Five Questions | Gearing Up for Texas Tech's Matchup with the New Mexico Lobos

…and look good doing it.

NM is a bad football program. Their coach has punched out as many assistants as he has wins.

Tech left New Mexico and UTEP behind when they left the Border Conference to join the Southwest Conference. Then they left TCU and Houston behind when they joined the Big 12. Road games at any of these four venues are much harder than we expect because these schools see us as the big brother they have to knock off to move up the ladder. Last time we visited Albuquerque we came home with a loss. This is a classic trap game. I love the players acknowledging their mistake in the Aggie game last year of looking at an opponents score the previous week & taking the night off because of it. I don’t think we’ll lose, but it will be a good 1st taste of a hostile crowd. We’ll need that experience when we visit Boulder, College Station & Normon later this year.

1. Blackbeard is most concerned with (1) obviously the line line play on both sides and (2) the play calling………looked like last Sunday that NB was trying a lot of things and “experimenting”. I would rather see a progression of plays setting up other plays.
2. Blackbeard believes that the addition of experienced receivers is a way big plus.
3. Blackbeard thinks that the best thing about playing NM tis week is that we are not playing UT.
4. DAVIS, DAVIS, DAVIS
5. Special teams is Katfish’s baby…….and right now it is a very ugly baby.

What drives the posts that show up in the “Related Fan Shots” and “Related Fan Posts” sections on the right? Almost daily the ancient post “New Boot Goofing” shows up in the related post list. What does a 10 month old post about a brand new pair of cowboy boots have to do with anything we are talking about today? It’s like a completely random selection of ancient posts blocking my path to the list of current threads.

1. Biggest Concern: It’s a game we should win with ease and that concerns me especially with it being a road game. O-Line needs to step it up and start acting like they know what they’re doing. NM is probably the most disfuntional team in the country and Tech needs a big win heading into next weeks game.
2. Torres is the best receiver we have and he will have huge impact is he’s healthy and plays. We need his presence on the field. Zou will also add more depth to an already loaded receiving team.
3. Best thing about this game: It’s NM and we need to see what we are made of before playing UT. Players need to work out the kinks.
4. Secondary: Cody Davis and Tre’ Porter are where the strength come from IMO. I would like to see the rotation at corner to continue. I think we have a great secondary this season with awesome athletes. Get Urell in the game also.
5. Special teams: I give them a “C”. I’m looking for Wes Welker and Tyrone Thurman and haven’t seen anything close to that. Defending the return has been adequate at best and I’m also looking for a defender to flaten somebody and force turnovers. So far Stephens has done alright but we need a break away runner like McRoy aka the “rabbit”. Detron has no business being on special teams and I fear we risk injury having him there. LaCour is a great punter and I like his ability to get the ball down field. Williams is a great kicker inside 35 yards but I fear we will eventually need longer range. Is Corona still around and if so we had this kid come in on scholarship didn’t we?

1.MatadorProud is most concerned with the O-line and feels they need to open more holes for the running game and looks forward to seeing #25 and #24 bust through. She is also concerned that Carona cannot kick the ball out of the back of the endzone on kickoffs (with the wind at his back!) which in turn leads to a 92 yd return.
2.MP agrees Torres is a great receiver but doesn’t want to risk him if he’s not ready but is excited to see him on the field, as well as Zouzalik.
3.MP believes the best things about playing NM this week is hopefully the team’s improvement, we’re playing and I get to watch!
4.MP was most impressed with Cody Davis without a doubt! and Tre’ Porter, especially being his first college game and a freshmen.
5.MP is confident with LaCour and glad TT gave him his scholarship back, knows Matt Williams limitations and is happy with that, and is highly disappointed in Carona’s performance.

1. I am concerned about a letdown to an inferior team like the one we had against the exact same team last year even though we DID win….you could argue we lost a lot more besides the game. I dont care HOW bad they are and how bad they lost last week the fact that we may overlook them like we did A&M last year bugs me. Oregon over NMState reminds me TOO much of KState over A&M.

2. I am relieved Zou will be back. However the fact that Torres will NOT be 100% really bothers me. He is one of those Welker/Amendola types that goes all out all the time and if he is NOT 100% he is simply not effective.

