Post Game Thoughts | SMU Mustangs 27, Texas Tech Red Raiders 35
by Seth C on Sep 6, 2010 11:15 AM CDT
in Texas Tech Football
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This was hastily put together on four hours of sleep. Yes, I'm apologizing in advance.
THE RESULT | NOT ALL THAT BAD | For those of you who have visited DTN in the past, you know that I'm a glass half-full sort of guy. I can't help it. Texas Tech football typically brings so much joy to my life (this can be debated considering this past offseason, but you know what I'm talking about) that it makes my life better when I can try and look at things in a positive light. Sure, we have folks on DTN that tend to look at things from the other side of the fence and those opinions are valued as much as anyone else's opinions.
With that tremendous preface, I'm okay with where things are at right now. Could things have gone better? Sure. Of course. Absolutely. But I'm also not going to quit writing DTN because I think all is lost.
My initial thought was that as uneven as this team was, and I think uneven is an appropriate way to describe the game, had there been a few breaks which included an interception rather than a touchdown and making a field goal and this 8 point win becomes a 15 or 18 point victory. If that last SMU touchdown doesn't happen (and yes, if's and but's were candy and nuts . . . ) then does your outlook of the game change. Not to mention, things again look significantly different if Cornelius Douglas can make a catch on what should have been a first down, then I think we're again talking about a differnt outcome.
Storylines and MVP's after the jump.
THE STORYLINES
WAS THE DEFENSE THAT BAD? | Maybe this is a situation where my expectations are just different than everyone elses, but last year, Kyle Padron averaged over 9 yards per attempt. For the game, SMU had 5.6 yards per attempt and the Texas Tech defense limited SMU to 218 yards for the entire game. Last year, Padron averaged 28 attempts per game, completed 67% of his passes, and had 4 interceptions last year. It would be incredibly convenient to not give Padron any credit whatsoever (i.e., that Padron is overrated [I'd love to know who is over-rating him] and that SMU offense really isn't that good). That's just not the case. SMU was going to move the ball at some point and consider me a bit impressed at how little SMU was able to do on offense. And one more note. Although I'm not a stat-guru, considering the numbers above, and the fact that SMU averaged only 4 yards an attempt rushing the ball, SMU was not very efficient offensively. There's no right answwer on who to credit. I choose to credit the Texas Tech defense, but alternatively some may think that the SMU offense just isn't that good.
I saw a few comments in the post-game thread about how vanilla the defense was and yearning for the days of safe for Ruffin McNeill. This is simply a case of you can't please them all. No defense is perfect unless you have the Alabama 2009 defense that limited every opponent. There are essentially two philosophies when it comes to defense: keep everything in front of you OR bring heat each and every play. It doesn't matter which defensive philosophy you choose, you're still going to give up yards. It's just how you're going to give up those yards.
And to those comments that the defense just wasn't that good, then I must have been hallucinating in the hot temperatures because the defense I saw was better than average and I thought was pretty good. There were a handful of really interesting things and there were a handful of different looks that the defense gave on just about each and every play. Sometimes there were four down linemen, sometimes there were two down linemen with three players standing up at the line of scrimmage. The biggest thing that I think this defense needs to correct, which is going to take some time, is the idea of gap-control. I thought that Bront Bird struggled with finding the right gap on more than a handful of occassions and I get the impression that part of his job is filling those gaps. There also seemed to be a hanful of occassions when it seemed as if guys like Sam Fehoko or Tyone Sonier were more concerned about getting up the field and rushing the passer rather than playing in their gaps. That's correctable.
One final note about the defense. Three interceptions. Seriously. One interception by a true freshman (Tre' Porter), another interception by a redshirt freshman (Jarvis Phillips) and another interception by a sophomore (D.J. Johnson). Did some of these guys get beat deep? Sure, but they're only going to get better. That's a ton of young talent in the defensive backfield.
WORKING OUT KINKS | The offense was far from perfect, but it wasn't awful either. As stated above, it seemed uneven. Like a lot of you, I think my frustration with Taylor Potts is that when he does what he is supposed to do, then he's fine. To start the game, I think part of the game plan was to nibble from sideline to sideline to see what SMU was going to do. Unfortunately, that nibbling lasted the first three series and we didn't see Potts throw the ball down the field at all. Potts also limited himself to his first and only read, but due to the fact that every pass was deliberate, I get the feeling that OC Brown didn't want Potts making any extra reads. Potts was at his best when he was allowed to look down the field, but was at it's worst when every pass was to the sideline or the first and only read for Potts. You've got to let him go if you want him to be successful.
The biggest part about the offense that worried me was the fact that the run-blocking that was a priority this fall was seemingly non-existant. The offensive line had a very tough time getting blocks on the SMU linebackers thad had a field day shooting the gaps and cutting down running backs before they could really get going. I wanted to see more drive-blocking from this unit and I thought that the offensive line was the best when Brown pulled Edwards to go out and block on the edge. The offensive line also gave up two sacks, both attributable to the right side of the line. In watching the game this morning, I thought that Deveric Gallington failed to pick up a corner blitz (he was helping out) and Chris Olson just got beat on the outside as the SMU linebacker took a wide angle and Olson just simply gave up on that play. Texas Tech needs better play from Olson at right tackle. The best part about the line was the tremendous play of LaAdrian Waddle. I thought that he was exceptional for the entire game. Very consistent.
