Red Raider Gridiron | Barbee Out, Practices Now Closed

Practice Reports:  I'm going to try to compile all of the various practice reports into one spot.  First go to the official site for a short report (and photos!).  There was also some post-practice video, which you should watch if you want all of the quotes that the newspapers use in their articles.  Also, the post-practice video highlights the punters, Ryan Erxleben and Jonathan LaCour.  I hope the official site keeps up the good work.

LAJ's Don Williams notes that senior DT Britton Barbee is out for the season with a torn ACL Achilles tendon.  I feel awful for Barbee as he had worked his way up the depth chart, right behind Colby Whitlock, and now he won't be able to play his senior year.  Think a good thought for Britton . . . also on the injury front head coach Tommy Tuberville said that DE Kerry Hyder twisted his knee yesterday.  Hyder was on top of the depth chart at defensive end at the end of the spring, hopefully this isn't a big deal . . . Williams reports that IR Detron Lewis was the quarterback in a "Wildcat" formation:

"We’ll go into some games and might have something like that, depending on who we want to run it," Tuberville said. "But our running backs are too good to get in too much of that.

"I think it’s good. It’s more of a trick deal than it is playing football. I don’t mind doing it — it’s kind of like running a reverse. But we won’t practice it very often, and we won’t run too much of it."

. . . LB Tahrick Peak's big brother, Nubian Peak, made if official yesterday as he arrived in Lubbock and signed his financial aid agreement, making it double-official, and he's being listed as a defensive back on the official roster.  I haven't had the time to do a ROTHP on Nubian, but I did a little something:

Nubian Peak
Position: CB
Video: Clip 1 : Clip 2
Rivals Profile 5.5
Scout Profile
ESPN Profile 77
Ht: 5'11"
Wt: 185 lbs
Forty: 4.40
High School: Pulaski County (Dublin, VA)

. . . Nubian talked with the Roanoke Times and he feels like he should be playing immediately (although he'll have to sit out a year to play at Texas Tech due to transfer rules):

"If you've got a guy who runs a 4.2 [for 40 yards], a guy who tied Michael Vick's record when he got to camp, why wouldn't you have him out there on the field?" Peak asked. "I feel, with my ability, I shouldn't have to wait."

. . . I briefly read the comments at the LAJ and if you want to read comments on a 2nd grade level, then these are comments for you.  The LAJ needs a moderator in a bad way . . .

RP.com's Travis Cram has a similar practice report that mainly focuses on the fact that practices are going to be closed.  Here's Tuberville:

"We have problems with space," Tuberville said. "Obviously if we kept it in the stadium we could get everybody in there. But you also want to use the element of surprise. This is our first year but we want to give ourselves a chance to have that element of surprise.

"A lot of times, it gets a little overblown but a lot of this is for our players’ concentration. This is probably the first time I’ve ever closed it this early, but it’s probably better because of all the young guys we’ve got."

"My parents went to Tech. I grew up watching Tech. That’s just where I wanted to go,’’ said Richards, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound freshman defensive end from Southlake Carroll. "There was never a choice, honestly. Not because of them, just for myself.

"I knew where I wanted to go.’’

And Tuberville talks about what Richards brings to the table:

"He’s got good explosion,’’ Tuberville said. "The one thing he’s got to learn, obviously, is pass-rush technique. Instead of just bull-rushing and running up the field, he’s got to play with more technique. But the upside on him is very good.’’

Watching the Cowboys:  DMN's Mike Graham writes that a few of the players were watching Sunday night's Cowboys vs. Bengals game and LB Brian Duncan said that he was happy for his former teammates:

"We were actually just watching it going in and camp (Sunday) night, going in-and-out of the locker room," senior linebacker Brian Duncan said after Monday's practice. "Somebody in the locker room just started yelling 'B Sharpe just scored a touchdown! B Sharpe just scored a touchdown!'

"It's just amazing being able to play with those guys and seeing what (Williams) did here and taking it to the next level. I just can't wait to get there and play with him on his side, or maybe play against him. But it's going to be great and those guys are doing great."

Miscellaneous:  National Football Post's Dave Miller breaks down the Big 12 receivers . . . ESPN's David Ubben writes that Texas Tech, Missouri and Texas A&M have a responsibility to be better to improve the conference . . . KUSports Jesse Newell writes about how Texas Tech is preparing for life after Leach . . .

Video after the jump.

Video:  KAMC's David Collier with yesterday's practice report and the embeddable practice report from Fox34: