Tuberville Takes Over:  SI.com's Cory McCartney writes about new head coach Tommy Tuberville taking over for Mike Leach.  This article has been written a handful of times already, but it's still worth your time, especially as spring practices start on Monday.  Here's an exceprt:

"I'm going to have to spend more time on the offensive side of the ball, giving my input and I needed somebody to come in, who knew my mentality that had worked for me and really understood what I think can work for us on defense," Tuberville said.

Defensive coordinator James Willis is well-versed in the SEC attitude Tuberville is looking to bring to the Big 12 South, having served as an assistant under both Will Muschamp and Gene Chizik at Auburn before spending last season as linebackers coach for Nick Saban at Alabama. He's installed a three-man front at Texas Tech to combat the spread offenses that are so prevalent on the Red Raiders' schedule. Defense was also Tuberville's priority in recruiting, as he signed eight linemen and six defensive backs, making up more than half of the class.

"Most teams run the spread in this league, they're going to throw it and we have to make that adjustment here," Tuberville said.

When the coach took to the practice field in Lubbock last week, he did so as a man reenergized. The year away from the sidelines wasn't spent away from the game; he worked as a studio analyst for ESPN, evaluated recruits and traveled across the country to the likes of Air Force, Georgia, Notre Dame and South Florida to observe other coaches' philosophies and reevaluate his own tendencies.

"There's a lot of ways to do things, there's not just one or two," Tuberville said. "When you're coaching sometimes you get ingrained in 'It's gotta be this way; I believe in this.'"

DTN Preview:  I feel somewhat silly doing a preview for a game that I'm not even going to be able to watch . . . even on ESPN 360.  I would truly appreciate someone writing a FanPost for someone that goes to the game.  The Dolphins are led by senior G Ben Smith (5-10/165; 19.8 PPG; 3.7 APG), who hit the game-winning shot against Arizona St. in the first round of the NIT.  He's only shooting 41% from the floor, so there's a chance that if he's not hitting his shots, that he continues to shoot Jacksonville out of the game.  I'd also think that Texas Tech can throw three different players to guard Smith, Roberson, Okorie and Tairu.  Jacksonville's other double-digit scorer is Lehmon Colbert (6-6/205; 12.0 PPG; 6.9 RPG) and this seems like a perfect matchup for SF Mike Singletary.  Colbert shoots 24% from 3-point range, which makes me think he's a similar inside player like Singletary, but probably with more athleticism.  Quite simply, this seems like a matchup where Texas Tech shouldn't be dominated. 

Jacksonville and Texas Tech are pretty even on the boards, but JU does average 3 more offensive rebounds a game.  If D`Walyn Roberts plays like he did the other night, I'm less worried about JU getting on the glass.  Texas Tech should win this game.  Jacksonville is obviously talented, especially considering they went to ASU and won, even though it was a last second shot.  It's never easy to win on the road. 

Smith's 3-Pointer:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that the Red Raiders took note of Ben Smith's 3-point winning shot.  Here's PG John Roberson:

"That was a great shot, especially coming down at the buzzer to bank it," Tech point guard John Roberson said. "Everybody ran into the hallway as soon as they hit that shot."

"I thought the game was over," Roberson said. "There was like two minutes left and they were down by 12. I thought we’d be playing Arizona State."

Dolphins (does anyone else think this is a funny mascot?) Confident:  Morris News Service Jeff Elliott (probably a beat-writer for JU) writes that the Dolphins are supremely confident:

"The buzz around our program is extremely high right now," Warren said. "The support from the city and our fans has been nothing short than amazing. We want to keep this momentum going and see how far we can go.

"While the win over Arizona State was very nice. We’re not satisfied. We’re still working to get better and try to win this game and advance in the tournament."

Baby Steps:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that Texas Tech's goal right now is to make the final four of the NIT and get to New York City.  Head coach Pat Knight thinks the team has a right frame of mind:

"How could our ego be big?" he said. "We got beat up pretty good for three weeks. These kids are just happy to keep on playing."

With the hope for a New York City trip planted in their minds, Knight said he will change his theme when addressing the team before today’s game. He wants the players to look at this as a senior night re-do, in which seniors Nick Okorie and Darko Cohadarevic can avenge the 86-68 loss to Baylor in their final guaranteed home game March 2.

Okorie and Cohadarevic have both played perhaps the best games of their Tech careers in the past weeks. Now they will get the chance to leave their home court with a win.

"I wouldn’t say we have more to play for," Okorie said, "but seeing as how this is our last couple games, we don’t want to lose."

No Television:  I should have addressed this above, but there's no television today. None.  Zero.  Zip.  Zilch.  From reading Courtney Linehan's blog post, it appears that it's ESPN who chooses who is on television, but I really have no idea.

Texas Tech (8-11, 0-1) vs. Texas A&M (14-3, 1-0)
Location: Olsen Field : College Station, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - JaModrick McGruder (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Garrett Totten (So.);
3RD - Justin Berry (So.)                                  1ST - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

The Game: Son of a son.  Starting pitcher John Neely (3.0 IP; 8 H; 4 R; 2 ER; 1 BB; 4 SO) couldn't get out of the 3rd inning, but the defense gave up 3 errors, so I'm at a loss right now.  The fact that a starting pitcher can't get out of the third inning (seems like this trend has happened for quite a while).   Still, 6 runs seems like an improvement from the last 2 weeks, but I think I'm being a tad bit pessimistic.  The offense was led by RF Jamodrick McGruder (1-3; 1 R) and SS Joey Kenworthy (1-4; 1 R; 2 RBI), but this was it.  Ugh x 2.