And for those of you keeping track, Texas Tech ran 84 plays on Sunday. Texas Tech ran the ball 36.9% of the time and passed the ball 63.09% of the time. If you take out the two sacks then Texas Tech ran the ball 34.52% of the time. Last year, against FCS North Dakota, Texas Tech had 67 plays and ran the ball 28.35% of the time and only beat North Dakota by 25.
NOT SO SPECIAL TEAMS | There's no sugar-coating the fact that the special teams looked so bad. The kicking game was awful, but it was also awful under Leach the past few years. Matthew Williams was a bit of an elixir last year, but throughout the season, he only attempted 14 field goals. The long kickoff return was a huge problem. Of course, the special teams also produced a turnover that eventually led to 7 points. The fascinating thing, and I'm not sure that this came across on television, is that the special team units are almost entirely comprised by receivers, secondary players, linebackers and running backs. It's almost shocking to see so many smaller players out on the field. I suppose that the give and take is that they might be blocked a bit easier, but seeing Ben McRoy run down Fields was impressive. This area needs a ton of work, especially the kicking game. And if Williams and/or Corona can't get their kicks higher (Rule 1: You must at least kick the ball higher than the goal post) then maybe Tuberville is forced to take a look at Bradley Hicks or some of the freshmen kickers, Kramer Fyfe (Lake Travis, Austin, TX) or Jeremy Elder (Creekview, Carrollton, TX).
OFFENSIVE MVP | WR LYLE LEONG | Just an outstanding day, and the fact that this team was playing without two of their top five receivers and really didn't miss too much. I don't know that Leong is going to be able to do that against every opponent, but he's got a connection with Potts.
DEFENSIVE MVP | OLB BRIAN DUNCAN | Just a beautiful game from Duncan. He consistently put pressure on Padron and his two sacks that ended the game were huge.
SPECIAL TEAMS MVP | RB BEN MCROY | As mentioned above, running down the SMU returner was impressive to see live, but I'm afraid that my options for this MVP are fairly limited.
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After decades of negative thinking about Tech, I’m adopting Seth’s half full attitude with this team. Maybe it’s the changes over the spring. But I didn’t see too much to pull my hair out over. I was frustrated that there seemed to be little push from the D-line, but I was quite impressed with the young guys in the secondary. This was their first game and they handled it quite well. As Seth said, they’ll only get better.
Potts seemed like Potts. Some great, some meh. He is what he is.
A fair assessment
Tech has some issues to work on. Evidently from the game treads the waterboy did an exceptional job but the concession stand personnel needs more training :-)
Potts
I thought your assessment of Potts was right on…I kept wondering if he even knew there were other receivers out there..I had not considered that NB might be limiting his reads…I hope that is the case, but then I have to wonder…are the QB’s so bad they cant be trusted…? Is Potts that bad?.. Or is NB just a control freak….?
I just have a dissapointed feeling about yesterdays game, and I cant get my hand on it…I guess maybe I am not sure what exactly I was expecting from the first game out..
And I’m checking out for the res of the afternoon. A weekend out of town and ignoring my wife for half of the day = recipe for disaster.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
God Speed good sir.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
I just want to point out that our punter had an excellent day, punting 4 times for 48.5 yards.
I see the special teams as the same good news/bad news kind of thing that most of the team had yesterday: The good news is that kickoff returns and punting (and punt coverage) are excellent. The bad news is that kickoff coverage and field goals are awful.
I might turn this into a feature later.
Might hell!
I fully expect an excellent write up from you!
Thanks for all that you do.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Looking forward to reading your thoughts about the Special Teams
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
i seem to remember from two years ago, i believe, lacour’s average was around 39 yards. so, kicking an average of 48.5 is excellent. just need to improve the whole field goal thing.
and as far as punts go, i still personally believe that we should move to the rugby style punt… i mean, whenever a team uses it against us we have no idea what to do…
Ŧ ~ Formally Known as RedRaider621 ~ Ŧ
Not all that bad
I personally feel like this team did better in this game than past first game appearances. We have a very young secondary that made some great plays and busted some as well. Tuberville continued to use the passing attack most said would be gone. My one concern that has be a little worried is special teams play. The running game was non-existant but I’m sure that will improve with the O-line. I leave this game feeling like Tech will be ready for Big 12 play especially after watching UT and OU’s performances. I can’t really credit A&M for playing St. Mary’s school for the blind. SFA is our Weber State game. SMU was a good way for this Tech team to find weaknesses and I think we now know where improvement needs to happen. Congrats to Tuberville on his first win in the Raider Crater.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
Agreed with the assessment in full
Just want to add Douglas is not the only one to drop a pass. Lewis dropped two, the first in the first quarter that set us up for a punt after a second and 10. I know we had two more downs to get a first but we were moving at healthy clips on first down on the drive until the drop. A quick score in the first could have made some difference. I counted four drops where the receiver was hit in the hands (a couple were covered well but?) during the game, three before Douglas. In the third quarter I felt good about our game (35-14), then it seemed we forced the running game to run out the clock and failed. Too close to the vest maybe. And on TV it seemed only at occasionally did we run at “NASCAR” pace. Of course we did run 84 plays. That is a few.
ut is "The Evil Empire"
I saw some of the drops also and had three in mind...thinking there may have been as many as five.
