the distance.

Keys to the Game, Revisited - UNM Edition

NM99 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:03:17 -0000

dazed and confused

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Dazed and confused. I'm pretty sure that's how Taylor Potts is feeling, and I can't help but feel the same way. The first time I watched that movie, was just after my Junior year in high school, and it was with a group of friends. We get to the end of the movie, the scene in which they are leaving the stadium and they get into the car to drive off, when one of the girls watching with me says, "When is the plot going to start?"

We all just looked at her as the credits start to roll. I have this strange feeling that I am the one asking, "When is Tech going to start playing up to their potential," and just as my friend was confused by the scattered nature of the movie, I have been confused/frustrated by the inconsistent way Tech has played to date.

I hate sounding like a sore winner, and I am really struggling to put together my thoughts on this one. During the game on Saturday, my wife (who went to North Texas for the music program) walked by and asked why I wasn't happy that they were winning. Usually a 20 point win would feel pretty good. But not this one.

I am not a fan of running up the score, but I am a fan of executing well. The fact that Tech was able to score 48 points, despite turning the ball over 5 times and punting 4 times, tells you something about the opponent. It also tells you something about our execution against said opponent. Just like previous games, we ran hot and cold.

After a couple of days to let the emotions subside, I am ready to take a look at how we did with relation to the Keys to the Game, as well as some other observations regarding Potts vs. Sheffield. Join me after the jump for more.

Apparently, I'm not even getting socks for Christmas - maybe dirty socks or a lump of coal. Or a lump of coal in a dirty sock. In a lot of ways, I feel like I am watching the football version of A Season on the Brink. There is a lot of potential on this team, but it is extremely rough right now, and still searching for an identity after last season. If I had to pick one word to describe how we played, it would be sloppy.

Offensive Keys to the Game

1. Sticky fingers. We still struggle hanging on to the ball and catching passes. Almost 1/3 of Tech's possessions ended in a turnover, although 3 of those were INTs. One dropped pass would have been another touchdown. This is a sore subject with me, so lest I start cursing, I'm moving on.

2. Protection from the edge. This is perhaps the area where we seem to be most hot and cold. We have downs where we are blowing holes in the defensive front, and providing an eternity for Potts/Sheffield to find the open man. Then we will take long stretches off. Certainly we miss Vazquez (who I completely underestimated), Reed, and Hamby. The left side of the 2008 Tech line was a brick wall. This year, Carter (who is an exceptional offensive guard, though he apparently needs to work on the offensive part of that) and Winn returned on the right, Byrnes at Center, and it looks like some combination of Edwards/Olson/McDaniel on the left. All of these guys have the ability to play some ball, yet we seem to be really struggling with sacks and pressure on the QB. Why?

Part of me thinks that, to a large extent, we are just coming back down to earth with regards to the performance of the O-line. We were more spoiled than we realized. Looking back, the number of sacks allowed last year was super human compared to the number of attempts: only 1 in 53 attempts in 2008.

The other part of me says that it takes two to tango. When the QB is stationary in the pocket, the defense does not have to worry about containment. They are able to focus on 1 thing: getting to the QB. Good timing on the snap, and it's off to the races. Suddenly, some of the advantage of the offense is taken away. A mobile QB helps to make the DEs contain first, working up the field before coming in, which can buy an extra second or two, not to mention any extra time bought by scrambling. But even with Sheffield in the game, there was still a lot of penetration.

Looking at their stat lines, I am not convinced that Steven Sheffield is any better or worse than Taylor Potts, though I will admit the game was much more exciting to watch with Sheffield in at QB. Both had 2 turnovers. Both threw the same number of passes, though Sheffield did complete a whopping 3 more passes. Potts was sacked 3 times, Sheffield 2. Both had stretches of bad play. So was the success that Sheffield started out with a function of his play, or the play calling? Does his running actually improve the chances of success, or is it just more exciting to watch as a fan? We'll never know, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I think that Potts's head hasn't been quite right since the Texas game. In this game he seemed to be keying on a single receiver. This was something that was a problem in the first game, but during the Rice and Texas games, he was doing a good job of looking the defense off.

3. Stretch the field. I have a hard time judging this one. Potts's first pass of the game had me licking my shops on this, but once Sheffield took over the helm, the game changed. He was much more willing to use the screen/shuffle pass. But I also thought that we changed our play calling a bit to take advantage of New Mexico playing overly aggressive on defense (by using the screen and shuffle pass). I am sure that Sheffield can make all of the throws, but compare his wide receiver screens to those of Potts: Potts's ball gets there on a rope, Sheffield throws a lob. This is significant because when Potts throws that ball, it is there fast enough that the defener has not had time to get there. For Sheffield, I fear a fast corner will blow it up. As long as Potts is out, I don't think we'll be throwing a lot of deep passes.

