Texas Tech (28-24, 6-15) vs. Kansas St. (24-28, 5-16)
Official Site Notes: Here
Location: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park | Lubbock, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield
LF - Brennan Moore | CF - Barrett Barnes | RF - Jordan Lopez
Infield
SS - Tim Proudfoot | 2ND - Jamodrick McGruder
3RD - Reid Redman | 1ST - Stephen Hagen
C - Bo Altobelli
DH - Scott LeJeune

*Click on the score for the boxscore..

TEXAS TECH VS KANSAS ST. BASEBALL THOUGHTS

This is an incredibly important series and if you haven't been reading LAJ's George Watson this week, you've missed out on quite a bit. First and foremost, the reason why this is a significant series is because if Texas Tech can win two of three, then Texas Tech will be in the Big 12 Tournament:

The simplest plan for the Red Raiders to qualify for the tournament would be to take two of three from Kansas State this weekend. That would assure Tech no worse than the eighth seed in the tournament, and at least one loss by Kansas in that scenario would give the Red Raiders the seventh seed.

Essentially, win two or go home.

Watson also previewed the Wildcats and what it means for Red Raider 3B Reid Redman returning to the lineup after being out with an injury. Also, Watson talked with head coach Dan Spencer about the direction of the program and Spencer knows that he is being evaluated and believes the program is in better shape than when he arrived:

“You need do that and need to understand that it’s a business,” Spencer said in an interview as the team took this past weekend off for final exams.

“We try to preach that to these guys, because this is part of their job, the other part going to school, and they’re being be evaluated every day. I don’t consider myself any different than that. I should be evaluated every day.”

Snip.

“I think if you look at the body of work since we’ve been here, I wouldn’t give myself an A because I thought we would be ahead of where we are,” Spencer said. “But I would say from what we’ve done the program is in good shape, and is in better shape than when got here.”

Spencer is at the very least very honest about his performance and I know that this isn't easy for him to see the team perform the way that it has this year. I'm sure he had high hopes as did the team. Let's get two wins this weekend and go from there.

"Five" is a series of five things, players, thoughts or whatever I think will fill a post.

I thought about doing a post about the offensive commits that must play and produce next year, but other than LT Rashad Fortenberry, WR Javon Bell and IR Sadale Foster, I don't want any redshirts removed from the freshmen offensive players and that's only three players, so that doesn't equal five. You could also add Anthony Smith, J.J. Loller and Michael Starts into this conversation, but true freshmen that make a significant impact is a rare occurrence. Newbold makes my list and would understand why Smith, Loller and Starts might make your list.

1. Will Smith (6-3/220) | This is sort of a "duh" type of thought that Smith has to be a huge player for this team next year. Smith's emergence during the spring practice and it's evident that he's absolutely going to have to be an anchor to this defense. In the limited time that I saw Smith during the spring game, he was impressive. He's a three down linebacker. He's capable of blitzing the quarterback, he's capable of going down the line of scrimmage, he's capable of dropping into coverage and he's capable of delivering big hits. I think a lot of us are probably thinking that Smith is going to be a star and in order for this defense to improve, he has to be leader on this team.

2. Lee Adams (6-3/265) | I'm not real thrilled about the defensive line depth and the reason why Smith is one the team is because I believe the staff went to visit Adams and ended up finding Smith while there. Adams seemed a bit dinged up part of the spring and so we really didn't get to see him during the spring game. I can't help but think that the fact that Adams has earned two Division I scholarships, his first with Arizona St. and his second with Texas Tech that he can actually play. Of course I was somewhat lured into this thought last year with Leon Mackey's arrival, that he would contribute heavily, and that was a disappointment. I'm going to try not to get sucked in again, but Texas Tech could really use Adams size and strength. In watching his film, Adams displayed a nice ability to get off the edge and get to the passer. My biggest problem is that there wasn't much written about Adams during the spring, although I do recall he had a nagging injury at the end of spring practices.

3. Bruce Jones (5-9/175) | There's a question as to whether or not Jones will qualify, but I'm thinking we'll find out soon enough with summer classes starting soon. Either way, I really feel the same about Jones as I do Falemi, which is that I know that the JUCO competition doesn't always translate to FBS competition and there are some inherent risks with that the player may not succeed. Jones had one other offer, from New Mexico St. That's it. The only reason Jones signed is because they believed he could play. I haven't seen a highlight film that looked really awful. Jones' film looks good. He looks like a smallish cornerback that has the quickness to stay in front of receivers and make some plays on the ball.

4. La'Darius Newbold (6-0/180) | There's always something to worry about witha football team and I'm concerned about the defensive depth chart as all of the secondary starters are seniors. I don't know if it's going to be Olaoluwa Falemi, Jones, Thierry Nguema, Jeremy Reynolds, Jarvis Phillips, or Newbold, but there's going to be an open cornerback spot next year and someone is going to have a huge opportunity to see some significant time this year. Newbold offers the best pedigree of any of the options and he's most likely the most accomplished of the players. The toughest thing about a freshman making an impact is that it is incredibly difficult no matter the position and I think that second to quarterback, cornerback is the toughest position to master. Newbold will have a bit of an up-hill climb to be a player next year, but it sure would be nice to have a freshman who looks and plays the part and would be able to anchor a cornerback spot for the next three years.

5. Austin Stewart (6-2/200) | The reason to play Stewart this year is so that this team has players that have seen snaps next year. As mentioned above, the entire starting secondary graduates this year, which means that if these senior starters receive a majority of the time this year, next year's group will be woefully inexperienced. And I think that Texas Tech wants to find safeties that can range a bit more range than what Cody Davis and D.J. Johnson offer as Stewart and Tre Porter are backing up both of those players. The good thing is that Stewart was already on campus for the spring, so he has a leg up on the competition, the bad thing is that he's already been hit by a bus.

ODDS AND ENDS | From Totally Texas Tech, photos from yesterday during the day and during the evening.

This is very much off-topic, but an interview/profile from GQ with Justin Bieber.

GOLF | The men start their NCAA regional in Greensboro today. Good luck!

BASEBALL | LAJ's George Watson looks at the return of 3B Reid Redman.

MEN'S BASKETBALL | Yesterday, PG Kevin Wagner announced that he was transferring to McClennan Community College next year. That should be the last transfer. LAJ's Nick Kosmider has a story on Wagner's transfer.

A week or two ago, the entire men's basketball team gathered together to take part in the walk to fight Multiple Sclerosis. If you watch the video, you'll know that the team got together to support SF Jaron Nash, who's father has MS.

FOOTBALL | LAJ's Don Williams has a story on the two commits from yesterday, CB Darren Dotson (6-1/195) and S/CB Stormy Butler (6-1/195), both from the College of Sequoias and will have three years to play two (i.e. they both have a redshirt available). Here is their head coach on each player:

"Darren’s got four different press techniques, and he’s a very good cover corner," Zepeda said. "He’s a 4.5 runner, so he’s got some solid speed.

"Stormy’s a physical safety. I can put him in the box and also can put him on a No. 2 receiver, an inside receiver, because he can cover very well for a safety. Both kids are very smart. They have high football IQs."

I hope to have profiles up as soon as possible.

Yesterday, RRS.com's Mike Graham ($) reported that there is a defensive tackle that may be part of the 2012 class, which means he would be on campus this summer or in the fall. In a previous snippet from Graham's article, it mentioned that the college was Blinn Community College, so I did a quick search in the Rivals database for players that are playing at Blinn and the only defensive tackle listed is Stuart Mouchantaf (6-4/290). This is Mouchantaf's high school Rivals profile and his Rivals JUCO profile for comparison purposes. Mouchantaf had 37 tackles last year in 10 games with 5 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. I think that Mouchantaf's issues coming out of high school was that he was just looked over after moving late in his high school career.

LAJ's Don Williams also reports from the UIL Track and Field State Championships and you get updates on Reginald Davis, Dominique Wheeler and Kennan Ward.

In College Football Relegation Week, SB Nation's Jason Kirk has a fantastic look at how the system would work and Our Daily Bears (SBN's new Baylor blog) looks at relegation in the Big 12.

I've decided to break these up a bit, from those offers where I think there is a realistic opportunity for the player to accept an offer and then those that I think that there's really not much chance at all. And when I say realistic, I'm not intending to mean that a commitment is likely, but rather that I think that Texas Tech has a good opportunity to maybe snag a commitment. Keep in mind that Texas Tech already has commitments from two highly regarded players in WR Dylan Cantrell and WR Devin Lauderdale. Lauderdale is thought of a 4-star player and I think that Cantrell is close to a 4-star player.

As you'll see on the right, I'll try to keep track of recruiting and the various offers that are given, although I expect that this is going to change significantly once the summer camps happen in early June. And just to catch everyone up, Texas Tech will hold camps in the Houston and Dallas areas in June and you would expect that Texas Tech is waiting to hand out more offers once the staff may have had an opportunity to see these players close-up.