In all fairness, not to take away from the fact, but one has to expect some drops just as one must expect some poor passes…that we do not shows the desire for excellence at a very high level…the bar continuously rises.
On Douglas: he came in and made a couple of outstanding plays, showed his moves and his potential..he has a lot to contribute…that he missed a great opportunity may be an indicator of why we don’t/haven’t seen him on the field as much…as he improves consistency, we will get to see some really fun plays.
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
I agree
Douglas made a great catch after the drop. From what I saw on TV (and my expectations were such) I think that Lewis could have matched Leong for a great game except for his two drops. And if so, what an offensive show we would have had.
ut is "The Evil Empire"
There was two times that we were driving that Potts and the WR weren’t on the same page. I don’t know who’s fault they were but it stalled that drive. Little things like that can be fixed easy. I knew we would come out rusty but we did eventually get hot. We had two drives under 2 min and that is very exciting to me. Reminds me of the BJ Symons year when there were always a hand full of drives under 2 min
by ST04 on Sep 6, 2010 3:23 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Talked to ESPN commentator Bob Davies after the game and no he doesn't owe me money..
Just ran into him at the hotel. PDL (pure dumb luck ). He said the heat fatigued the folks pretty badly. So for what it’s worth I noticed the entire first team defense with their collective hands on their hips in the 4th period. Good thing is – it’s unlikey we play anymore afternoon games until late in October. So first game effects of running yourself ragged has to be a factor.IMO.
Note anbody know what time kick off is for the Baylor game in the Cotton Bowl??
"do routine things routinely"
Pleasured.
Its not often that I am 100 % fulfilled. I got my TTUFB Fix and now can enter a work week semi-fully satisfied.
I agree with the half-full mentailty, I support it completely. I cannot tell you that I enjoy reading the pessimists, leachers or sticks (-ists?)
Give the team a break, its been a LONGGG off-season implementing this new system that I would have to say was VERY intriguing to watch.
Could the team that we fielded yesterday beat the TU team that fielded Saturday? I think it is definitely possible.
Thoughts? New thread?
Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart.
Try not to
Use a derogatory label (leachist?) just because someone saw it differently than you.
Its a long season, and some are more upbeat than others based on yesterday.
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 1:00 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Tuberville said today they held a lot back on offense yesterday. Didn’t show much of their hand.
by Tech92 on Sep 6, 2010 12:10 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I would say that too after the showing he made.
But I’m not a coach, so I suspect he’s telling the truth.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
There is hope for you yet :)
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 1:01 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
i agree
I got the feel that Tubbs felt extrememly confident going into halftime… It is evident in him going for it on 4th down on our 30. I too think he withheld the offense, as to say maybe we were just running on 4 cylinders… If this is the case, I’m ready to fire up the other 4!
God, family, Texas Tech Football
That's a good point about the 4th down conversion try.
He could be that confident in the offense that he decided to try some craziness for a few drives.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Possibly,
I’ve found that I’m rather ballsy playing NCAA ‘11 when I’m deerunkered. But, I always win.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Or maybe he did not have $5 for a bottle of water...
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
Looking at where we are in the Big XII,
I think the conference picture is as murky as it has ever been. Texas and OU look like anything BUT top 10 programs this week, Baylor and A&M win their games in blowouts and have the only really strong QB play right now.
Apparently I’m way out on a limb about SMU, but I just didn’t see anything like the team they fielded last year. Maybe my expectations were too high for the QB that June Jones was comparing to Colt Brennan, but I still think they are in big trouble even with their schedule. We should have handled them in all phases.
I think this is the year we will see some crazy upsets, and we easily could have been the victim of one this weekend. I think we can take OU in Norman, and I also think we better have our Sh*$ together for Baylor and everyone else we typically overlook in the conference.
"Winning isn't everything"... Bob Knight
Who is number 70 on our line?
I can’t remember but he was ball watching quite a bit during the game which also means he was missing blocks. Gotta work on that
by Sawdawg12 on Sep 6, 2010 12:22 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Olsen
He should be better than that, and has been. But for some reason, he seemed to be slow and out-of-sinc at times. I figure Moore will get with him and help (butt kick) him to improve.
TTpilk Psalm 117:
1 ¶ 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.
i don't think
Most of us remembered that we have some substantial injuries with Torres, Zoo, and Jeffers on offense out. Leong was really the only stand out, but really there aren’t really any other receivers out there. I know Lewis is suppose to have a breakout year, but I have been underimpressed with his performances.
We’re there any notable omissions from defense due to injuries? I don’t really notice if there was.
I think bringing back some talent like Torres and Zoo will open up the opportunity for some big play. Good assessment overall Seth.
Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. – Life on the Mississippi
by LBKpiratefan on Sep 6, 2010 12:24 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
This brings up a very good point.
We played with out Torres, who is our go to guy. If he had been available for the game, things might have turned out different. But then again, had Craig James birthed a girl 20+ years ago, this might all taste different. Sorry, I just saw him on TV and refueled the fire/hate.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
I think
It should be Craig James wife birthed a girl or? does that explain a lot? Nancy anyone?
ut is "The Evil Empire"
Oh yea
Kwash, are you not aware that Tech is one of a handful of teams selected by the NCAA to be part of an experimental program that allows girls to play as scholarship players, regardless of any actual talent (or lack there of)? Its all very complex though and I don’t want to confuse all of you.
"Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved." - Jules Winfield
Nope, pretty sure it was Craig.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Yes, there were some guys out
so where is all the depth that we have been reading about in the wr corps ????
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
Good question....
I was just thinking the same thing. I’m glad Leong stepped up his game. Guys like Lewis and Swindall we’re not the playmakers we had heard about. I think Torres is the epitome of a playmaker. That guy will sacrifice his body to get to that ball.
Now and then we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates. – Life on the Mississippi
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
The Good – 3 interceptions, Mcroy’s speed, the new east side structure, the Potts led offense on 25% of the drives. And the best had to be the 61 yard field goal by SMU. I’ve seen many hundreds of football games live & I will never see a field goal longer than that one. Well done. No mention of Adam James that I noticed.
The Bad – Planning by Jones Stadium honchos for 10,000 more fans – the concourses on the east side were impassable most of the 1st half, the lines to the concessionaires were way too long (hint – more fans = hire more people selling sodas & hot dogs), They ran out of bottled water by halftime. It will only get worse at the Texas game if some adjustments aren’t made.
The defense when a draw play was called, we never had an answer for that play. The sputtering offense on 75% of the drives. The inside running game. The QB taking too long to decide on a target (any sacks Potts took were when he held the ball 3 beats too many – either throw the ball or run, doing neither will get you hit).
The Ugly – Long field goal attempts, 4th and 1 twice – the 1st time Tech got a procedure penalty, the second time the ball was snapped beyond the QB.
The net – Tech is 1-0, we have the same record as every team in the top 25 & the coaches know what they need to work on. It frustrates me to no end to think that the best QB on this team didn’t touch the ball once & that Tech may have to lose a game before a change will be made. What are you going to do? Potts looks like a king on the practice field.
And the Just Strange
Why does Texas Tech have two #12’s in the starting lineup? Either Taylor Potts had an interception on defense or the equipment manager has a really bad record keeping system.
Did anyone else notice...
…that on the ECU/Tulsa hail mary touchdown pass there were two #1’s on defense? Is that permitted? Is there some rule I don’t know about or that has changed since I played? If you watch that video of the catch, there is a #1 that actually tackles and goes down with the reciever, and a #1 who is standing over him after the catch. My wife caught it first, then we watched it several times and saw it stopped. Sure enough, there are two #1’s on defense. Strange.
... never punt
I didn't catch that.
I think my wife DVR’d the game, I’ll have to go check it out. I do believe there is a rule concerning jersey numbers.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
I noticed the 2 #12s . .
But then just assumed I was hallucinating (the beer was very cold). I certainly assumed there was a rule that youcould not have 2 players wearing the same number. Anyone know a college ref we can ask?
West Texas sunsets are the best !!!!!!
Go RED RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!
Long live the Pirate Spirit!!!
by IndianaRedRaider on Sep 7, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
not a ref
but the ‘08 rulebook I have says
No two players of the same team shall participate in the same down
wearing identical numbers
Usually I see a player on offense and defense having the same number, but not on the field at the same time, so it’s ok.
I'm sorry
Yes, Potts held on to the ball too long a few times. But, 4 TD’s, no (Big) INT’s. He had a very good game. Garrett Gilber (ut) has 172 yards, no TD’s, no INt’s and they talk about what a great game he had. Lets not continue a QB controversy until we start seeing numbers of INT’s more than TD’s. If Sticks is still the best then our coaches are stupid. Somehow I just don’t see that.
ut is "The Evil Empire"
3 of the TD's were post turnover short fields
The final drive of the half was near perfect. Why does that only happen with less than a minute left on the clock? Two other drives were very good, at the tempo the Tech offense needs to succeed. The rest were more of the same stop and start sputtering offense we saw much of lat year.
And Garrett Gilbert is running a run based attack this year. His numbers will never match those of a spread QB, good or bad. Troy Aikman was one of the worst fantasy football QB’s in his day but he kept winning Super Bowls by handing the ball to Emmitt Smith. Gilbert is an apples & oranges comparison to any Tech QB.
A better question might be: Without the three interceptions, would Tech have won the game?
We were beat for a TD on one of those interceptions...
Terrible throws all day from Padron were major gifts….
"Winning isn't everything"... Bob Knight
by raider realist on Sep 6, 2010 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions
We were beat and badly at that...
our DB worked hard to get into postion to make the play.
They got a gimmie TD off the hands of Davis, gotta say that Padron did not look all that much like a hero…he did continue to play and somehow get the score close, and we helped with that.
women should put pictures of missing husbands on beer cans
more
Great things from the game:
Our hurry up offense. ESPN missed Tech’s second play entirely. Too busy showing fancy graphs.
Pott’s 78 second touchdown drive before the half. Sweet.
Pott’s had no interceptions. Only sacked twice
359 yards passing, 4 TDs, 53 passing attempts. 31 rushing plays.
The D was awsome. 3 interceptions. 5 sacks.
Downside of the game:
4th and 1 at your 34. What would Leach do? Roll the dice and go for it.
"it may look like zombies destroyed it, but that's actually just Garland"
61 yard field goal
As bad as I wanted to see that guy miss it I wanted him to make it. Looked like he had another 5 yards to it also. Incredible and should have been the game MVP. 61 yard fg WOW!
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
61 Yards is Tom Dempsey stuff
Years after I have forgotten every other detail of this game I will be very glad I was there to witness a 61 yard field goal. Amazing.
Good assessment
Seth, you seem to have watched the same game sitting in the hot West Texas sun that I saw in the comfort of my living room out here in Albuquerque. Some really encouraging play on both offense and defense coupled with a lot of inconsistency.
Not sure what to expect from the Lobos this Saturday after their debacle in Oregon, but the Raiders better not come thinking they don’t have to play the game to register a “W.”
How about the debut of the other Tech coaching staff on Sunday? Seeing all those points put up (by both teams) sure reminded me of the Leach years in Lubbock.
At ECU Ruffin and Riley did a suberb Leach imitation
Great game.
"It's time to get down to serious business." Tommy Tuberville
Guess I'm still cautiously optimistic..
I thought Potts looked ALOT cooler in the pocket. Heck he completed 64% for 359 yards and 4 TD’s! If we stop dropping balls and add Torres and Zou back in the mix those #’s get significantly better.
O-line has got to stay on blocks better and open some holes but I’d bet that will be addressed this week.
LB’s are still figuring how best to plug holes. Secondary looked good for their experience level.
CTT said that special teams were his. I’d suggest he get to work.
Still think we held alot back on both sides of the ball. Think we will see lots of improvement.
" I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy." ---Unknown
I'm glad you're here.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
SCORE?
Not that it matters at all, but the score is in-correct on the thread title..
Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart.
35-27, I can't read.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
KWash
After reading all day yesterday I think a freebie is line..
Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart.
should be 35-27
not to be nitpicky.
SMU needed a touchdown and two point conversion to tie.
"it may look like zombies destroyed it, but that's actually just Garland"
We need...
A new countdown, although I’m sure Seth has already thought of it, if only he can pry his self away from wifey long enough…but how..hmm..
Never let success get to your head, never let failure get to your heart.
Overall not bad.....
I contend we saw Potts 2.0 and what we got was Potts 1.0. He is what he is…..good for 2 drives in a row but then he goes into a funk for another 3 or 4….TTU needs him to be able to go 4 or 5 drives in which we score….that is how we will step up……I think the D played great…..I likie the aggressivness and all the gang tackling even in the secondary…but when we get spread out not very good tackling…..I truly do believe we saw very little of both O and D playbooks and that will continue vs nmu…..can’t wait for ut….I’ll be there! Wreck’Em
Overall grade average and expected with first game.
Good: Secondary play by Phillips and Johnson. Tre’Porter even got into the act. Secondary play was a surprise. Leong was hot all day. Missed Torres and Zou
As expected: LB play was spotty and inconsistent – is the argressive play substituted with complexity? OL was inconsistent. Waddle play good.
Potts: slow decision making initially. Great touch and accuracy, especially drive before half. Good and bad performance (some bad habits showed but not as much)
Bad: Second half 3rd and most of 4th quarter defensive and offensive play. No aggressive play particularly defensive 4-3 play. I thought we were to emphazise closing strength.
Running, not good looked slow to develop, too predictable.
"It's time to get down to serious business." Tommy Tuberville
Kept my eye on Tuberville:
Impressions and one concern:
Although the running game opened up a little I’m still concerned about it. What happened to the delay draw that Batch ran so well. I guess it went to Key West.
For some reason it doesn’t feel like five sacks to me. Seems like the majority of the time Padron had plenty of time to find receivers. Comments?
Concern: In years past, anytime the players had an important play coming up, Leach would enter the time-out huddle with ruffin or lincoln to emphasize its importance. Not so yesterday with Tuberville. All he did was walk the sideline leaving the talking to his assistants. Think the team may miss that aspect of the head coach.
I was sad about not getting to see Batch run that draw too!
He’s so quick with that first step. Those were always his best runs under Leach.
¡Viva los Matadores!
did not think we were very good
"There's going to be ups and downs but you have to enjoy the battle." Mike Leach
by blackbeard on Sep 6, 2010 3:15 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I still don't see how Padron still had his head attatched after that.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Is that after he lost his shoe?
