Post Game Thoughts | Texas Tech Red Raiders 52, New Mexico Lobos 17
by Seth C on Sep 12, 2010 9:54 AM CDT
in Texas Tech Football
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THE RESULT | GETTING BETTER | Hey, it's the glass half-full-guy here. I know, you're probably getting tired of me being so positive when it would be so easy not to be. Too bad. Was it perfect? Heck no. Few teamsplay perfect games, especially this early in the season. Did the offense struggle at times? Yes, the offense did not score a touchdown on every possession. Did the defense struggle at times? Yes, the defense did not force negative points against New Mexico, which would have been an NCAA first. What Texas Tech did do is win convincingly. Football games aren't always pretty, but college football games never are. Ask Virginia Tech if they would have rather won 52-17 with all of the "flaws" on offense and defense. Perhaps this is why I love college football so much, is that it will never be perfect because the players themselves aren't perfect. If you're looking for perfect football, then perhaps you're watching the wrong sport.
Before we get to the storylines and MVP's, a quick shout-out to oldschoolraider and PlanoJeff, who met me at 2 Brother's in Plano to watch the game. The best part about how DTN has grown is that I'm getting to meet more and more people, and that's a good thing.
Storylines and MVP's after the jump.
THE STORYLINES |
THE WHITE HELMETS | If I'm behing honest, the white helmets don't bother me. Texas Tech has had a history of white helmets (one of my better posts and for the record, I'm all about a red helmet, but I'm in the minority I think), but I don't people telling me one thing and then doing another. I feel like that's what Tuberville did here:
"I’m a traditionalist," Tuberville said. "We’re going to where black helmets. But it’s awfully hot out here. Anything that can help get these guys heads cooler, that’s what it really is. I think the players are excited about wearing them out here. But the week of the first game we’ll get the black ones out and start wearing those. (The white ones) are more of our practice helmets and they do get beat up pretty good. When we walk out onto the field I hope we play sharp because we’re going to look pretty sharp."
He does leave himself some wiggle-room by saying that the white helmets are more of practice helmets, but I still don't like it. For those of you who haven't seen the white helmets, here's a LAJ photo album. Maybe he doesn't have control over what's being worn, I don't know, but if I had to guess, I'm thinking he does. Although I'll probably never get it, I'd love to hear an explanation.
HOW EFFICIENT IS THAT PASSING OFFENSE? | Walking away from the game, I couldn't help but think that the offense wasn't just that efficient. Taking a look at the drive summary there were 14 offensive possessions. The offense scored on 8 of those possessions. Of the 6 possessions where Texas Tech didn't score, 2 of them were at the end of the game where QB Steven Sheffield was in the game and went for it on 4th down deep in New Mexico territory (this was the drive where there were three incomplete passes for WR Eric Ward -- need to work on catching those footballs) and the last drive time ran out. So, Sheffield scored on 1 of 3 drives and Potts led the offense to 7 of 11 scoring drives. Looking at it that way, it doesn't seem all that bad. Despite this thought, I still think the offense was a bit uneven.
QB Taylor Potts completed only 56% of his passes (24/41) and had 7.6 yards per attempt (not bad by a spread offense standard, but not great either). I was looking at overall numbers, not Potts' numbers. He went 22/34 for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns for a 8.6 yards per attempt. That's actually pretty good. Potts didn't throw any interceptions, but he certainly could have in a couple of opportunities where Potts continues to try to force the ball into double and triple coverage. I don't know if this is Potts' bravado, thinking that he's more than capable of being able to fit the ball into a tight space, but he's not there yet. Not only that, I wrote down last night that there were 3 passes in a row where Potts threw behind his receiver.
Potts did some good things and we saw what having a healthy and 15 pounds heavier (?) IR Austin Zouzalik. Sure it was just one catch (55 yards), but son of a gun, he got out there and out-ran some folks. There really wasn't just one player that Potts focused on as there wasn't one player that had more than 5 receiptions. Lyle Leong and Jacoby Franks each had 5 receptions while Detron Lewis had 3, while Tramain Swindall, Darrin Moore, Alexander Torres each had 2.
TOO MUCH MAN-TO-MAN | In head coach Tommy Tuberville's post-game press conference he stated a couple of times that the Texas Tech defense tried to play too much man-to-man defense in the first half and played much more zone in the second half. There's no doubt that this was the case and the difference was noticable. Between halves, the Lobos had this yard 270 yards in the first half and 136 yards in the second half. A couple of keys here, the two touchdowns that New Mexico scored came on the heels of two huge plays. A 57 yard pass from B.R. Holbrook to Ty Kirk and the flukey 45 fumble return by Chris Hernandez after the Holbrook fumble. The first one is legitimate and the second seems cheap. This put the Lobos within two scores and with New Mexico getting the ball back first in the second half, I was admittedly nervous during halftime. But not only did New Mexico significantly slow down, but Texas Tech also had 3 turnovers in the second half.
I'm curious if DC Willis will begin to think that as much as he wants to play man-to-man press coverage, this team just may not be capable of doing that this year. And maybe this is a case where Willis is trying very much to force-feed the players how he wants to play, but there may only be so much that Willis can do. The defensive backs played almost exclusively zone coverage all of last year and I think that Willis was smart to move to a more simplistic standard 4-rush and zone defense base. There wasn't much doubt in my mind that New Mexico wouldn't play as well as they did in the first half offensively and it seemed as if the Lobos were prone to making mistakes and Texas Tech simply waited for the Lobos to let the game come to them.
