Red Raider Gridiron | Batch on Trash Talking and Hoping for Turnovers

A couple of housekeeping issues:  1) My definition of a troll is someone that hops onto DTN to only talk trash, but just because a UT fan is a part of the conversation doesn't make him/her a troll.  If the proprietor of BON, Peter Bean, joins the conversation on DTN he's certainly not a troll, but a fan of another team that wants to chime in.  I think that's good and I appreciate UT fans checking in on DTN and giving us insight.  2) Friend of DTN, TB from Bring On The Cats was part of a panel of bloggers and mainstream sports writers to discuss the media coverage of the possibility of the break-up of the Big 12.  Good stuff.

Tuesday Presser:  You can find the post-practice video here.  Here's my non-transcript:

Tommy Tuberville:  Must execute a lot better.  Their consistent, and we must have better quality of play.  Guys are focused.  They understand the urgency of how much the team has to improve over the next few days.  Been waiting for the Big 12.  Have seen all of the tents at Raiderville.  Pretty impressive.  Appreciate the support.  UT is running downhill more, underneath the center.  Play-action with the quarterback.  Most programs are going back to some sort of running game and execute a little simpler.  It's definitely a different offense. 

OLB Brian Duncan:  Goal every week is to get three sacks.  Plan on coming after Gilbert, he hasn't played a road game and Willis wants to go after him.  Wants to duplicate that outcome, excited to play any team.  Big opportunity, and getting the "W" is even bigger.  Had faith in 2008 and as soon as it happened he went wild and crazy.  Conducted the band after the game.

IR Detron Lewis:  Can't dwell on 2008.  Special moment for the team and the program.  Will watch the DVD on the Texas secondary later today.  UT is always good.  Improving from game-to-game.  Hope to improve this Saturday.

Pretty interesting that Duncan simply states that Willis intends on just coming after UT QB Garrett Gilbert.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, if a defense is aggressive then there's  a pretty good chance that the defense is going to give up a big passing play.  The more I think about it, the more I think that perhaps DC Willis thought that if there was a time to test whether or not he could play that aggressive defense that he prefers was against SMU and New Mexico.

More on White Helmets:  I think I'm ready to move on with this, but LAJ's Don Williams has a bit more on the controversial white helmets.  Here's Tuberville and Williams:

"When you’re on the road, traditional white looks nice, I think. To me, if you look at all the teams across the country, the tradition is white. We’re a black helmet team. That might be the only time we do it this year."

Or it might not. Asked whether he’d keep the white helmets for other road games, Tuberville said he hasn’t decided yet.

And IR Austin Zouzalik likes them and if you don't like what Zouzalik, then you're obviously un-American:

"I love the white helmets. I like the all-white," he said. "Everybody was pretty excited when we walked in the locker room for the game and saw those helmets."

This nightmare will not end for me.

Drawing from 2008:  FWST's Dwain Price writes that Texas Tech is drawing inspiration from the 2008 game and CB Will Ford has some thoughts:

"I was here for the 2008 game, and I really liked what I saw," Tech cornerback Will Ford said. "I plan on repeating that and trying to get the win.

"We don't plan on losing."

Batch on Trash Talking:  RB Baron Batch continues his weekly diary and this time he writes about trash talking fans and even goes so far as to give you a few simple rules for trash talking.  I'm waiting for someone to respond by commenting that Batch can't tell fans what to do.  

So much more after the jump.

Hoping for Turnovers:  DT's Mike Graham writes that the Longhorns are hoping to force turnovers against QB Taylor Potts.  Here's UT's S Christian Scott:

"As far as the secondary goes, we’re always talking about turnovers, forcing turnovers, forcing interceptions," Scott said. "We feel like it will be really important for an away game at Lubbock. So we feel turnovers will be key in a game like this."

While LG Lonnie Edwards is confident:

"I think the challenge is just ourselves," Tech offensive lineman Lonnie Edwards said. "We’ve got to go out there and just do what we know to do. They’re no different than they were this year or the year before that, and I think we’ve competed well with them the past three years."

Miscellaneous:  LAJ's Don Williams writes that S Franklin Mitchem practiced yesterday, which is good news . . . Raiderville continues to grow . . . former Red Raider Brandon Carter was picked up by Tampa Bay . . . the Scout.com class of 2012 top 100 was released and your favorite linebacker, Derek David, made the list . . . when I linked to my interview with Jay Shelton of SWC Helmet History, I had a good DTN reader send an old Sports Illustrated article that talked about the 1976 31-28 win over Texas (THIS IS A MUST READ) . . .

Texas Longhorn Links:  The Statesman has three articles this morning, including Longhorn football notes, scouting Texas Tech and inquiring if the Horns can put it all together . . . FSSW with some Longhorn daily bullets . . . the Daily Texan with the thought that the offensive line will be challenged against Texas Tech . . . ESPN Dallas with the story on freshman receivers pushing their way up the depth chart . . .

Big 12 and National Links:  Football Outsiders' Robert Weintraub with his weekly look at the nation . . .