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
I thought he pulled up a bit to prevent a helmet to helmet contact and risk of a penalty.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Sober thoughts
I watched the game again this morning on TV, and overall it wasnt a terrible outing.
Potts- is getting WAY more credit than deserved though. Alot, if not most, of his passes were not on the money. What happened to a good QB hitting the receiver’s hands in stride? Didn’t see much of this. Potts still seems to have trouble with the screen pass, and locks on to his receivers with his eyes. Mark my words, a good D will have a field day picking him off. I sincerely hope he makes improvements before he loses us a game.
Bird- Did not impress me at all. Had the deer in the headlight looks many times. Can’t just stand still as an ILB.
Davis- I feel that Davis is the strongest point of our D
Running Game-I could have sworn we were working on run blocking all summer? Tubs is one hell of a sunshine pumper. Hope this improves.
Gallington? (#70)- Sucks, plain and simple. Give someone else a chance on o-line.
Duncan- Gotta learn to use his hands to get past blocks
Sp. Teams-no excuse for that performance
I know I said it wasnt a terrible outing, then listed a bunch of bad. But all in all I think that we were on par if not better than our usual season openers. SMU really isn’t a terrible team. The mistakes that were made are mostly correctable mistakes.
#70 was Chris Olson
Both sacks,I think, are due to his poor play. He looked out of sync all day.
TTpilk Psalm 117:
1 ¶ 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.
Best Thing About This Weekend
I got to see my daughter, who is loving Texas Tech as an entering freshman. She ‘s going to class and getting it. She’s working out daily, has lost five pounds, and is a Tech hotty. I kid. And keep your hands off!
The campus and the neighborhood look great. Jone Stadium is so much nicer than it used to be when I saw Tony Franklin and Russell Erxleben kicking 60 yard field goals for the opposing teams. Franklin used to consistently kick exttra points out of the stadium. Thus, i was impressed with the 61 yard kick, but suspect we’ll see its ilk again.
Tech’s offense was inconsistent. At least five drops. We missed Torres and Zou. If Douglas can learn to hold on to the ball, he’s a talent with the ball in his hands. Very quick and elusive. Detron Lewis is a good receiver, but less than special as a punt returner. Let punts hit the ground that should have been caught. Too much juking and not enough running straight up the field.
Colby Whitlock, Brian Duncan and Cody Davis are studs on defense. The young DBs have tremendous speed and closing speed. Tech’s DBs will be stout for the foreseeable future. Bront Bird disappointed in the middle. SMU ran the ball much better against Tech than we did against SMU. If run blocking was an emphasis in the off season, we’re in for many frustrating offensive drives stalling. Tech’s running game was unimaginative and predictable. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL POTTS TO PULL THE BALL AWAY FROM THE TAILBACK A FEW TIMES A GAME AND TAKE THE TEN TO FIFTEEN YARDS THE DEFENSE WAS GIVING HIM!!! I’ve heard Potts ran in HS. If he would try to do so once or twice a game, the running game and offense would benefit tremendously. The QB read was available all game.
Sitting on the East side the whole game, I’m glad I didn’t melt. Very sunny and warm. The less than stalwart fans left the game at halftime never to return. At least that cleared out the SMU riffraff.
My wife and I are heading up to see the NM Lobos and Red Raiders next week. Texas the week after. Hopefully, the improvement from week one to week two and three will be sufficient to allow for a competitive game. College FB is funny in that you never know what you’re going to get from week to week. As Tech fans, don’t we know it?
If you are in my hometown of el paso.....
Your daughter looks at Lubbock as an oasis…I did. Heard tuition has gone through the roof.
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 4:27 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Thoughts
Going into every Tech game I always want a blow out for us but that just isn’t a realistic possibility, I guess. So I was dissappointed that it wasn’t a blowout but I need to tell myself this is a new scheme pretty much in all aspects of football. Different defense, different offense (albeit slightly different but different). I think we need to give TT some time to develop this team the way he wants it and I am going to put trust in him. He was successful in the SEC and feel he deserves the benefit for now. Still Potts can drive me crazy and it felt like the defense was trying to dictate some of the action verse sitting back and reacting to what is happening. I have seen comments about Padron giving gifts to our defense and maybe that is the case but you can’t say he wasn’t rattled by the defense plus he had to come out late in the 4th qtr because he was getting beaten up by us. Also if Cody Davis picks that ball in the endzone we are having a completely different discussion, if you ask me. All in all a W is a W and let’s move on to UNM and hopefully we see some improvement. One last comment regarding our offense. If our O-Line protects well then our offense will roll but if we can’t keep people off Potts then we will struggle. Also felt we missed Torres badly.
Just my 2 cents worth!
by ttu-thewoodlands on Sep 6, 2010 3:39 PM CDT reply actions
Who is number 70 on our line?
I can’t remember but he was ball watching quite a bit during the game which also means he was missing blocks. Gotta work on that
by Sawdawg12 on Sep 6, 2010 3:44 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
From Tuberville's interview concerning our Defense in the 1st half.....
COACH TUBERVILLE: I thought the defense played excellent. I was really, really concerned with the young defensive backs, new scheme, we’re playing a team that runs every formation in the book, and they threw it all at us. Screens, draws, power plays, crossing routes, and I thought they did a good job. They kept us thinking at times.