As stated before, all of the information was obtained utilizing free services, including 247 Sports, Scout and ESPN. I am not including guys that have already committed to other schools. I tend to think of those as the rare occurrences rather than something that is realistic. I don't have a subscription and a lot of my opinions on whether or not I think a commit is realistic is based on 247 Sports and how they designate the players' interests in the various schools.

Note: Eldridge Massington recently committed to USC, Stanvon Taylor committed to Oklahoma and had offers from Texas Tech, and are not included in this list.

Offered and Realistic Commit

Ra'Shaad Samples (5-11/170) Skyline (Dallas, TX)

Pros: Even if given a 10 yard cushion, Samples routinely out-runs opposing defenders. Due to that cushion, shows the ability to work the intermediate routes. Displays good hands and catches the ball in stride. Makes Devante Kincade better and I'd also bet that Kincade makes Samples better as well. Would love to have this quarterback-receiver combo.

Cons: Might not have the size to be a dominating receiver on the outside and may be better suited to a slot position.

Continue reading this post »

ODDS AND ENDS | USA Today released the finances for all public athletic universities (does not include private schools and maybe military academies). Texas Tech is still on the positive side of the ledger, so that's good. You could spend a few hours there.

An elephant with a prosthetic leg ? Sure, why not.

CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT | Frank the Tank writes that Florida St. to the Big 12 is penny wise and pound foolish. SB Nation's Jason Kirk looks at what we can learn from soccer relegation and applying it to college football as does Barking Carnival.

TENNIS | Congrats to women's head coach Todd Petty who was named regional coach of the year and Samantha Adams who was named as the regional player to watch by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and additional congrats to men's head coach Tim Siegel who was named the ITA Texas Region Coach of the Year, assistant coach Marcelo Ferreira was named the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year, Gonzalo Escobar was awarded the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award and the ITA/Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award!

SOFTBALL | Congrats to those players honored with All Big 12 awards, including Mikey Kenney being named for the first team and Emily Bledsoe, Sandy James, and Adriana Perez being named to the second team!

BASEBALL | Too many players to list, but congrats to the 11 players awarded Academic All-Big 12 Selections!

LAJ's George Watson previews Kansas St. and notes that lack of senior leadership and inconsistent pitching have hurt the Wildcats.

FOOTBALL | Head coach Tommy Tuberville was on ESPN Austin yesterday morning. You can find the audio by going to that link and looking for the audio on 5/15/12. It was a good listen and is too lengthy for me to summarize, but says that he would love to have Florida St. in the Big 12, admits again that the defense was just awful, and that CB Cornelius Douglas and WR Eric Ward are two players that he expects to have a significant impact next year.

LAJ's Don Williams has his story on Gabe Rivera being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. I go back to the stats listed yesterday, 321 tackles over a four year career is ridiculous to think about and is simply amazing from a defensive lineman.

Congrats to former Texas Tech Red Raider Gabe Rivera for being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (via @BlayneBeal). Rivera was an All-American at Texas Tech, was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Honor in 1993 and was added to the College Football Hall of Fame ballot in 2008:

Rivera is noted as being the most accomplished defensive lineman in Texas Tech history and was the leading tackler among Tech's down linemen for four straight years, averaging 80 tackles per season. The 1982 Associated Press First Team All-American still holds the school record for single-season tackles by a defensive lineman with 105. In his career at Tech, he totaled 321 tackles. Rivera was drafted in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I was going to try to summarize Rivera's career, but that could have taken some time. Rivera's career was cut short half way through his rookie NFL season by a car accident caused by Rivera drinking and driving, leaving Rivera a paraplegic. Rivera has not let that hold him back:

“Gabe is an inspiration,” Eddie Canales said. “To be able get through this – and there are a lot of ups and downs with this type of injury – and staying involved is extremely important. Helping in the community and helping others with similar injuries is an inspiration because you’re doing your part, even though you have your own obstacles every day.”

On the field, Rivera could be a one-man wrecking ball. Watch for #69 in the video below:

Congrats to Rivera, what an incredible honor!

[Note by Seth C, 05/15/12 11:54 AM CDT ] The official site has a post, including quotes from President Guy Bailey and Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt:

"The National Football Foundation has recognized one of the greatest Texas Tech players to wear the Double T in Gabe Rivera," Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt noted. "His impact on our football program was tremendous and his legacy at Texas Tech will be forever. We are grateful that his career has been recognized at the national level with induction into college football's most exclusive fraternity."