REBIRTH OF THE RUNNING GAME | Want to know the last time that Texas Tech had more than 36 rushing carries? How about 2005 against TAMU where Texas Tech and Mike Leach had 37 carries in a 56-17 win against the Aggies.
The thing that came over me as I was watching the game was that I felt like RB Barom Batch was being replaced a bit by the quicker and faster Eric Stephens. There were a couple of plays where I thought that Batch looked more like himself, but they weren't often enough. Right now, this offensive line isn't able to really push around opponents and because of that Stephens is a better option. The splits are only a bit smaller, but the splits last year were half a yard bigger and perhaps that added bit of space allowed for Batch to be more effective. If the offensive line ever figures out how to get a consistent push on the defense, then Batch will be as good as any other option that Texas Tech has. The running backs overall had 35 carries (1 rush was considered a sack so there's 36 total) and without the sack, the offense rushed for 162 yards on 35 carries for a 4.62 YPC average. Throw in 4 touchdowns and a bunch of short fields and you've got a pretty productive day. It was really nice to see Harrison Jeffers continue to gain crazy yards when given the opportunity. Son of a gun, it's a crowded backfield. And it wouldn't surprise me to see Jeffers get carries next week as he's more shifty than Batch, and that may be imperative against UT.
And before you say that Leach never ran the ball this much, can we please stop. I know this is a novel idea, but is it possible to start judging Tuberville, Brown and Willis for what they're doing and not what Leach did? Look, I love Mike Leach, more than you'll ever know, but I'm still trying to figure out the point of saying, "Leach never ran the ball this much". Well, Leach isn't the head coach anymore and unless hell freezes over, he'll never be the head coach at Texas Tech in our lifetimes, although I am hoping that his head is cryogentically frozen so that our children's children can enjoy the quirky Leach along with Ted Williams. But I digress. Leach did run the ball and you can feel free to peruse to review Leach's running attempts here (Leach ran the ball 35 times against OU last year! Heresy!!). But this isn't the Leach offense, this is the Neal Brown offense. It's similar but it's not the same. We've known this for months. Someone please explain to me how this comparison is constructive.
MAKING PLAYS | The one thing that I continue to be impressed with his how the defense is making plays: 7 tackles for loss (Bront Bird 1; Brian Duncan 2; Kerry Hyder 1; Scott Smith 1; Lawrence Rumph 1; and Aundre Barr 1); 2 forced fumbles (Tyrone Sonier and Scott Smith); 2 interceptions (Will Ford and Jarvis Phillips); and 4 sacks (Duncan; Hyder, Smith and Rumph). It would have been nice if some of those plays resulted in turnovers. The defense is going to be a work in progress, as mentioned above. The more I think about it, what would we be saying if the offense was learning an entirely new system? Would we be as critical about how things are progressing? Would we be more more understanding? Ruffin McNeill did some fabulous things this year, but every time that Willis talked during the offseason, he mentioned how much the defense struggled in practices and in scrimmages. Before I knew who Willis was, I wasn't sure if this was coach-speak. Now, I'm quite positive that he was being honest. The transition from a soft cover-2 zone defense to an agressive man-to-man defense takes time. And it takes players who can play in that scheme. There's a reason why Willis went after and tried to sign 7 defensive backs in the 2010 recruiting class (some of them not qualifying) and he's going after 3 more in the 2011 class. You've got to have cover corners to make this work.
IMPROVEMENT ON SPECIAL TEAMS | Duh. The thing that struck me, and I thought it was a mistake the, but during Tuberville's post-game press conference on the radio, he gave credit to a special teams coach and called him out by name. I didn't stop to write down the name, but it caught me as a bit strange as Tuberville talked about how he was going to be in charge of the special teams. Then this morning, listening to the video of the post-game press conference, LB Jonathan Brydon gives credit to Coach Leonard. I was wondering if anyone else caught this or if I was dreaming. In any case, I'm not real sure where to start as there were so many individual players that made outstanding individual plays. Absolutely loved the fact that Aaron Crawford and Jonathan Brydon (and perhaps we give credit to the coach) for finding a weakness in the New Mexico offensive line during punts to allow for two blocked kicks. Outstanding. Eric Stephens had 175 yards on 4 kickoff returns, including a 93 yard romp. Stephens needs to figure out how to get into the endzone. PR Austin Zouzalik had a rough night returning punts. He was really good last year so I think we need to cut him some slack. Defensively, Texas Tech only allowed 23 yards a kick return, no punt returns. K Donnie Carona burried 4 of 9 kickoffs for a touchback while Jonathan LaCour continued his impressive ppunting job, including a rugby-style punt that pinned New Mexico deep. I like it.
QUICK HITS
- OLB Julius Howard was burned pretty badly on the Hernandez touchdown receiption. I'm sure he thought that Cody Davis was to help out, but Hernandez shouldn't have been that open. It was a nice throw, but being a former defensive back, I thought he should have covered better.
- ILB Bront Bird played better this week, but I think he's still a work in progress.
- The offensive line kept Potts and Sheffield pretty clean the entire game. Again, you'd still like to see bigger and wider running lanes. I also could have sworn that I heard on the radio post-game show that RT Chris Olson was injured and that Mickey Okafor saw quite a bit of time.