Recap:  LAJ's George Watson has the recap:

A throwing error by Tech shortstop Joey Kenworthy with two outs in the second loaded the bases, and Greene made the Red Raiders (8-11, 0-1) pay with a single through the left side to give A&M (14-3, 1-0) a three-run inning and a 3-2 lead it would not relinquish.

"I didn’t have a good grip on it, and with (Barrett Barnes), a great athlete you figure a guy like that over there can catch anything," Kenworthy said. "But it was a terrible throw and there’s no excuse for a senior shortstop to throw it away like that, especially in a Friday night conference game. I take full blame for that one."

Outside of that one inning, Tech pitchers did a good job against A&M bats, scattering 13 total hits. Joaquin Hinojosa’s two RBI singles accounted for A&M’s only other runs until pinch-hitter Brett Parsons’ RBI double in the sixth pushed the Aggie lead to 5-2. A two-out throwing error by catcher Jeremy Mayo on a wild pitch with two on in the seventh gave A&M its final unearned run and a 6-2 lead.

Big Shout-Out: A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was a little tired because I had gone to a Dallas Mavericks basketball game the night before.  Lo and behold, I got an incredibly nice email from a DTN reader, RRChica, who also works for the Mavs and offered myself and my wife tickets to last night's game.  Well, last night was the game she arranged for us to go to.  My wife and I met RRChica thanked for giving us seats and then told us that she was placing Double-T Nation on some of the signs around the arena.  What?

Shocked and flattered I waited (it's one of those rolling ads that mentions 15 to 20 businesses and each one is on for 20 seconds or so) and RRChica snapped a shot of DTN at the Mavs:

Holla!

So, a big huge thanks to RRChica.  My old lady and myself had a great time last night.  Our seats were great, much, much appreciated.

Join DTN's 2010 NCAA Bracket Challenge:  You don't have much  time left, so go join up and kick my rear picking the bracket.  JOIN HERE!

I think you should also be able to watch the games live here on DTN (this is me hoping that the widget works) and consider this your open thread:

Launch Player

Wishful Thinking:  I missed this yesterday, but apparently Denton Ryan's Scotty Young, and future Texas Tech quarterback, threw a complete game, striking out 14 and allowing only 1 hit.  It's wishful thinking in that I could only hope that Young could pitch for Texas Tech, but from all accounts, it appears that Young is a heck of a pitcher, with an incredible arm and we better start praying he doesn't get a huge offer to go play baseball in the MLB Draft.

New Assistant Coach:  I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned on the official site, but Amarillo.com's Lance Lahnert reported that Scott Parr, the offensive coordinator at West Texas A&M, will be an assistant coach with Texas Tech:

Scott Parr: The West Texas A&M offensive coordinator has landed an assistant coaching job with Texas Tech. Parr has already started his new job and Tech is lucky to get this dedicated and talented young coach. He will be missed around here.

Here's Parr's bio page on the WTA&M website and apparently he likes offense and puts up big numbers:

The man behind WT's record-breaking offensive unit is Scott Parr, who returns for his third season as the team's offensive coordinator. Parr initially joined the Buff staff in 2006, splitting coordinating duties that season.

During the 2008 season, Parr's offensive unit scored 50 or more points on six occasions while breaking no fewer than 64 team, conference and NCAA playoff records. Among them were records for most yards total offense (7,079), total offesnive yards per game (544.5), total points scored (626) and points per game (48.1). Under his guiadance, quarterback Keith Null shattered the WT and LSC records for passing yardage (5,097), passing yards/game (392.1) and highest completion percentage/season (67.5), among others.

Preview with Gonzo Ball:  I did a Q&A with Gonzo Ball, I'm going to be in court most of the day today, so check in over there to see my answers to his questions.  I'll be posting GB's answers today at 9:00 a.m.

Learning About Pirates:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that the Red Raiders have a short time to learn everything they can about the Seton Hall Pirates.  Here's head coach Pat Knight with a summary:

"They have a good center who was at New Mexico State, Herb Pope, and it kind of revolves around him," Knight said. "They full-court trap and look to push the ball up. It's nothing we haven't gone against this year."

Looking to 2011:  DMN's Mike Graham writes that the Red Raiders are hoping that a NIT birth will lead to a NCAA birth in 2011:

"I talk to (Baylor's) Scott Drew a lot and he really thought the NIT really helped his team because he had a good nucleus coming back like we will [next year]," Knight said during the Big 12 coaches teleconference on Monday. "Just to get them that exposure, even if it's just one game, having a couple extra days of practice, the travel, playing a really good opponent like Seton Hall in the Big East. I think, no matter what happens in the game, it's going to help us get ready for next year."

Snip.

"They've been working for that all year. Everybody wants to go to some type of postseason, the NIT or NCAA. Because we haven't been to any postseason for two years, my guys are really excited."

Texas Tech (8-9) vs. Texas St. (8-6)
Location: Dan Law Field : Lubbock, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.); RF - MaModrick McGruder (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Garrett Totten (So.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

Funeral Arrangements for Mark Austry:  Mark Austry was the former Texas Tech baseball player that passed away after finishing the Rock n Roll half marathon on Sunday and the official site has the details:

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a college trust fund for daughter's Isabella (age 3) and Anna (age 1). To donate, please contact Britt Harper with Edward D. Jones in Seminole, Texas.