4. Keep the RBs involved. .The past two seasons, Texas Tech had a playmaker at wide receiver, before that Tech relied on a committee approach to moving the ball. This year, we have playmakers in the backfield. Though they didn't run the ball as much as I had hoped (8 rushes a piece), Harrison Jeffers did get 5 receptions and Baron Batch another 3. Combined 24 touches is not great, especially when this crew is making the most happen. I imagine we will see more of touches by these guys as we move forward. Batch was much more effective out of the backfield than Jeffers, who seems to excel in open space. I could see Jeffers turning into a Wes Welker type player - the kind of guy you want to get the ball to in space and on the move. That is where he is most dangerous and a big play threat. I like Batch hammering it between the tackles. Stephens was noticeably absent from the stat line, except for a return.

Defensive Keys to the game

1. Create turnovers. Thank you Jamar Wall. You heard me. That strip was beautiful. Now go teach everyone else to do the same.

2. A variety looks. The Joker made a lot of appearences in this game, but I there were a lot of situations (3rd and long) that McNeil typically likes to bring this in. Other than this, we mixed our base 4-3 and our nickel in fairly predictable manner. I am happy to see the nickel package rather than having our line backers cover receivers. We'll have to see what we do against a team with a tightend (K-State).

3. Involve the young guys. We saw a lot of the 2nd and 3rd string guys in this game, though part of that was from necessity. I really like Will Ford. He is going to be a playmaker for us on defense. It wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't start getting the majority of the snaps by the end of the season.

Special Teams

1. Better Kickoff coverage. UNM started 2 drives following kickoffs from beyond their own 25. That was my criterion. This is better than what we have seen, but it will not cut the mustard versus K-State, who has a really dangerous return man. Unless we figure out how to cover better or Corona starts putting it out the back of the end zone, K state is going to get a short field. Donnie better work on some tackling drills this week.

Keys to the Game - New Mexico Edition

NM99 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:06:29 -0000

All I want for Christmas

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I'm not sure this is "keys to the game" so much as "what I want to see" in the game. In a sense, I feel like the little kid telling Santa what I want for Christmas. I know Christmas is going to come (a win), I just hope to get the presents I want and not a bunch of socks. Useful, perhaps needed, but pedestrian and uninspiring.

In the first four games of the season we have not seen this Texas Tech team put all of the pieces of the puzzle together in a single game. Even the game versus Rice, in which Tech clearly dominated, the running game was absent and defensively we were fairly content to run our base defense and let the Owls beat themselves.

This week, coming off of 2 consecutive losses in winnable situations, and with the other distractions, it will take extra work and resolve to stay focused. Here are the things I would like to see this team accomplish in our final "tune-up" before we move into the rest of conference play.

Offensive Keys to the Game

I want a complete game on the offensive side of the ball. 200 yards on the ground and 400 yards in the air. I want Potts to improve his completion percentage from the low to mid 60's to 70%, and I want the yds/attempt up close to 8.5. Here's how:

1. Sticky fingers. Until we start doing it consistently, this will remain on my list. Hold on to the ball, and when it hits you in the hands, catch it. In our two losses, we have been negative in the turnover margin column. This has got to stop.

2. Protection from the edge. Last week, we started getting some pretty good push up front, opening up the running lanes (except for the play that shall not be named). However, we still struggled against quicker guys lined up at the DE slot. Stay alert and move your feet.

3. Stretch the field. A number of people have mentioned it, but Taylor Potts has the arm to push the ball vertically in the passing game. Let's see it happen in this game. Part of this starts with adequate protection so the deep play can develop. The other part is having the right guys on the route. Last week, Potts threw a great pass to Torres deep down the right sideline in 1-1 coverage. Unfortunately, Torres is not a guy with enough height to pluck the ball away from a defender or enough speed to create separation, and the pass was broken up. It was the right throw in the right situation, but to the wrong guy. I like Torres. He is a move the chains kind of guy. But he is not our home run guy. I want to see Potts his some guys deep and in-stride. We need to develop some big play potential.

