Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 09.30.09

  The Texas State Fair:  The Fair was great, but as my wife and I contemplated the fried butter, we both decided that ingesting a heart attack was not a good plan of attack, however, I did pick up over 2,000 to-go orders, just come by the house and I'll get you yours.

  Mitchem Back, Right Guard Options:  LAJ's Don Williams is reporting that SS Franklin Mitchem is back practicing . . . Williams takes a look at the options at right guard as for the time being, Brandon Carter is suspended indefinitely, and it looks like it will be Lonnie Edwards or Mickey Okafor, but Chris Olson will be the swing player:

If Edwards starts this week, it will be at his usual left guard spot and Chris Olson will play right guard. If Okafor is in the starting lineup, it will be at his usual right guard position, and Olson will open at left guard.

  Batch Brings Back Running Game:  LAJ's Don Williams features RB Baron Batch, who helped the running game get back on track:

"I think it was kind of just our tempo,’’ Batch said. "Everything started to click. I knew eventually it would. A lot of people have been doubting our ability to run the ball. It was never that. It was just everybody getting on the same page. (Saturday night) we clicked, and everybody did get on the same page.’’

Captain Mike Leach also commented that Batch simplified things:

"Baron spent a certain amount of time worrying about splitting atoms rather than doing what running backs do, which is hit the hole and run hard,’’ Leach said of the first three games. "He is really a driven guy, a real committed guy, and I think a combination of trying to be too perfect and worrying about making mistakes and a whole bunch of little collateral issues … he doesn’t need to worry about that.

"He had a couple of plays (Saturday) where he didn’t necessarily go to the right place, but just did it with such a tempo and intensity that it took care of itself.’’

  Freshman Making an Impact:  DT's Adam Coleman writes that the freshmen who are getting playing time are making an impact.  CB Jamar Wall talks about CB D.J. Johnson and SS Will Ford:

"They played great with open ears and open eyes all practice, ready to go," Tech cornerback Jamar Wall said. "They have great confidence and that’s one thing you need is confidence like no one can outplay you and that’s what they’ve been doing. D.J. got in there against Texas and got an interception. Will got in again last Saturday and got him one. They are playing great and you could not ask for anymore from true freshmen except to keep going and to get better every week."

And Leach talks defense (?):

"I think Will is an incredibly confident guy and, as a result, plays well," Leach said. "I think, with young players especially, confidence is the biggest thing and Will possesses it naturally. Johnson really had some flashes in fall camp and then he would cool off a little bit, but I thought he really played well and is on the threshold of doing some good things."

  New Mexico Lobo Links:  Locksley and the Lobos move past the head coach punching an assistant coach . . . the Lobos are fumbling off the field . . .

  Texas Tech and Big 12 Links:  Corn Nation has nominated Mike Leach for the Cob of the Week . . . DMN's Kevin Sherrington tries to make the Twitter-ban a First Amendment issue, and although I haven't had Constitutional Law in over 10 years, this doesn't seem like a First Amendment issue and the players still have a right to tweet, but they can't be on the football team (I need a lawyer who knows what they're talking about here to comment on this) . . . Barking Carnival on why the Big 12 television contract stinks . . .

  Football 101:  MGoBlog's Brian Cook with some frequently asked questions about football terms . . . SmartFootball's Chris Brown with Nick Saban on how to play pass coverage . . .

  Neglected Video:  NewsChannel 11's Pete Christy talks with Mike Leach (this is good stuff and Leach talks quite a bit about whether or not he would go for it on 4th down in a similar situation) and it's after the jump because the video wouldn't fit otherwise . . .