Memorial Fund For Isabella and Anna Austry
C/O Britt Harper
120 Southeast Avenue B
Seminole, Texas 79360
(432) 758-1688

Finding Consistency:  LAJ's George Watson writes that the baseball team must find some consistency before starting Big 12 conference play (which starts this weekend):

"We need to play a little better," Tech coach Dan Spencer said Monday regarding the TCU weekend. "We were down in all three games early against a good team on the road, and that's not a good recipe for winning. We had a lot of innings where we pitched well, we just gave up some big innings, and we've addressed that with the kids. It's hard to recover from (big innings) against good people, and that's all there is to it."

It all goes back to consistency.

The inconsistency bug had bitten all three phases of the Red Raiders. Last week it was the pitching that took the brunt of the blame. And to the staff's credit, the pitchers improved slightly, lowering their ERA from close to 7 to 6.51 coming out of the weekend. But it wasn't because Tech's opponents scored fewer runs.

Of the 25 runs scored by TCU this weekend, 12 were unearned, including the first five on Sunday thanks to a Jeremy Mayo passed ball on a strike three that could have helped Tech get out of the inning unscathed. Instead, another grounder followed by a couple of home runs led to five unearned runs in an 8-5 TCU win.

This time, it's the offense's and defense's turn to slide.

Excellent article, go read the whole thing.

Explaining the Leach Post-Game Videos:  LAJ's Terry Greenberg (hat-tip LondonRaider), the editor for the LAJ explains that the LAJ received word that the videos existed before OrangeBloods.com, but this was the reason for not publishing:

After Tech rallied to beat Baylor at Cowboys Stadium in the last regular season game, Leach ripped his team for a weak performance. In roughly seven minutes, he dropped the f-bomb 38 times and added in another 13 words you wouldn't say to your pastor.

Newsworthy?

No ... a football coach cussing out his team is not news.

And then Greenberg, who rightfully asks why was Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com was even making this request, and Greenberg's phone calls and emails have not been answered:

One Freedom of Information request asking Tech to release the videos was from orangebloods.com ... a University of Texas sports Web site and part of the rivals.com national network.

Huh?

Why would a UT sports-related site care about this?

My e-mail and phone efforts to ask the people who run orangebloods.com were not answered Friday.

You may not always like the coverage of the LAJ (I'm not one of those people), but I really appreciate what they've done here.  Bravo.

Game Change:  Hat-tip to jeffinhouston, the SMU vs. Texas Tech football game has been moved to Sunday, September 5th at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.  I say that this is good news, especially as Monday will be a holiday.

Tubs Sit-Down:  Sporting News Matt Hayes talked with Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville.  Go read the whole thing, it's worth your time, but here's a snippet:

SN: It's never easy following the controversial end to any successful coaching era. This one at Tech was especially difficult. Has the transition been easier than expected?

TT: Kids are resilient. It's all about trust and belief. We've shown them what we expect and what can happen when we all are focused on the common goal and work together. We've been fortunate to have some success in this game, and that's really the best sales job you can give. Here's how we did it here, and here's what happened. Let's make that happen here.

ESPN Big 12 blogger David Ubben (hat-tip centexraider) read, I think, a little too much into Tuberville's comments regarding the type of quarterback that Tuberville wants in a quarterback:

"I think we're at the point now in the game where you've got to spread things out and get your best players, your fastest players, in space to win those individual battles. That's not saying we won't run the ball, but obviously we're going to throw the ball more than I'm used to. We're looking for a quarterback who can stand in the pocket and throw it, whereas in the SEC, you're seeing more and more of the type of quarterbacks who can throw it and run it."

First off, neither Taylor Potts or Steven Sheffield really ran the ball last year.  They were really both "stand in the pocket" type of quarterback.  Sheffield was obviously more mobile and had 20 rushes for -41 yards, while Potts had 24 rushes for -176 yards, most of those "rushes" were actually sacks.  In any event, I don't think that either quarterback is going to tuck the ball and run, that's not how the offense works . . . I think.  And that's the rub, there is no right answer until we see the offense in motion.  Lots of speculation, and that's good, but the truth of the matter is that we really don't know. 

More photos » Geoffrey McAllister - AP

7 days ago: Former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach, right, and his attorney Ted Liggett, walk to the Texas Tech Administration Building to hear sworn testimony from ESPN analyst and former NFL player Craig James, Saturday, March 13, 2010, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Geoffrey McAllister)

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Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon: Sorry I've been out of touch for the last couple of days.  My wife ran in the race yesterday, ended up leaving the house at 5:45 a.m. and didn't get home until 2:00 p.m.  She did well, but later yesterday afternoon, I read the story about one of Texas Tech's own, Mark Austry, passed away after finishing the race.  Mark was only 32 years old and leaves behind a wife and two daughters.  Rest in peace, Mark.