Not bad at all.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
-1 tubs
He tweeted that it was a great win and that the raider walk was great and people wore their red.
How bout telling us you weren’t happy with the crappy 4th quarter and we will finish better.
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 4:30 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Don't know...
I agree with oldschool. Let the squad do the cheerleading; the coach needs to make the adjustments. In order to make the adjustments, the coach needs to see the problems. It makes the discerning fan feel good when the coach verbalizes this problems so we know he’s working on them.
You get over making assumptions
You don’t barely beat smew and your only tweet is great win.
Waiting with baited breath your rankings
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 7:30 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
He does admit the team needs
work in his post-game transcript. And he took the blame for the 4th down call. Apparently it was Brown that convinced him to go for it.
http://www.texastech.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/text/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/TubervilleQuotes
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Again....
I’m addressing his one and only tweet
Feel free to be ok with it…I’m not
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:22 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
And I'm not pissed, etc
Just wanted to hear something other than great win, wearing red and raider walk
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:23 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
He did say that
Good start. We obviously have a lot of work to do on a lot of things.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Or how about this:
Again, as I told our players, lot of mistakes but not anything you can’t correct. You can’t correct effort, and we don’t have any effort problems. We’ve got some mechanical problems, some technique problems, coaching problems like I made on the fourth down. I’ll get better after this game. I’ll get better next week.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Or this:
But it was, you know, Lyle Leong making plays, everybody made plays. We had a couple of drops, which you’ve got to make in certain situations, but, again, we found out a lot about some guys and some guys stepped up. There are a lot of things we’ve got to work on.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
We will do better
17 character which leave 143 to comment on wearing red
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:34 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
He has a lot more BS, that's for sure
Which I don’t mind as long as he keeps winning. I have a BS filter always on, so I just tune out the salesmen types when their prattle strains credulity. It’s a silent ‘Yeah whatever buddy’.
HIs job is part salesman. You still don’t get that?
by Tech92 on Sep 6, 2010 6:53 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
HIs job is part salesman. You still don’t get that?
by Tech92 on Sep 6, 2010 6:53 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm in sales chief....
You acknowledge the elephant in the room…always
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 7:27 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
And I'm addressing just his one and only tweet
Nothing else
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 7:56 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
…In a press conference, which he did…chief. You really expect every bit of communication he puts it to address a concern? Do you address your product weakness every time you address the product? I hope not.
by Tech92 on Sep 6, 2010 8:41 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm with oldschoolraider
and I’ve been in politics/government for most of my career. You can say it was a good win but the game also showed what we really need to work on in a tweet. Some people won’t read the transcript, they’ll only see the tweet. It’s about credibility IMHO.
And regarding your comparison addressing every weaknesswhen you address a product – it’s not the same – we all witnessed the game and saw the weaknesses. We want our leader to acknowledge them too – which he did in the transcipt – not just put a happy face on everything like in the twitter post.
Words matter, and if I am going to tweet
I’m not going to call hanging on to beat smew a great win in my one and only tweet.
Crucify me for feeling that way….please
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:45 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
He did mention right up front post-game that they need to work on finishing.
He doesn’t need to start every conversation between now and Saturday with that phrase.
Where was Eric Ward?
Was Eric Ward hurt? Also what did you think of the play of Scott Smith? If we are going to run plays under center we need to make it a balance of run and pass so that it is not a dead give away that we aren’t just going to sneak it or just run it.
No one is talking about how poorly Bront Bird played yesterday. I heard good things about him all summer and then saw him look lost, out of position, and missing several tackles throughout the game. He couldn’t shed a block to save his life yesterday. Not what I was hoping for from our senior middle linebacker. I thought the rest of the defense looked really good though.
SMU scored a touchdown on a 4th down that went squarely off of Cody Davis hands, made a 61 yard field goal, and a field goal when starting from inside our 10 yard line. Take away those 13 points that I don’t blame the defense for and we held a good offense to 14 points.
There sure seems to be a lot of venom in the sunshine pumps
can you be optimistic AND totally pissed off if everyone doesn’t agree with you at the same time?
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piñatas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 6, 2010 7:48 PM CDT reply actions
BTW, this comment not directed at Seth
but at some of the other optimists that have been slashing and burning and getting their blood pressure worked up to dangerously high levels.
I’m glad we won but I didn’t think we played as well as we could have. Sue me.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piñatas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 6, 2010 8:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Shhh
Looking nervously left and right
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:12 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Even it was directed at me, that's okay.
I try real hard to not go too far one way or another. If Tubs acknowledges that after the game there’s work to do and then tweets that he’s excited, that’s just a coach being a coach. We’ve gone from one extreme (Leach) to another and I think it just takes some getting used to. I don’t think the team played perfectly and I think the team has some room for improvement. But if we can find a right tackle that can kick some ass (McDaniel), then I think the running game improves dramatically. If Bront Bird can figure out that he needs to go to the empty space along the line, then stopping the run improves. Of course if those things don’t happen, then we might be in for a really long season, but the only way I would have gotten worked up is if the team looked like they were not prepared. That defense was pretty damned good.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
And one more note.