- I'm still really waiting for the other inside linebackers to make a difference. Sam Fehoko only had 1 assisted tackle while Cqulin Hubert had 3. Fehoko needs to step it uup.
- I mentioned it above, but sometimes you can forget how electric a player is and I felt that way about RB Harrison Jeffers. Damn, he's big and fast and shifty and he looks really good running the ball.
- The Texas Tech receivers were getting down the field. Other than Zouzalik's 55 yard TD reception, Lyle Leong had a 25 yard receiption, Jacoby Franks had a 30 yard reception and Detron Lewis had a 22 yard reception.
- Willis continues to play a ton of bodies on the defensive side of the ball, and since I can't go back and watch the tape, I have a hard time really watching each and every defensive snap. By my count, Willis had 22 or 23 players see significant time last night. It's not quite 25, but that's a lot. DT Colby Whitlock didn't record a tackle or an assisted tackle. I kow he's getting double-teamed, but he really needs to push through.
OFFENSIVE MVP | RB ERIC STEPHENS | When a football player has 264 yards of total offense in a game then I think it's safe to say that he might deserve to be the offensive MVP.
DEFENSIVE MVP | OLB BRIAN DUNCAN | Is it wrong of me to pick Duncan two games in a row? He is by far this team's best pass-rusher and for a team that is learning how to rush the passer from different positions, he's a God-send.
SPECIAL TEAMS MVP | RB AARON CRAWFORD | It would be real easy to pick Stephens here as well, but Crawford's blocked punt tells you a little bit about Crawford as a person. His willingness to play as hard as he does special teams is refreshing, despite being maybe 4th on the running back depth chart. He could pout and be a disruption, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Blocked punts change games and I thought Crawford's put did this.
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+1000
“Well, Leach isn’t the head coach anymore and unless hell freezes over, he’ll never be the head coach at Texas Tech in our lifetimes”
Thank You! When can we all get behind Tech again and stop this comparison BS, I think Tubs has made incredible strides… Just wish some of our friends could move along with the program and stop fighting something that can never change back.
Great write up
I think when Tubbs wins something substantial or begins his 11th year at Tech the comparisons may cease. Next week should be a big step in one direction or another.
understand what your getting at...
It’s just frustrating, when I got to Tech in ‘01 people were still talking about Mike Leach’s “High School” offense… seriously, thats how it was described. People never thought he would live up to Spike.
by Vassago77379 on Sep 12, 2010 11:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Man I remember those days too. I especially remember the calls to the local radio shows
It was called a lot worse than “high school offense”, and I havn’t seen anything on this board that comes close to the nastiness of those haters. (Although I suspect some of those calls calling Leach the antichrist were from Tech92). Katfish has had a pretty easy time of it so far. The Venom was directed at Mike in those days, right now it’s more about the admin which is well deserved (and a lot directed at Potts which is a result of some Leprechaun Jedi mind tricks).
"Winning isn't everything"... Bob Knight
by raider realist on Sep 12, 2010 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
You must have been hangin out with
some really old dudes……..or………..west-siders as I call them.
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
Well Said
You hit the nail right on the head. Just one thing why are they going back to the old white helmets? Back when they use to wear them, they were lucky to win 5 games a year. I guess tubby still misses Auburn. Just wondering , not that it really matter. It still going to be a long season.
Excellent analysis, thanks
Agree that our offense looks “fine” on paper and we have won our two non-conference games, something is just not clicking yet. Not trying bash Potts but I think that while he is talented he is just not an instinctual player. That will limit the productivity of our offense.
Regarding the defense, I’m also concerned that Willis may be trying to make something happen too soon with the players we have. Let’s go with what works and give them time to develop into the new scheme.
Special teams – wow!
Can’t wait for Saturday, hope to see the level of improvement this week that we did last week.
Is it okay if I secretly hope that hell freezes over? Not just so we can freeze Leach’s head (how cool would that be? love that man) but think of all the other awesome stuff that people have said would happen “when hell freezes over”.
Tubs vs. Leach
I agree with your comments above regarding Leach offense vs. Tubs. Leach is never coming back and even if he was still here he may have run the ball as much as Tubs did vs. NM.
It seems to me that the reasons the comparisons continue to roll in is because Tubs continually compares his offensive philosophy to Leach’s. From his first press conference on he has said that casual fan will not notice any changes … but we do. That invites comparison.
I also don’t like his double speak on the helmets. It is disingenuous at best and politician speak at worst. It reflects poorly on him and will cause many to begin to scrutinize him more. Things like this can be unnecessary distractions. Just fess up and say that we are moving in a new direction. I am beginning to see a pattern here between what he says and what he does. This will not set well with many of us.
As far as the game, I didn’t watch it so thanks for the great analysis. It’s the best one that I have found yet. The LAJ, DMN, and Chronicle don’t have the in depth analysis, nor the insight that you provide.
by Arizona Raider on Sep 12, 2010 10:40 AM CDT reply actions
I think its safe to say that anything tuberville says is always reversable based on further review...
I’m extremely pised about the white helmets!!!
But I’m glad and very surprised willis & tubs have gone back to the zone defense
Sorry I didn't see you at two brothers
Seth, oldschoolraider and PlanoJeff I look for tou all but missed you all it was a crowd sceene for sure
Nice
Great writeup. Surely we will see more Sticks with his ability to scramble, next week.
This D will make some big plays this year. Next week, at night, in the Raider Crater, in front of a record 64,000, we should see a few. Hopefully we don’t see too many blow plays as well.