Texas Tech (8-9) vs. TCU (12-2)
Location: Lupton Stadium : Ft. Worth, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Nick Popescu (Jr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

The Game: I missed covering both games, but to say it's been a rough past couple of days would be an understatement. Saturday's game was a complete loss, both the offense and defense. Former 1st round pick Matt Purke pitched a complete game, allowing only 4 hits and 1 run, while Bobby Doran (5.0 IP; 7 H; 6 R; 5 ER; 1 BB; 6 SO) gave up more than enough to lose the game. Reliever John Neely (3.0 IP; 4 H; 3 R; 2 ER; 0 BB; 1 SO) wasn't spectacular, but I think he just needed to finish the game, especially considering the way that Purke was pitching for TCU. Offensively, there only player to register an RBI was Barrett Barnes (1-3; 1 R; 1 HR; 1 RBI) and he did it off an homerun in the 5th inning.

Sunday's game wasn't much better. Chad Bettis (7.0 IP; 7 H; 7 R; 2 ER; 2 BB; 10 SO) got the start because he didn't pitch on Friday or Saturday. And when I read Bettis' line I couldn't believe that he only allowed 2 earned runs, but somehow the defense allowed 5 runs. Here's the first inning recap for TCU:

TCU 1st - VonTUNGELN flied out to rf (0-1). HOLADAY doubled to left field (0-1). COATS struck out swinging, reached first on a passed ball (0-2); HOLADAY advanced to third. CURRY walked (3-1); COATS advanced to second. ELANDER reached on a fielder's choice, RBI (2-2); CURRY out at second 3b to 2b; COATS advanced to third; HOLADAY scored, unearned. PHARR homered to right center, 3 RBI, unearned (0-0); ELANDER scored, unearned; COATS scored, unearned. PENA homered to right field, RBI, unearned (2-0). SCHULTZ grounded out to 2b (2-2). 5 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Ugh.

The offense did hammer home 12 hits, that translated in only 5 runs. Jamodrick McGruder (2-4; 1 HR; 1 R; 2 RBI) led the team offensively. You should note that McGruder has essentially moved to right field and Barnes has moved to center field for the past two games. Also of note is that normal CT Taylor Ashby didn't play because of a sore back, but Spencer has started to find a spot for McGruder and Barnes, while JUCO phenom, Stephen Hagen, hasn't played as much as I expected. 2B Nick Popescu (2-3; 2 R) and 3B Justin Berry (2-4; 1 RBI) also helped drive in a few runs on Sunday.

NIT Bound: The Red Raiders will play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday night against Seton Hall.  I'm hoping that I can do a Q&A with Seton Hall blog, Gonzo Ball, but with such short notice, I'm not making any promises.

LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that the team is excited to be playing basketball during their spring break, and SG Nick Okorie wants to represent the Big 12:

"I feel like this is pretty much us being able to step up for the Big 12 and show that we’re a competitive team over here," guard Nick Okorie said. "Just because we’re the lower seed team and didn’t make it to the NCAA doesn’t mean we can’t play with the best."

And here's Okorie on Seton Hall:

"They’re a Big East team, they’re good, play fast-paced, shoot a lot of threes," Okorie said. "We have to play good defense, be on the help line when they drive, and pretty much play our game."

Knight Will Coach in 2010-11:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that on Friday, AD Gerald Myers said that head coach Pat Knight will be back coaching next year:

"Last year was a tough year, his first year," Myers said. "We were out-manned most of the time last year. He went out and improved the team with some good recruits, and a lot of those boys are back."

I did think it was odd that Myers took the time to mention that Texas Tech needs better post play, perhaps that's the basketball coach coming out in Myers or perhaps that's Myer's giving PK a huge hint:

Myers does want to see an improved post presence in order to better compete against Big 12 players like Kansas’ Cole Aldrich, Texas’ Dexter Pittman and Baylor’s Ekpe Udoh. And he expects continued improvement through next season.

"I’m looking forward to Pat being our coach for a long time," Myers said.

Leach vs. Texas Tech:  I've completely ignored this story for the most part and you guys and gals have done a good job of keeping up with things.  Skin Patrol transcribed both speeches (these are unedited and will naturally have very colorful language), VirtuaCory with a FanShot on Craig James testimony with this nugget:

Liggett said Adam James testified that he thought being placed in the shed on Dec. 17 "was funny."

The younger James also testified that he "felt no threat of physical harm, and he didn't think that a coach should be fired for the incident that took place on Dec. 17," Liggett said.

And:

An attorney for Texas Tech, Dicky Grigg, told reporters Saturday that Craig James testified that initiallly he only wanted Leach to accept responsibility for the alleged mistreatment of his son.

Grigg said Leach and his attorneys made misleading statements that "are intended to sway public opinion."

Grigg also said that Leach didn't believe the receiver had a concussion and that he "pressured" a trainer "to make Adam practice." That's what led James to seek Leach's dismissal, Grigg said.

"He made no bones about it," he said of James wanting Leach fired.

Attorneys are posturing.  The earth continues to spin on its axis.

Big 12 Questions:  SI's Stewart Mandel wrote on Friday the Big 12's spring storylines, with this bit about Texas Tech:

The hiring of a former standout SEC coach won't automatically soothe the pain felt by Texas Tech fans over the school's controversial decision to fire Mike Leach. Tuberville surely sensed that last January when, upon his arrival, he announced his intention to retain the type of wide-open offense for which the Red Raiders became synonymous during Leach's tenure.