4. Keep the RBs involved. As we have said, last week's running game was what we hoped to see this year. And Tech brought Harrison Jeffers in on a number of plays. jeffers was lined up as a receiver in several plays against Houston. I personally would like to see Jeffers get the ball on the Jail break and then see what he can do with it. I also want to see close to 30 carries shared among this group.

Defensive Keys to the game

What I really want is a shut out. Here's how I want us to get there.

1. Create turnovers. Part of the reason we have been negative in turnover margin is we are not creating many turnovers. Our soft coverage makes that difficult except when our safeties are able to jump a route. I want to see these guys make some plays on the ball. I also would like to see some attempts to strip the ball and/or knock it loose.

2. A variety looks. As quickly as it came, it went away. We played some of our best, most aggresive defense in several seasons against Texas two weeks ago. We changed up our looks, moved guys around, and brought pressure. Against Houston, it went away. I want more of the aggressive style we played against Texas. We have some tough games ahead, and we need some more live snaps using the more aggressive defense.

3. Involve the young guys. Our younger guys bring a lot of athleticism. They have been exciting to watch. This is a great game for their development, and I want to see them get some significant snaps.

Special Teams

1. Better Kickoff coverage. If New Mexico starts even one possession beyond their 25, I will be disappointed. Get down the field. Make the tackle. Don't over run the return man.

Keys to the Game, Revisited - UH Edition

NM99 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:50:25 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Still feeling the hangover

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The crowd was raucous from the beginning, and without a cell phone, I would have never found the tailgate party I was looking for - it was that crowded around the stadium. A great game atmosphere. I spent 8 years in Houston before moving to DFW. A coworker in my company's Houston office was able to purchase extra tickets as part of his season package to University of Houston games, which he offered to me before the season.

In talking with U of H fans before, during, and after the game, many thought they were over matched on Saturday. And with the exception of the guy who spilled his beer down my wife's back and one slightly obnoxious drunk guy in the row behind us, they were a hospitable crowd. Tip 'o the hat to the U of H fans for being gracious hosts, and kudos to their team for never giving up despite trailing most of the game. This is the reason why we watch college football.

I will never understand why cougars only have 3 fingers.

After losing for the second week in a row, my newest black Texas Tech T-shirt is officially retired from game day wear. Perhaps for this and myriad other reasons, this was a game about missed opportunity. As I sat in the stands Saturday, sweating (literally) out the last few minutes of the game, I couldn't help but think that, should Houston score, we didn't have the play makers for a last second comeback. But this game did not come down to one play or one series. Though we were up at the half, the signs of the bad loss (this one definitely qualifies) littered Tech's play throughout the game. Here are my thoughts on the game as seen from the stands and a look at the Keys to the Game from last week.

I don't know how it was on TV, but watching the game in person was agonizingly frustrating. I had great seats for viewing the game (50 yard line, about a third of the way up). Which is good because in the rush to get down to Houston last week, I forgot to set my DVR. This may be a blessing in disguise, as I'm not sure I could stomach watching that game again.

On offense we did not capitalize on opportunities provided by key stops by the defense, missed field goals and penalties against U of H that kept us alive and in striking distance. For the second game in a row, Edward Britton made his presence known through a personal foul after the play. It occurred on the far side of the field from me, so I couldn't see what happened, but anything that happens after the play is absolutely, 100% uncalled for. I think this is why Britton became the decoy for the rest of the night and never saw Taylor Potts look his direction. Some additional disciplinary action is in order, IMO.

On defense, we seemed out of sorts. The Cougars game play was to run a hurry-up offense. At one point it seemed they were getting plays off every 15-20 seconds. Our defense was caught several times not lined up and out of position, or still trying to make substitutions. I asked Ruff to prove me wrong this week, but I came away disappointed in our scheme and play calling. Continually trying to substitute against the hurry-up offense was unnecessary. The epic TV timeouts and moving of the chains allowed a substitution relatively frequently. I do not understand trying to substitute on 2nd and 3rd down when we are not changing the scheme (e.g. changing from 4-3 to nickle) when in 1 or 2 plays they would either be moving the chains or punting. Were it not for some phenomenal efforts by guys like Colby Whitlock (I swear he single-handedly stopped a play in which NO ONE else was lined up when Houston snapped the ball), Tech would have been in a huge hole.