3. Everything I said in #1 but the fact that this is now a Tommy Tuberville coached team
 
4. Its hard to pick one…Will Ford is the easy pick, Tre Porter is the burst onto the scene pick, and Davis is the popular pick

5. I am all for getting talented guys playing time like Zou and Stephens on punts and kicks. However, HOW ABOUT McRoy….this kid was talkin smack about how he’s the fastest guy on the team. Then he goes out and freakin proves it…. Get him on the return team for cryin out loud

1. That we wont struggle enough and that game won’t help prepare the team for UT.
2. It won’t matter that much that they are back because we had guys open on Sunday and our QB did not see them…seems to be focused in on one read anyway..
3. I am glad we did not line up in the I-formation….
4. Tre Porter is going to be a Stud on D. I am glad we got him1
5. I thought for the most part special teams was about like what we have come to expect over the last few years…Field goals are not a given, we seem to give up big returns at the absolute worst times… I think it points to a lack of depth and I don’t expect that things will be too different the rest of the year. I am not saying they will be the doom of the season, I am just saying that IMO we should not expect too much more than this from our special teams……

I just can’t seem to get myself worried about this one. The weather should be alot cooler and the defense should be able to keep their legs under them. Potts will have 4 or 5 TD passes (all to Leong) and I wanna see a blocked punt.

Then on Sunday we can start discussing Texas and the white helmets the team will wear on the 18th.

1. LondRaider’s biggest concern about New Mexico is that the bus driver might get lost heading to the game.

2. Good to have Torres and Zoo back. Is Torres really back though? We could use the sure hands.

3. London Raider feels best that New Mexico might even be worse than Weber State.

4. LondonRaider was impressed with Davis’ field presence and Johnson’s athleticism. He also hopes that Tech can afford to redshirt Johnson. Texas Tech seems to have gone from a shortage of defensive backs to a surplus in one week. LondonRaider is feeling good about that, but guessing that decision hinges on the pace of LaRon Moore’s recovery.

5. LondonRaider does not think that LeCour’s punting or Stephens’ returns offset the pitiful play of Tech’s special teams. Against UT the last two years, Tech only had one bad special teams play in each game, and it pretty much cost us the game in 2009 and nearly cost us the game in 2008.

Maybe if I made more money. Seems like several celeb’s and pro-athletes excel at 3rd person quotes. I’m just not great at it.

1. I’m with LR, if we don’t show up the stadium it would count as a loss. That’s a big concern.
2. Hopefully a lack of dropped balls is what they bring. Though I’m not opposed to playing Torres a couple of series and then bring him out to save for next week.
3. Winning breeds winning. Good confidence builder if we execute well. Nothing wrong with gaining more confidence with solid execution prior to UT game.
4. Can’t pick one. I was really impressed with the whole group, pleasantly surprised. Though I do hope they tell Davis if you knock the ball to the ground on 4th down it is our ball. No need to get the interception there. Just knock it down.
5. Want to see McRoy on kicks and pull Detron out of there. And my feeling is anything past 40 yrds, just go for it if it is less than 5 yrds for first. No 4th and long attempts, I’d rather risk the FG there. 4th and anything beyond 45 yrd FG, I say you just go for it. I just don’t see us converting many over 45 yrds this year.

1. Merrik’s biggest concern is that we’ve got Texas next week and this fits nicely into the standard definition of the trap game. A down and out opponent looking with something to prove, and always gets up when they play us anyway. Meanwhile we all have 9/18 circled on our calendars. There’s nothing UNM could do to us to beat us if we are prepared and focused on beating them Saturday.

2. Both receivers are huge for the team. Merrik thinks our 2 missing TDs against SMU had Torres and/or Zou written on them. They’ll be ready to play and hopefully immediately improve our offense from a B to a B+.

3. The best thing about the closeness of the SMU game is that I think it does a lot to defeat any sort of trap game mentality. Odds are that large swaths of the team got their collective asses chewed on this week. The last thing they’re probably thinking about is the Texas Longhorns; they just want to go out and play better this week.

4. Davis is a tackle machine and he’s only going to get better.

5. Merrik thinks Matt Williams can make 40 yard field goals. Don’t even try anything beyond that. We’ve got to improve our special teams play, but it won’t be a factor against UNM.

Our coaching also needs to be better this game.. we had a lot of bonehead moves and playcalls last game that can’t happen if we’re going to have ultimate success.

If we don’t look good, we will all say fire Tuberville and bring back Leach.