It was a surprising pronouncement from a guy who preached power football throughout nearly his entire time at Auburn, and who in fact met his demise in large part because of a failed experiment to install the spread offense in 2008. Even more puzzling, as his offensive coordinator Tuberville hired 29-year-old Neal Brown, formerly of Troy -- the same place from which Tuberville plucked the ill-fated Tony Franklin two years earlier.

Tuberville and Brown have said there will be slight "tweaks" to the offense -- more run-pass balance, less checks at the line by the quarterbacks, some new formations, etc. -- but for the most part, they don't want to mess with success. To that end, Tuberville pushed back the start of spring practice two weeks (to March 20) so that quarterback Steven "Sticks" Sheffield has more time to heal from foot surgery. Sheffield, who helped ignite Tech's offense during its Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State, and Taylor Potts, whom Sheffield replaced in that game and during an early-season stint in which Potts was hurt, figure to wage a heated fight for the starting job.

This is something that I had not considered, which is the idea that Tuberville could have moved back practices in order to give Sheffield  more time to heal and then could give both Sheffield and Potts a more equal footing to win the quarterback battle.

More photos » Reed Hoffmann - AP

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Birthday Gifts:  This DTN DD is obviously a complete distraction from Mike Leach's colorful language after the Kansas and Baylor games.  In any event, I've been wanting to switch over from a Mach 10 razor to a safety razor and my wife gave me a Merkur razor (it arrived a few days late) and I can now say that I'm incredibly glad I'm making this move.  No cuts or razor burn.  A close shave and it will be a fraction of the cost with replacement blades.  My wife also got me this Catcher in the Rye t-shirt.  This will go down as a win on my 2010 birthday.

Texas Tech (8-6) vs. TCU (9-2)
Location: Lupton Stadium : Ft. Worth, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Nick Popescu (Jr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

Tough Series with the Horned Frogs:  The Red Raiders are set to take on a highly ranked TCU squad and LAJ's George Watson writes that head coach Dan Spencer is concerned about his rotation, especially now that Chad Bettis and Louis Head have been moved back to the bullpen, Bettis being the team's closer, like last year:

"I am a little concerned with the front of the rotation," head coach Dan Spencer said Tuesday after making the moves. "This gives us a chance if we can hang around and be in it at the end of five (innings), then we can fire our bullets. I think this gives us our best chance to win a series on the weekend, a lot like last year. We have a couple more pieces, but we also need a couple more to join the party."

DT's Adam Coleman writes that team wants to avenge the loss last week to the Frogs:

Tech’s Bonham Hough knows beating TCU may be a tall order, but he said if the Red Raiders can play the way they’re capable of, they should leave Fort Worth with a series win.

"TCU kind of put it on us there in game one at Minute Maid and that kind of left a bad taste in our mouths," he said. "We’re going to go there and we’re going to try and give them a little payback."

Result :: Loss : 68-80 : SB Nation Box Score
Record :: 17-15, 4-11
Big 12 Standings :: 9th (tied with Oklahoma and Iowa St.)
Television :: ESPN 360 : Big 12 Network

NIT Hopeful:  I did watch the game last night and for 3/4's of the game, it was a close game for the most part.  I don't know if I'll have time to get coherent thoughts up today (probably not), but there's still a chance that after this weekend, the basketball team will play in the NIT, and although it's not what this team wanted to be playing for at the end of the year, it's better than nothing. 

Live From Kansas City:  I had no idea that Rock M Nation was actually reporting from the Big 12 Tournament, but if you're looking to follow the rest of the Big 12 Tournament, then this is a great option.  Also, don't forget that if you have the means, you can watch the games on ESPN 360 (if your internet service provider allows for it) or through the Big 12 Network (both linked above).  It's Friday and you're not working anyway.

Close Game:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes that the team played the #1 team in the nation very close, are disappointed in the outcome.  Here's PG John Roberson:

"I hate how the score ended up," Roberson said. "We lost by 12 but we were in there the whole game. We were right there. I just wish we could have hit some shots."

Linehan also writes that the team is hopeful for a NIT bid:

Without knowing his team’s fate, Knight said the players will have Friday off from practice while the coaching staff focuses on recruiting. While the rest of Texas Tech’s students begin spring break, the basketball team will practice Saturday and Sunday before finding out if its season will continue.

"I know it was a rough three weeks but we’ve done enough to at least earn that," Knight said. "You’ve got to go down fighting and show hey, those guys are a good team, and it would be nice to have them in our tournament."

Laying It on the Line:  DT's Mike Graham writes that the team wanted to play well this week:

"It always feels good to get back that winning taste in your mouth," Singletary said about Tech’s win against Colorado on Wednesday. "We just wanted to come out in this tournament and just play hard and just put out everything, lay everything on the floor. And I think we did that in the two games, we gave Kansas all they could handle."

Both Pat Knight and Bill Self had good things to say about the Red Raiders' performance:

"Now instead of being in a slump that we had for three weeks, we now have some momentum going into the NIT if we get selected," he said. "So I’m proud of these guys. They played their butts off today and many kids would have quit after the three weeks they had."

Kansas coach Bill Self saluted the Red Raiders’ effort as well.

"I thought they played better than us for sure in the first half," he said. "We were fortunate we were up two at the half. And our energy level, it wasn’t very good."

And PK is looking forward to continuing to work with his team:

"They’re my kids," he said. "I look forward to next year. We’ll have six seniors, a great core returning. Yeah, should we have won more games? I think so. I think we could have won three or four more in this league. And I got lucky as a coach. I keep getting better, just like my players."