Offensive Keys

Key #1 - Hold on to the ball. -1 turnover margin. Again. And yet again, this is good for a seven point swing. 2 fumbles lost - one on the first series of the game, and had it not been for a hands to the face penalty (that I missed), there would have been an INT as well. Not to mention at least one other dropped interception and a fumble that we recovered ourselves. We definitely missed on this one again. Eric Stephens fumble was the result of the risk you take in continuing to go hard after the first hit. Sometimes, you break free or pick up a few extra yards. Sometimes you get stripped of the ball as multiple defenders start trying to bring you down. I'll take the effort. As he gains experience at this level, he'll learn to protect the ball more when he is in trouble. The first fumble was a group effort - poor protection by the line, who seemed to still be asleep, and Taylor Potts's statuesque form in the pocket. I am glad he is showing patience and trust in his o-line, but it is OK to step up in the pocket and scramble to buy time on occasion. The offensive line continues to struggle against pressure on the edge.

Key #2 - Run. The. Ball. Our running game seemed to find it's legs in this game. With the exception of the goal line stand in the 4th, U of H had nothing to contain Baron Batch, Eric Stephens and Harrison Jeffers, who had 28 combined touches and averaged 6.8 yds/carry. How could is 6.8 yds/carry? Consider that the passing game only netted 7.1 yds/attempt. I like that the staff is getting Jeffers involved. We need to get our best athletes on the field and making plays in any way we can. I understand not lining him up in the backfield alot when we need pass protection, but the reverse option with Jeffers in motion set up least 3 different plays (hand off to Jeffers, Hand off to Batch/Stephens, play action pass) that keeps the defense frozen and could open up some big play opportunities. i was very pleased with our running effort and don't fault Leach for going for the TD. The U of H defensive front was whipped by that point. A TD would have sealed the game and stolen all momentum. Give credit where it's due - U of H made a gutsy stop on defense. I also expect that we witnessed the death of the jumbo set for this season. It has not been effective for us.

Key #3 - No time off. After the first series, the line seemed to wake up and we had some decent run blocking, though as we know U of H is not the strongest team against the run. The success of the second series seemed to lull the offense back to sleep, as we allowed a sack/intentional grounding in the third series. We had a number of dropped passes (starting in the 4th series), and a couple of plays where Potts threw the ball away and for the first time I saw him visabley frustrated. It seemed as if the receivers just didn't want to make the play or were thinking about the run instead of catching the ball first. I actually commented at one point that they were playing as if the ball was wet. The offense still lacks cohesion. I hope that the events of this week and what should be an easy home game will help things to gel, but I am skeptical.

Defense

Key #1 - Limit YAC. Houston had 4 receivers who averaged over 10 yards a catch and each of them caught at least 8 passes. Tyrone Carrier was continually open over the middle and had lots of running room. We continued to play very soft at corner most of the game. Cody Davis had what would have been a great break-up, but a penalty against U of H made it moot. Unfortunately, that was the only one of note, but it is good to see the athleticism in the secondary start to come through. The only reason Keenum managed to complete only 65% was a number of drops and some overthrown balls to wide open receivers. We continued to play soft coverage, even when we desparately needed a stop at the ed of the game, and U of H took advantage.

Key #2 - Force Case Keenum to hold the ball more than 3 seconds. When this happened, Houston floundered. It was not until late in the game that Keenum was able to do any damage with his feet. In generaly, though, Keenum had no trouble finding the open man. Again, very disappointing. See soft coverage above.

Key #3 - Avoid the let down. From the player's perspective, i think Tech did a good job of this until U of H's last drive. Will Ford had a nice pick in which he ripped the ball from the receiver on the ensuing drive after Tech failed to convert the 4th and 1 into a TD, with Houston marching down the field. 4 plays later, in which we failed to run the ball despite our success earlier in the game, the defense was back out on the field and Houston methodically moved the ball 95 yards down the field, with the help of 2 3rd down conversions and a 4th down conversion. Throughout the game, I thought we were ~~hamstrung a bit~~ trying to give the game to them by poor substitution and vanilla defense. For the most part, the players showed a will to win and played hard. I really like this group. McNeill needs to show some trust and unleash them to make plays.

Special Teams

Make them drive the field. This one was 50/50. Our punt coverage was great. Our kick-off coverage stinks worse than the Lubbock stock yards on a hot summer day. Seriously. I also want to give some props to Austin Zouzalik for dropping the hammer in blocking for Stephens on kick returns. Stephens gets the glory, but Zouzalik deserves a ton of credit for allowing him to get past the first man repeatedly.

Overall, the running game was the bright spot and gives me hope going forward. It seems that this is still a team trying to find itself and establish roles. Over the next couple of weeks, I expect that the playmakers will start to emerge and things will start to fall into place. I am not ready to start talking about "next year" yet.