1. This is a wash, no one can bounce back for that kind of thumping 100%; doubt, jealousy and inflated confidence are triplet sisters from hell. The entire NMU team and staff has to be fighting that nagging little worm of self doubt. On the other hand no on could not watch that thumping and not have some issues of over confidence. The TT staff will take care of the over confidence issue. A brief discussion of Custer getting his ass handed to him should do.

2. I am glad they are back, but Leong is to Potts as Crabtree was to Harrell

3.The Food.
      It is pepper season and the Chili Rellenos, Green Chili Stew, and the whole New Mexican Food Deal is hard to
      beat. I suggest you chose a very “Hoppy” beer to go with this level of spicy food as the Hopps and the Capsaicin in
      the peppers blend to to bring out the best in the beer.
4. Will Ford. I am an Abilene homer after all.
5. Kicking is a black art. I think we need to send Williams to the “Cross Roads” to make a deal for kicking skills with
     the Devil, He could trade Craig James soul.

Sometimes I think Alex Trlica is the most underappreciated player in Texas Tech football history.

1. ttpilk645 says that Tech will win this game easily, though not as big as did Oregon. My only concern is that everyone come out of the game healthy.
2. The return of Zou can only help the return AND the reception games. Torres can only play a little, but him just being there should help everyone’s attitude. Tech missed them both last week. That is one reason Leong got so many passes thrown his way, although I think he showed he can definitely be a go-to guy in the crunch.
3. The Lobo defense. I think we can totally destroy them because their defense will be unable to stop many of our plays.
4. Davis had a monster game. However, some of that had to do with the indecisions of those up front. Hopefully the line and linebackers will step up. Porter, Johnson and Ford all had good games, too.
5. I don’t think Williams understood that all he had to do was just get the ball up quick. He has a strong enough leg, so just letting things flow naturally without trying so hard will do well enough. I am soooo disappointed that Corona just has not been all that we had hoped for when he was signed. There is no doubt he has the abilities to be an awesome kicker. Somehow, his head got in the way. Call the Chaplin.

1. Biggest Concern: Centex is pawn in game of life; his opinions are like rain on parched land sweet but fleeting. That being said his biggest concern: O line blast blocking and B. Batch stomping a mud hole in some Lobos LB and DB’s. It’s not enough to have a win over the former border conference rivals the Raiders need a thrashing no more throttling of wolf cubs. Centex thinks 30 touches not enough for Running backs and not nearly enough helmet drubbings for big nastiess named Keown, Gallington , Okafor, Mcdaniel or Olson and whoever starts at Left tackle.
2nd least concern is QB play despite some slow series (I known here after as Centex the all knowing) personally saw enough upside to Potts against SMU. Centex says receiver get fed to catch pass and if touch ball keep said ball until thrown physically to the ground.

2. Centex say no matter if Torres and Zou’s get back only matter if the return in UT game. Centex feel enough receivers for 2 x deep right now let May, Lewis, Stephens and Corn of Dog catch and get bruises keep sure handed men for Texas game in crater of doom know as “the Jones”. Centex has spoken.

3. Centex ears have heard in such a way as t o believe that – detestable bottom feeder known as beergut "the swinish" say : "same old Tech defense" he of aggmatic descent consume more fecal matter than good for him So Centex see with own eyes enough goodness from Chief Willis that Lobos valiant effort may not be able to out thump defense. Predict 14 points or les for Lobos after 2nd string get reps .Centex is cautiously optimistic. And have much savvy here.

4. Cody of Davis kin bring much smack down. Like him much Predict all Big 12 defender council despite louts who are pampered in Austin. Mark Centex sage words.

5. Kickers often ingests poor peyote smoke. Stay away and no talk to them. They are infectious and talk to spirits. Centex predict no more misses from near mystical figure Williams as long as he hit ball held by Zou tribe member. Carona good enough for kick off team, strong leg still better than 10 of 12 opponents. Lacour is a driven personality, he had year taken away don’t worry about punts. Worry about punt cover tacklers they need reps . Centex like many 3rd person speak. Less clutter more bang. End of rant.
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Arizona Raider is concerned that a great coach from a superior conference will get the same inconsistent results as last week.

Arizona Raider thinks that Zou and Torres ought to be used sparingly … games like this are a great way to develop depth while executing basic packages.

Arizona Raider thinks the best thing Tech has going for it is talent and depth.

Arizona Raider likes the entire secondary and is excited to see how much they will disrupt opposing offenses this season.

Arizona Raider believes that Tubbs needs to hire a Special Teams coach so that he can focus on being a CEO type coach.