Tuberville on Austin Radio:  Someone sent me this link of head coach Tommy Tuberville on the 104.9 The Horn in Austin.  I've listened to the first part of it, but I had to get the Leach post up and watch yesterday's basketball game last night.  I'll give it a listen this weekend.

Pro Day Results:  DT's Alex Ybarra writes that almost everyone had a good day at yesterday's Texas Tech Pro Day:

The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Carter represents a sliver of players in the nation who use college pro days to improve on Combine results, but other former Tech players were in the spotlight for the first time. Notable players who participated were receiver Edward Britton, center Shawn Byrnes, tackle Marlon Winn, cornerbacks Jamar Wall and Brent Nickerson, defensive ends Brandon Sharpe, Ra’Jon Henley and Daniel Howard, linebacker Marlon Williams and defensive tackle Richard Jones.

One of the top corners in the Big 12 Conference throughout his career, Wall wowed scouts with a 40.5-inch vertical jump, building the anticipation for his 40-yard dash. Unfortunately, Wall pulled up 15 yards into his run. A scout for the Green Bay Packers announced that Wall felt tightness in his left hamstring. He ended up running the rest of the drills later but never returned for a second try at the 40.

And the two defensive ends that were spectacular for Texas Tech and the Big 12, Daniel Howard and Brandon Sharpe, also had a good day:

Sharpe, who recorded a school-record 15 sacks last season, jumped 35 inches and ran an unofficial 40-time of 4.6 seconds. His counterpart during the 2009-10 season, Daniel Howard, impressed as well. He got 31.5 inches off the ground and clocked unofficial times of 4.7 and 4.8 seconds. 

From the entire Double-T Nation, we wish all of you the best in the accomplishment of your goals.

Texas Tech (8-6) vs. Gonzaga (5-5)
Location: Dan Law Field : Lubbock, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Nick Popescu (Jr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

The Game: Lots of questionable pitching, for both teams, as it appears that the wind was blowing out all game long. Starter Scott Erzinger (2.0 IP; 6 H; 4 ER; 0 BB; 3 SO) wasn't effective and neither was any other reliever, except for Scott Flora who got the final out of the game. Colt Farrar (3.0 IP; 2 H; 2 ER; 1 BB; 0 SO) was probably the best of the bunch, while Louis Head (2.0 IP; 6 H; 4 ER; 0 BB; 0 SO) had a similar line to Erzinger. On the offense, DH Scott LeJeune (3-5; 1 RBI) and 1B Stephen Hagen (3-4; 2 RBI; 1 HR) led the offense with three hits each. SS Joey Kenwothy, RB Barrett Barnes, PH Bonhan Hough (1 HR) and Taylor Ashby each also had at least one RBI. Despite the offense, it just wasn't enough to keep pace with Gonzaga.

Recaps: LAJ's George Watson has the recap from yesterday's game, but the big news is that head coach Dan Spencer has juggled his pitching staff and Jay Johnson is out as the closer, Chad Bettis is back in as the closer. Here's Watson:

Dan Law Field already plays like an airport runway, so the last thing a weary and thin Texas Tech pitching staff needed to do was leave balls up where Gonzaga hitters could make use of the jet stream.

That’s exactly what happened Wednesday. The Bulldogs took advantage of a howling wind blowing out to left, crushing three home runs in the first five innings and seven total en route to a 13-9 win against the Red Raiders.

Whenever the Red Raiders put up some runs, the Zags scored right behind them.

"You need to get some zeros after you score," head coach Dan Spencer said. "And I understand the yard was playing small today, but you’ve got to make better pitches. Some of it was wind. Some of it was good swings on balls up in the zone. They’re a good hitting bunch and if you get the ball up on a day like today it’s going to go."

Official Site Post Game Quotes (link):

Head Coach Dan Spencer on starting pitcher Scott Erzinger's performance today:
"I think Scott (Erzinger) was okay. He throws a borderline pitch, 2-2, to the three-hole hitter and he balls it. The next pitch he hits it out. Then he gives up three or four consecutive hits. Scott just had a hard time. He got ahead for the most part. He'd have two strikes and then couldn't finish. He couldn't make a quality pitch to end the at-bat. Scott's a redshirt freshman and he's learning on the fly. We're asking him to do some things because of our pitching situation. So we're asking him to do some things before he's quite ready. I'm sure we're going to ask again so we'll just go back to work and continue to grind it out."

Head Coach Dan Spencer on the closing situation now with Bettis back in the bullpen:
"I think there's going to be days you see Jay (Johnson) there still because maybe Chad (Bettis) was burned. I think we'll use them as a two-headed beast. I would think if they are both available, you'll see Jay first and then Chad behind him. We like that fact. Our job now is to try and get the ball to them late. Try to get the ball to them with the lead and shorten the game a little bit."

Not Playing Fair:  LAJ's Matthew Mcgowan writes that Captain Mike Leach isn't being fair in his request for records from Frenship I.S.D. in regards as to when current head coach Tommy Tuberville's children enrolled in school.  Apparently, Judge Sowder has scheduled a hearing to rule on Leach's request for discovery and here's Texas Tech lawya Dicky Gregg:

"We are extremely disappointed that Coach Leach and his attorneys have chosen to invade the privacy of Coach Tuberville and his family through the issuance of a needless subpoena to the Frenship ISD," wrote Dicky Grigg, an Austin-based attorney for Tech. "The subpoena issued by Coach Leach's attorneys is clearly so broad that it could encompass homework assignments, grades, and even medical information about Coach Tuberville's children."