Love to hear about Jeffers doing better. He is a talent.
And who cares about uniforms if we win, but it does seem like Tubs lied. Unless he couldn’t stop the white unis and really didn’t want them.
This staff is getting used to their team and we will only improve.
Seth, I have to highly disagree with you on some points: Potts was much better today, footwork and accuracy wise than against SMU. You have credited him with the overall team passing numbers while, in actuality, he went 22/34 which was a much better 65%. Sticks threw 7 passes and only completed 2. 3 of those were overthrown/out of bounds fade routes and one was a dropped TD by Eric Ward. I don’t remember what the last incompletion was.
Okafor got in the 4th quarter after Olson went out of the game. I didn’t catch it, the announcers sucked, so reading some of the post game coverage was the first I heard about it.
Julius Howard played a lights out game aside from giving up the one TD to the TE.
As for the running game: during the time that Sheffield was in, the play calling was 11 rush, 7 pass. Those 11 rushes totaled up to 89 yards.
Also those helmets were awesome. I believe that the team themselves are choosing the uniforms each week, so wearing the all-whites was something that the team wanted to do. I still want to see the double-t on a flat black helmet.
yes I’m all about the flat black helmet. Not a fan at all of the white helmets but as long as I don’t see them at home games I’m fine with it.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
love the Virginia Tech helmets
But then again, they lost to James Madison. So, makes me nervous.
IMWTx
"To each person, I could be a different person. So you need to decide." R.A.
by imisswesttexas on Sep 13, 2010 9:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Potts looked good in the first quarter
then got hit and fell apart. The second quarter he couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. Our receivers having to stop and come back to the ball has to be hurting us. Imagine the YAC if we could catch with some momentum! Then the two fumbles by Potts to end the half did it for me. Mark my words, if Potts plays the entire game against UT he gets picked a minimum of 4 times and we lose. 65% against a team that had 72 hung on them last week just is not impressive in the least bit. How many balls went through UNM defenders’ hands? Just was not impressed.
As for your review of Sticks…. Ward flat out dropped two passes that hit him in the hands and forgot to put his hands out for a fade route in the endzone. It dropped in right over his outside shoulder, perfect throw. Had Ward caught the good balls thrown to him, that ups the stats to 5-7. Anyhow, did you notice how when Sticks was in it was pretty much nothing but 4 vertical? Not much to do but throw it out of bounds on those plays and you know it. I did like the run he had for a TD in his second game of the year. Tubs should get ballsy and start sticks next week. He’d win the game and more fans.
by RdrPwr on Sep 12, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1 warlock
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 12, 2010 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Have to agree
I see Potts playing really good early in games but as the game gets older he seems to force the pass and make more mistakes. I would definately feel more comfortable against UT if Potts plays early and Sheffield later. A rotation among these guys may be the best solution and will keep them hungry from the competition. These potential interceptions are starting to add up and UT won’t make the mistakes of NM and SMU. Tuberville had better have his best game plan ready. WIllis needs to shore up the middle and consider moving Bird. I see lots of problems there.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
What happened to Bird over the offseason?
I hate to say it, but I feel like he has became the weakest link up front. He’s thinking too much instead of just reacting. Oh, and corners are not what I would have liked to have seen.
I think...
he’s bigger and stronger but lacks the aggression we saw last season. It might be the metal aspect of moving to the middle but he should be well versed at it by now. All summer and 2 games is plenty of time for him to find his comfort level. I say move him or bench him if he can’t adjust and aid in stopping the run.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
eh… should it be are instead of is there? Summer is singular and two games is plural? Any english teachers on here?!
I have to agree,
I expect that Monday, katfish will confirm that Potts is his man, the surprise, surprise, Sheff starts on Saturday. He will have on the orange and blue, (our true school colors) and will promptly scoot out of the pocket (did I say pocket…….not with our line) and get hammered by some nasty dude in white.
He will hobble to the sidelines and of course, we will be out of water, so the trainers take him up to hance’s suite (its open 24 hours cause he is working day and night to get us a Pier 1) only to find nothing but free booze and dancing cougars.
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
That was something that always impressed me with Harrell
He seemed to consistently hit them in the numbers while on the run, and the receivers were able to quickly pick up another 5-10 yards before contact was made, especially on crossing routes.
Crossing routes and screens. And have you noticed that while when Sticks is in its nothing but deep fade routes, Potts doesnt throw those? I’m just curious as to why this is.
No
its a howitzer
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 12, 2010 4:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Slightly off topic
but did you see that kid from Notre Dame? I bet he can throw a ball 125 yards from his knees.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piΓ±atas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 12, 2010 5:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Uncle Rico?
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 12, 2010 6:53 PM CDT up reply actions
I think it might be.
I bet I could throw a football over those mountains.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piΓ±atas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 12, 2010 7:03 PM CDT up reply actions
Man, back in ‘82, if coach woulda put me in, we would’ve taken state. (hypnotically staring into what could have been)
Back in 76 if coach woulda put me in We still would have gotten crushed by Plano High
Pearce had 1800 students spread over 3 years. Plano had only juniors & seniors & they had over 2000 students. We never had a chance.
Besides it was more fun sitting in the stands cheering “Two four six eight, Score before we graduate”.
Blah Blah Blah. If Sheffield was a color, that would be the color of your glasses. Nothing that Potts does will make you happy.
A complete game would make me happy.