All of Tubs tweets are sunshine pumping. They are never ever critical or give out any real information. If you want to follow Neal Brown and he says something negative, then I’d be worried, but I don’t think a person is going to properly express themselves in 140 characters.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Unless it's me and I'm letting everyone know that I was at the O-Bar.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
I'm with you
and I love the fact that Brown convinced him to go for it. That will pay off more often than not.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piñatas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 6, 2010 8:44 PM CDT up reply actions
And I said that things
were “sokey” at the O-Bar. No sir, I had not been drinking.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Fair enough
I just know what I want to hear from a coach..
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:32 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
We may just have to agree to disagree
but he did say, a handful of times that the team needs improvement in his post-game press conference and I’d bet when I get today’s press conference, we’ll see similar comments.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
I don't disagree about his press conference...
"It's fun to do bad things"- Latarian
by oldschoolraider on Sep 6, 2010 8:36 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I’m glad we won but I didn’t think we played as well as we could have.
I think everyone agrees with that. Just choosing to not look at this WIN as the end of the world. We did win, didn’t we?? Hard to tell.
by Tech92 on Sep 6, 2010 8:45 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes, we won the game.
I saw it.
Dissecting the win is fun to do. It’s part of what makes this site great.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piñatas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 6, 2010 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Gagree (quoting Vince Young).
But sometimes in life, it’s okay to be happy.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
cheers to that.
I vote for happy everytime.
"No bullfights. No gambling. No donkeys. No vanilla extracts. No piñatas. None of that stuff. Straight football. No switchblades."
- Mike Leach
by San Antonio Red Raider on Sep 6, 2010 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions
Agree
I am happy that we won. But there are varying degrees of happiness. I suppose it may have something to do with how long the Red Raiders have been breaking your heart. They’ve been breaking mine since 1984 and Jerry Moore. But I’m still hanging in there, I can’t help myself, I love em.
I'm just glad
we didn’t lose. I would have just burned down DTN and walked away. Shit.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Not that I know...
That WD-40 is explosive or anything. Especially when you puncture the can and light the contents spewing out…it doesn’t look like a malatov (sp?) cocktail or anything…I promise.
Potts
Seems like more of the same but I did see him get outside of the pocket a few times which is encouraging. However, the mood in the stands is still very much pro Sticks. I watched him on the sideline and he was bouncing around like a ten year old who just drank a 3 liter of mountain dew. No doubt he wants to be in there and I know the crowd would have erupted if he went in the game. All the said, I’m trying to be patient with this team.
Here’s my theory…Tubs has everything to gain by starting Potts. If he brings in Sticks the fan base will have renewed confidence in our team. If he starts Sticks and he struggled, the fans would be scared out of their mind at the prospect of him taking over midseason. I will try and stay positive, no interceptions and a few beautiful throws. Hopefully we can work out a lot of kinks in practice next week and when we play new mexico junior high.
"I like to think of myself as a one man wolfpack."
by Remington870 on Sep 6, 2010 8:40 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
This blog keeps me in trouble.
All would be fixed if I would go by a new wireless router. But no, I run back and forth from the office to the living room trying to watch the game and blog at the same time. I knocked 2-3 pictures off the wall last season running to the other room.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
I'm not disappointed in yesterdays results.
This is what I call a no win situation for Tech! If we win by 40 (people say well you should have), if we lose (O shit Techs not very good), win like we did yesterday (what the hell is wrong with Tech maybe they are not as good as we thought they were). I guarantee that game yesterday meant a hell of a lot more to SMU than it did to Tech . With that being said we were a play or two away from putting the game away yesterday, we just never could get our foot on their throats and put them away yesterday. I thought SMU played extremely hard yesterday. From my perspective SMU looked a hell of a lot more athletic than the SMU teams we have seen in years past. In reality I believe we are 4 touchdowns better than they are. I thought Cody Davis had a great game he was everywhere on the field, he is going to be exciting to watch. We really won’t know how good we are until two weeks from now.
American farmers feed & clothe the world!
At some point you come to the conclusion that.
A. Ice cream is cold, but cold ice cream is better than no ice cream.
B. Sex makes you sweaty, and gets things wet, but sweaty wet sex is better than no sex.
C. Riding a motor cycle will mess your hair and get bugs in your teeth, but messed hair and bugs in your teeth beat a Volvo every time.
D.The first game of the season can be sloppy, but a sloppy win beats a sloppy loss every time.
FORZA ROSSI
It's comments like this
that make everything right with the world.
" Answers --Become Resources."
Without Questions, There are limited Resources...
Red and White is NOT Black on Black!
Tech looks slow, fat and deliberate dressed in Red and White. Let’s get back to Black on Black, so we at least look mean, faster, and possibly intimidating!
Tubbs is to Red and White what Leach was to Black on Black! The last possession of the 1st half and the 1st possession of the 2nd half was Black on Black (Leach).
The rest of the game was Red and White (Tubbs).
Let’s change colors!!!
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