Grigg goes on to write that Leach, through the nature of the request, is fueling a "ridiculous conspiracy theory" that Tech had begun courting Tuberville before firing him.

I too think it was over-reaching and it appears that the judge may be siding with Texas Tech on this one issue, but I guess we'll see.

Texas Tech Pro Day:  DT's Adam Coleman writes about the Texas Tech Pro Day that's scheduled to happen today at Jones AT&T Stadium.  DTN favorite Daniel Howard, who has been training in Florida, had this to day about the process:

Howard is optimistic about his chances of getting drafted and landing on an NFL roster. He said he already has worked out in front of scouts and he’s had contact with a few teams.

Howard said he is just concentrated on getting to an NFL camp, and whether he makes a team depends on what he does there.

"It all just kind of feels normal to me because I’ve expected this for so long," he said. "It’s just been my dream ever since I was little. Now it’s kind of like, ‘I got my shot.’"

From reading the article, you can add CB Jamar Wall, C Shawn Byrnes, DE Brandon Sharpe, RT Marlon Winn and RG Brandon Carter.

Tuberville Named to AFCA Board of Trustees:  Per the official site, Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville was named to the American Football Coaches Association's Board of Trustee.  I'm not sure what the AFCA actually does and I have no interest in looking up what they do, but congrats to Tubs!

This Frustrates Me, But It Shouldn't:  So yesterday morning I mentioned my birthday was yesterday and also the same day as our former Captain (thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes) and that DTN DD was published at 6:05 a.m.  So then DMN College Blog Todd Davis mentions, at 8:45 a.m., Leach's birthday without so much as a link.  Does anyone here believe that Davis had Leach's birthday penciled in on his palm pilot?  I spend almost all morning every morning linking to various newspapers and news outlets and it's always frustrating when it's pretty evident that they read DTN and don't even throw up a link to acknowledge where they got the idea (which even got a link on College Football Talk).  I don't get it, but that's just the way it is.  I know that there's a good working relationship between the baseball folks at the DMN and various bloggers, but that sort of acknowledgment has never been extended my way.  I find it incredibly frustrating, but I guess I shouldn't.  The biggest difference between the DMN college blog is that it's just regurgitating someone else's work and there's hardly ever (except when Mike Graham makes an appearance - more on that later) anything original on the blog.  Quite frankly, it's a joke, and to distinguish the two, see Columbia Tribune's Dave Matter for an example of how it's supposed to work.

Congrats Are In Order:  You probably know the name Mike Graham, who is a student writer at the Daily Toreador, in part because I've referenced his name probably a few hundred times on DTN, but he appears to have found a gig working for the Dallas Morning News.  Congrats to Mike, job well done (I realize the irony of ripping the DMN in the previous paragraph, but this is about Graham getting his foot in the door and that's a good thing).

Texas Tech (8-5) vs. Gonzaga (4-4)
Location: Dan Law Field : Lubbock, TX
Radio: Affiliates

Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Sr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Sr.); RF - Barrett Barnes (Fr.)
Infield:
SS - Joey Kenworthy (Sr.)     2ND - Nick Popescu (Jr.);
3RD - Justin Berry (SO.)                                  1ST - Stephen Hagen (Jr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (So.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (So.)

*Click on the score for boxscore. Texas Tech series preview (pdf).

The Game: SP Brandon Petite (1.2 IP; 2 H; 4 ER; 3 BB; 1 SO) didn't work out so well, but John Neely (4.0 IP; 3 H; 2 ER; 0 BB; 5 SO) was pretty good in relief. The strange twist of the game was that Chad Bettis (2.0 IP; 1 H; 0 ER; 1 BB; 4 SO) pitched the final two innings to get the save (much more on this below) while Jay Johnson, the former closer (1.1 IP; 2 H; 1 R; 0 ER; 2 BB; 2 SO), also pitched in relief. We mentioned after this weekend's games to watch out for the errors and the Red Raiders had two more errors, SS Joey Kenworthy and SP Brandon Petite. Good work from the offense that was led by 3B Nick Popescu (2-3; 3 RBI) and SS Joey Kenworthy (3-5; 2 R; 1 RBI). Both 1B Barrett Barnes (1-4; 2 RBI) and 2B Garrett Totten (1-4; 2 RBI) each also had two RBI for the game.

Recaps: LAJ's George Watson has the recap from yesterday's game, but the big news is that head coach Dan Spencer has juggled his pitching staff and Jay Johnson is out as the closer, Chad Bettis is back in as the closer. Here's Watson:

The key to the game, though, was Neely, who relieved struggling starter Brandon Petite in the second after Petite gave up four runs on two hits and three walks in 12/3 innings. Neely allowed three of the first four batters he faced to reach base. But after Mark Castellitto tripled leading off the third, Neely retired the next nine Bulldogs (4-5) he faced, allowing Tech to get to the sixth with a 7-5 lead.

The Red Raider offense, which was shut down for the most part in Houston, put together two solid rallies, one when trailing 5-2 after the second and the other with the game tied in the seventh.