Sticks is not the best quarterback around, just seems better than our current starter. You (and by you I mean Potts supporters in general) say that Sticks supporters are blind to stats and what not, then treat Potts as if he’s an underclassman with little to no experience. No excuse for a senior to have the mental lapses he has. I don’t mind Potts starting, I really don’t. I just really feel that when one is obviously not with it like in the second quarter we should put in our other proven senior. No sense in waiting around for improvement with a fifth year senior.
Good points. I screwed the pooch re. potts numbers. Feel free to fix or I can later tonight as I am away from a computer.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
by Seth C on Sep 12, 2010 12:44 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Nice win #2
I’m convinced the team is improving. We still have weaknesses but so do most Big 12 schools right now. UT will be a challenge but Gilbert is no McCoy from what I’ve observed. Tech needs to find that running game and our receivers need to catch balls that are in their grasp. Defensively I think the middle is what scares me the most. Inside LB’s are not playing physical enough and stopping the run. The outside seems to be doing a good job along with the seconday. Special teams did a great job against NM and I hope that level of play will continue. I think this team as a whole is getting better but we need a near perfect game to beat UT IMO.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
agreed
The defense nees to do something in the middle. We push up field and opens up lanes in the middle for an easy 7-10 yrd runs. Drives me nuts. I don’t really expect Gilbert to run as much as McCoy, but I’d like to see more consistent play in the middle of the line.
Obvious strength is on the outsides of the d-line/LB’s.
IMWTx
"To each person, I could be a different person. So you need to decide." R.A.
by imisswesttexas on Sep 13, 2010 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Pat myself on the back!
I nailed the score 52-17.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
Was at the ut game yesterday and they were down 7-6 late in the first half. Their offensive line is not very good, and their receivers can’t get open. When they do they drop balls right in their hands. They looked so bad I can’t help but believe they are majorly holding back.
I am not as opposed to the white helmets as I thought I would be. They look kind of sharp with the all white uniforms, but there needs to be more red on the unform (red stripes and numbers outlined in black. Don’t really like the center stripe on the helmet. Also if your going to play around with helmets and uniforms I would like to see a red helmet.
I have no idea what to expect next week.
We beat TU next week, it's been prophesied!
"Winning isn't everything"... Bob Knight
by raider realist on Sep 12, 2010 11:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Sad......
I for one think that the helmets looked amazing but I fail to see why people are getting “pissed” about the color of a helmet. To me that is just petty and insignificant in the overall scheme of things…get over it old farts.
Not upset about the color of the helmet ...
just the fact that he misled at best or lied at worst about his thoughts on changing the color of the helmet.
by Arizona Raider on Sep 12, 2010 11:21 AM CDT reply actions
Kind of telling that people are so worked up over a helmet color. Way too much time on your hands.
by Tech92 on Sep 12, 2010 12:50 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Not aimed at AR. an who cares what CTT said we would or wouldn’t wear. He changed his mind. Sky just fell.
by Tech92 on Sep 12, 2010 12:54 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm staying at ole miss
oops.
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 12, 2010 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Just something to watch....
he was my choice to take over
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 12, 2010 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions
I always feel better
after reading Seth’s perspectives after a game – win or lose. Very balanced.
The “sky is falling” reaction about so many things from certain people, especially after a win, is somewhat disconcerting. But if there isn’t anything to complain about then it would be a very boring place for sure.
Better
But, I am still concerned. Potts should have thrown 6 intrceptions so far. 3 in both games. Luckily the competition can’t catch a cold. That won’t be the case against bettet athletes
by RaiderGiant on Sep 12, 2010 11:29 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
or helmets
Since we seem to be on that path. I agree that Potts, though he seems to be better overall, there are some things he must improve if we are going to win with him at the helm against better teams. Leading the receivers when needed would be a good start. That takes a lot of practice to get down the speed of each receiver and know which one he is throwing to, adjusting as needed. As mentioned, he could easily have had several INTs by now. He must be more selective and decisive to eliminate that possibility against Big-II competition. I don’t care if Sticks plays or not. I just want the QB in the game to play his best and win.
The defense is streakish, but overall is playing decent. I, too wonder about Bird. I just think the switch of him and Duncan may have been ill-advised. Time will tell. Duncan seems to have made the adjustments he needed to, but Bird is still hesitating and making some wrong reads. Hopefully he will improve. The DBs are still getting used to the schemes and with their talent will improve dramatically as the season goes on. We begin facing better talented teams from here on out, so everyone really needs to step up and improve to ensure Tech has a good chance to win every game. This week will help us to find out where we should be. Let’s hope it is with a win in our pockets.
TTpilk Psalm 117:
1 ΒΆ O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
aahh, I knew this would come out.....now predicting unthrown interceptions......I have it on good athority that
had sheff been playing he would have had 13 INT’s……take that!
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
Agree with Seth on the Oline and Batch,
seems like Batch was seeing things better with the wider splits. I also think he might be dinged, just has looked different, not explosive.
Also agree with you on “man” coverage, this made me nervous from the moment Subaru started talking about it. Same with the 3-4, just sounded like he didn’t have a good read on the talent here. Need to make those adjustments now, an this better be one hell of a focused week of film study.
"Winning isn't everything"... Bob Knight
by raider realist on Sep 12, 2010 11:38 AM CDT reply actions
I love the white helmets
but I wouldn’t worry too much if the black ones were brought back. The white helmet looks more traditional and I like it.
Auburn Look
They are very traditional, if you remember these helmets back when tech was a losing program for about 10 years or traditional if you miss Auburn
Special Teams Coach
Seth – Ty Linder is the graduate assistant who handles the special teams along with Tubs. That is the name Tubs mentioned in his post-game interview. Linder is a former LB for Tech.
Thanks for the info.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
by Seth C on Sep 12, 2010 12:45 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
One element of special teams
needs help. Our kick coverage and tackling. The rest of the special teams, as mentioned, looked good. We are also vulnerable up the middle and UT will run right at us because of it. I know last year, we moved Bird to DE for the UT game and he did well. This left Duncan in the middle, where I think he belongs. I wonder if there is any chance that these two switch? Bird gets pushed around too much as MLB and I think is quicker on the end. Duncan thrives in the middle and can stuff the run.
I know they were switched to put more pressure on passing teams, but UT is committed to the run and I think that demands an adjustment from us this week.
I don’t like the white helmets and the comments by Tubberville made it sound like we got lied to.
A little better, but...
I agree with most here that while on paper it looked impressive, something just doesn’t seem to be adding up on offense. I’m sure it is just learning something new compared to being comfortable in Leach’s offense, but it just doesn’t pass the smell test yet. But, it is at least moving in the right direction I think.
The defense is about what I thought. They will make big plays all year I think but will give some up as well. However, I like our aggressive attitude out there.
Special teams were pretty super tonight. I hope to see that continue.
UT hasn’t “WOW’d” me yet either so I think the game will be interesting.
But, OU looked super-human yesterday. I hope that isn’t a trend.
It still boils down to Potts
I think he plays hot until he gets hit, then goes cold, tentative, cautious, maybe even afraid of getting hit again, and the offense stalls.
Tech Football period
Tubberville, his assistants and the football team have worked extremely hard. It shows in the recruiting, the lack of penalties on both sides of the ball (this is way different than years passed) and the effort of our football players.
Seems a little half-empty to point out how Tubberville has sinned against raider nation by opting for a white helmet. Who cares?
What he owes Texas Tech is a football team that continues to improve week to week, year to year.
This week was better than last…..I expect the same next week and the week after.
Lack of penalties, YES!
+1 I almost forgot! I too am so pumped about the penalty discipline so far.
"Dress good, yu'll play good. Play good, yu'll get paid good." -Deion Sanders
by TTUMAR on Sep 12, 2010 3:04 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Jeffers
Theguy can run the ball. He is fast fast fast. He is a stats machine. Lets get him in more please
Helmets/Potts
I could care less if Tech wore Purple helmets with Pink polka dots. If this is the biggest arguement people have, then things can’t be that bad.
As for Potts, his mechanics look much better than last season. He consistently threw off his back foot last year, but the past two games (for the most part) he has stepped up in the pocket and thrown the ball. I was impressed that Potts actually ran with the ball on the zone read play in the 3rd.
Don't get upset.
There is a statistically high correlation between those claiming to be so butt hurt over all of Tubs “lies” and the people who can’t help but see all things Tech through the prison of Leach’s firing. Just ignore it.
"Dress good, yu'll play good. Play good, yu'll get paid good." -Deion Sanders
by TTUMAR on Sep 12, 2010 3:09 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Prizim not prison.....
Or how ever the he’ll it’s spelled.
"Dress good, yu'll play good. Play good, yu'll get paid good." -Deion Sanders
by TTUMAR on Sep 12, 2010 3:10 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I don't care...
If Tubbs said one thing and did another (though it makes you skeptical of him). I don’t care if Leach is leading the team or if Tubbs is leading the team. There’s no doubt Leach got the rough end of the stick from TTU, and I hope he wins his lawsuit. However, that doesn’t matter to em when it comes to cheering for TTU. And the uniforms won’t change how I cheer for TTU. However, if you have a fast, slick sports car that has been the TTU offense, why in the world would you throw a crappy paint job on it?
For the record I thought the white helmet was the wrong shade.
The helmets appeared to be an off white next to the bright white of the jerseys. It’s all the belly aching about the"lies" that IMO don’t make sense, that is unless you called out our past coaches for any inconsistencies in their statements…..which I know no one has.
"Dress good, yu'll play good. Play good, yu'll get paid good." -Deion Sanders
by TTUMAR on Sep 12, 2010 3:25 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
for the record, record, it was dykes that first introduced the black uniforms,
not leach, he also gave us the silver pants look. (and matching cloud of dust)
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
Correction
Potts was 22 for 34, an almost 65% completion percentage.
Sheffield was 2 for 7 for a 28% completion percentage.
Comparison to Leach (the system)
When did the desire to pass more equal “bring Leach back”? There seems to be a problem with separating Leach (the man) from Leach (the system) in some analysis. We can all agree Leach (the man) is not coming back but it’s much harder to not compare current results to those made with Leach (the system) when that is the only proven success that we know (much more appropriate than comparing to Dykes’ system).
What I missed is the criteria for “judging Tuberville, Brown and Willis for what they’re doing and not what Leach did”. If incremental internal improvements result in losses, what do you then compare them to? Give us a table/matrix that provides these criteria and data and then we can decide if Leach (the system) can be removed from consideration for comparison (see next paragraph). Here’s another way to look at it. If Leach’s exact system produced 1-11 seasons, would we still compare the new system to it? Of course we would. And, starting 2-0, we would be talking about how changes from the old system have provided the drastic improvements and what those changes were. As it is, losses in place of previous wins and wins in place of previous losses will be better measuring sticks and we’re just not there yet.
I worked up a table that provides a stats comparison between week one and week two and the defense scored worse in 11 elements, same in 2 and better in 3. The offense scored worse in 4 elements, same in 4, better in 6 and didn’t experience significant change in 4. Love that the offense is improving statistically but don’t like that the defense dropped off against a team that we would probably all agree is worse than SMU. This analysis did not take into consideration tangibles such as momentum, moxy, presence, “it” or midichlorians and could’ve been presented for all to see if I knew how to neatly imbed a table.
Not a big fan of the white helmet and, if they break that out next week instead of all-black, I’ll be extremely disappointed. A home night game against a hated rival should always be black-on-black. I would think the all-black unis have a psychological impact on the attending fans and opposing team (any house psychologists want to speak up?). And the whole “white is cooler” line is misleading, as well. That’s only true when you are exposed to direct sunlight (practice time). The biggest heat source for a night game will be the radiant heat from the field and surrounding structure, neither of which are impacted by what color you are wearing. I’m with the others that can tolerate the white (outside of home night games), just don’t mislead me.
Good job getting into II Brothers. We arrived “late”, which apparently means not 1 hour ahead, and turned away before we reached the front door as we met numerous couples that were leaving due to overcrowding. We ended up at Flip’s in Grapevine. Decent-sized TVs in the bar were good enough (main watching area was full) and the food was good.
Great analysis. Everyone
First off, my head hurts. I’m an old fart and sort of like the white helmets but not at home. Thats has to be RED and BLACK. Coach T is right on the money, It all boils down to Potts. We have to keep Whorn’s offense on the sideline. Long drives that score and we will win..Prediction TTU 27 TU 21. WRECK EM TECH
Another balanced analysis, Seth
My son (a UNM alumnus) and I were at the game. I left happier than he, but while all “three sides of the ball” had their moments (especially the special teams), I left thinking both the offense and defense still have a lot of work ahead. Had that UNM touchdown seconds before halftime not been called back, this game might not have ended as such a blowout.
I don’t claim to be an exert, but both the offense and defense in these first two games seem very vanilla to me. I’m hoping that those DTN members who think the coaches have been keeping it plain before the Texas game are right.
Speaking of the Texas game, my two sons, a brother, and I will be taking my mother, who celebrates her 90th BD next Saturday. The last game she attended was Texas 2008. Although down deep I know that was a once-in-a-lifetime game, I can still hope for a similar outcome at this point.
That game was too close, my heart didnt like it.
I would much rather give ut an arse whoopin than a nail biter.
I just hope your 90 year old mother
doesn’t offensively and needlessly butcher the words to the fight song!!! Have a great time. 90 is quite a milestone and I can’t think of a better way for a football loving family to spend it together!
by AmarilloTechster on Sep 12, 2010 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions
It may be just me, but I got the impression
that for much of the game, we were “practicing” down field and crossing route passes, the later intentionally in and through traffic. I think the coaches took advantage of a lesser opponent to practice those skills with real coverage in a live situation. I’m praying that, as many have theorized, that TT is playing everything vanilla until next Saturday. Hopefully his ice cream sundae toppings will include some exciting new flavors this weekend.
Wreck ’Em!
Random Thoughts
Offense
1. Love to see Potts stepping into his throws & bringing the heat
2. If he steps up another yard, he avoids his sack/fumble.
3. He’s also moving better than last year.
4. Run game needs consistency.
Defense
1. Love seeing the pre-snap shifting & movement.
2. Hope DB Mitchem is ok (reported twisted knee) & he returns next week- no substitute for game experience.
3. Fluke play (running fumble for TD) – no one to blame & the play may have added unreal yards to their stat sheet.
4. Blitzing with a young secondary may not always be a good idea.
Throw first and ask questions later.
your #2....if the damn line blocks he does not get sacked/fumble.
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
Last night's game--brief observations
1. The Mountain Network is hoky! The play-by-play guy was some nobody named James Bates. The color guy was the old Oakland Raider tight end Todd Christensen. At least TC knew something about football…..it sounded like they didn’t care for each other’s football knowledge…..Their “Denver Studio” personnel were out of podunkville. A threesome of Mountain West homies…..just hoping for a Lobo comeback……
2. Who was the Red Raider who got kicked by the Lobo?
3. The white helmets, along with the white jersies and pants, made us look like a poor-man’s Penn State (who have always had the worst uniforms in the NCAA).
4. If Tubs is going to make the decision on the color of the uniforms, please let him know to at least BURN THE WHITE PANTS!
5. Does anyone know if ESPN’s Game Day will be in Lubbock for the ’Horn game?
Tuberville interviewed regarding the his helmet selection:
“Now I know that I’m supposed to lead by example and all that but I’m not shoving that aside like it don’t mean anything. I know it’s important, I honestly do but we’re talking about helmets. We’re talking about helmets,man. (laughter from the media crowd) We’re talking about helmets. We’re talking about helmets. We’re not talking about the game. We’re talking about helmets. When you come to the field, and you see Tech play, you’ve seen Tech play right, you’ve seen Tech give everything it’s got, but we’re talking about helmets right now.” (more laughter)
Just to be a devil's advocate (smile) ...
if it’s just about the helmets and it’s no big deal … then why change them? After all, it we’re talking about helmets man. Not the game, just helmets.
If he would not have made his previous comment about tradition, not messing with tradition and all of that … then it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but he is the one who drew attention to the helmet color now he is trying to deflect attention from it. Gotta love coachspeak.
by Arizona Raider on Sep 12, 2010 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions
(he's joking)
He changed Allen Iverson’s infamous “practice” press conference to one about the helmets
by jeffinhouston on Sep 12, 2010 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions
very clever and very, very funny. It got me!
by Arizona Raider on Sep 12, 2010 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions
A Few Numbers
Positives:
1. Beating UNM on the road by 35 points.
2. Texas Tech is 2-0
3. Texas Tech is tied for first in the Big 12 South
Negative:
Surrendering 433 yards to the 118th ranked team in college football – not so good.
Since we’re on the topic, let’s look around the Big 12 and see how our other opponents’ defenses fared (rankings based on CBSSportsline.com 120 power poll).
SMU: UAB/ 115/ 261
(i.e. SMU played UAB, the 115th ranked team in the CBSSportsline.com 120 poll and surrendered 261 yards)
UNM: Texas Tech/ 40/ 462
TEXAS: Wyoming/ 66/ 257
ISU: Iowa/ 7/ 479
BU: Buffalo/ 96/ 325
OSU: Troy/ 60/ 371
CU: California/ 46/ 356
ATM: La Tech/ 90/ 269
MU: McNeese State/ FCS/ 245
OU: Florida State/ 25/ 345
WEBST: No Col/ FCS/ 441
UH: UTEP/ 77/ 446
If we look at all the teams which played opponents ranked 90th or worse (and adding our FCS opponents), Texas Tech’s defensive yards allowed rank as follows:
1. MU v. McNeese St (FCS): 245 yards allowed
2. SMU v. UAB (115th): 261 yards allowed
3. ATM v La Tech (90th): 269 yards allowed
4. BU v. Buffalo (96th): 325 yards allowed
5. TTU v. UNM (118th): 433 yards allowed
6. Web State v. No Col (FCS): 441 yards allowed
Interesting to see that UH put up 656 yards in total offense and Weber State put up 563 yards of their own.
National Rankings
At the end of week 2, nationally we rank as follows:
Passing Yards: 11th overall (334.5 yards per game)
Rushing yards: 93rd overall (112.0 yards per game)
Points For: 17th overall (43.5 per game)
Points Against: 62nd overall (22 points per game)
Total Defense: 80th overall (380 yards allowed per game)
→ OU (84), UH (90), UNM (120) are worse.
Total Offense: 29th overall (446.5 yards per game)
→ UH (3), ATM (5) ,OSU (8) ,BU (20), OU (28) are ranked higher.
Conclusions
These numbers suggest that our defense will need to play better than it did against the 118th ranked team in the country.
Night games in Albuquerque must be really hot.
"This time it's different."
I am all for the monochrom white look
Very classy. Would love to see the same in all Red. I have no issues with the black, but it is time for a change.
FORZA ROSSI
I still like the red jerseys with the black pants and black helment. All Black is fine, but I’m not a fan of the all red look. Fight song says fight for the scarlet and black so mix in both of those colors.
I want them to go old school with a flat black helment with just a plain red Double T on it. Not the 3D Double T just a plain Double T.
New AP rankings
Houston gets ranked for beating UTEP & Texas State. These ‘experts’ that make up these rankings are idiots. The rankings are a complete joke that’s why terrible teams like Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech actually got ranked in the top 25 in the first place.
What a joke!
Houston shouldn’t have gotten that much action for that.
Just because I'm an artist doesn't mean I don't know my sports. I'll take on ANYONE in Fantasy International Ping Pong!
by Damien Franco on Sep 12, 2010 6:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Fine...mock all you want...
but I care about winning, and after years of experimentation, I know what works. Sneer if you like, but come game day, I’ll STILL be wearing my lucky pink tutu….viking helmet….and swim fins!
Final thought.....
offense……boring, predictable
defense…..needs work
special….better
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
Critique
Man! I know I am one of those to blame for this nightmare concerning fashion. No, I did not order Tech to do anything, but I did bring it up in this post and others.
My point right now is that for all of the talk about fashion, play selection, scheduling and players, we all must remember something: we want Tech to win every game. However they do that I am behind 100%. I may not care a whole lot about something, but if we win, so what?
Now about other teams. I hate plane attire (RE: UT, Penn St, Alabama, and probably a few others). I think it is ghoulish and boring, especially if averaging less than 20 PPG on O and allowing less on D. I like our up-tempo O and the evolving up-tempo D. So, regardless of dress, whatever the play selection, whichever team we play and whomever is on the field (even..shudder..a certain vamp), JUST WIN, BABY!
I hope we all can move on and hope needed adjustments are made and the team continues to improve, preferably winning out. We all know how hard it is to go undefeated. If it were easy, a whole lot more teams would be able to accomplish that feat.
From this time forward I choose to be as positive as I can be and not to attack the opinions of other DTNers. (Trolls are a different story altogether)
And, we are 2 and 0, going for 3 and 0. GO TECH!
TTpilk Psalm 117:
1 ΒΆ O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
All other comments aside...
We DID win in NM 52-17. Basically the same NM team as last year minus a few stars, and we beat them by more at their place. Maybe I’m just wanting perfection, but I may can handle this.
I think the white uniforms made the Lobos
go faint because they had planned all summer for something else.
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
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