Nick Popescu tied a career high with three RBIs on a pair of bloop hits, a two-run double in the first and a go-ahead single with runners at the corners in the seventh. In all, the Red Raiders pounded out 13 hits.

There's one thing about Spencer that I like. He doesn't eff around if his team is struggling. If a player isn't performing, he's making changes.

Official Site Post Game Quotes (link): There's actually some interesting quotes so make sure and check them out:

Head Coach Dan Spencer on the pitching shakeups tonight and how well they worked: :
"They did for the most part. We're a work in progress on the mound. We are trying to find guys that basically will just compete, throw strikes and give ourselves a chance to play. We feel our strength is the way we play defense because we can cover some ground and do some different things. We feel like most the time we can score. We just need to throw more strikes. That's where we are addressing. We are going to try and ride the guys without getting a guy hurt obviously. But we are going to ride the guys that throw strikes. I thought John Neely was great. He made a lot of zeros. By moving Chad (Bettis) to the bullpen, allows you to use Jay (Johnson) earlier and that worked out. Having Chad in the game at the end of the game, is a good feeling."

Video Recap: DT's Brett Winegarner:

Game Today
#9 Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-14, 4-12) vs. #8 Colorado Buffaloes (15-15, 6-10)
Time:  11:37 a.m.
Location: Spring Center : Kansas City, MO
Television:  Big 12 Network : ESPN360
Open Game Day Thread:  10:30 a.m.

So Many Previews:  There's a ton out there and I don't have time to preview this morning's game.  Thankfully, there's lots of good writers who care about this more than me:

Rock M Nation's Bill C. - preview of today's games
SB Nation's Peter Bean - Big 12 Tournament preview and Story Stream
Big 12 Hoops Evan Pfaff - on why each team can win or lose the Big 12 Tournament
Rush the Court's Patrick Sellars - Big 12 Tournament preview

Short Turnaround:  LAJ's Courtney Linehan writes about the short turnaround for both Texas Tech and Colorado and C Robert Lewandowski talks about the need for this team to have better intensity:

"We didn’t have intensity, we didn’t have the wherewithal to do what we needed to just play," Lewandowski said. "Lapses in our mental game kind of hurt us."

Head coach Pat Knight says that it's easier to prepare for a team when you last lost to them:

"The one thing about losing is that I think it’s easier to prepare if you have to play someone again if you lose," Knight said. "You’re kind of ticked off and you did something to lose, so now you can try to correct that."

Game Attire and More Singletary Magic:  DMN's Mike Graham has a blog post on why PK wears casual clothes to the games:

"I've got a contract with Under Armour," said Knight, adding that the Big 12 does not allow coaches to wear lapel pins, and so he wears Under Armour golf shirts instead of the company's lapel pins.

"I pattern myself after football coaches," Knight said. "You don't see them with coats and ties on the sidelines, it's a golf shirt or a sweatshirt. So I just like to be comfortable. If it was up to me, George Raveling did the greatest thing when he was at Iowa. They all wore sweatsuits, matching sweatsuits when he coached at Iowa.

"His whole thing was, 'This is what I wear in practice, why wouldn't I wear in practice, what I coach in 99 percent of the time, why wouldn't I wear that for games?' I think if guys want to wear suits, fine. But I don't see the reason for it. We're coaches. I'm not a model. I'm just fortunate enough that my university allows me to wear casual attire, but a lot of it has to do with Under Armour.

I've never cared about what a coach wears, so long as the team wins.  Suit, polo shirt, cargo shorts, whatever.  This probably stems from the thought that I wear a shirt and tie every day and I absolutely hate it.

Graham also wonders if SF Mike Singletary has any more Big 12 Tournament magic after his 43 point performance last year:

"I think it's always going to be in the back of my mind," Singletary said Monday. "Thinking that I have that in me, hopefully it can happen again against Colorado, and hopefully throughout the whole tournament."

Regaining Winning Feeling:  FWST's Dwain Price writes that the Red Raiders hope to regain that winning feeling after losing seven straight and head coach Pat Knight was very complimentary of his defense:

"We play defense like that sieve you've got to drain the spaghetti with," he said. "It's just like holes all over the place -- like the dam that breaks."

That problem for the Red Raiders was evident during Saturday night's regular-season finale at Colorado.

Tech shot 50.8 percent from the field and scored 90 points on the road but still lost by 11 points.

That's because Colorado shot 58.8 percent from the field and converted 7-of-16 3-pointers and 34-of-48 free throws on its way to 101 points.

"Going over the tape, we barely even got one stop," Knight said. "And it's not just getting one stop.

"You've got to put two or three stops together, come down and score, and get another couple stops together."

Baylor's Drew and Recruiting Tactics:  ESPNDallas' Jeff Caplan has an interesting article about Baylor head coach Scott Drew and his somewhat controversial recruiting tactics.  Go read the whole thing, but I wanted to pull a couple of blockquotes from the article:

For example, Drew mailed a flier to recruits that showed a picture of him standing between former Texas Tech coach Bob Knight and former Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie with a caption that read: "Which of these Big 12 coaches has signed a McDonald's All-American?"

A big, red X was stamped across Knight and another across Gillispie. That tactic, along with other negative recruiting mailers throughout the years, has infuriated some conference coaches.

Drew apologized for the flier, but only after Knight cornered him in a bathroom during Big 12 Conference meetings and told him the coaching profession doesn't operate that way. Drew hasn't surrendered his aggressive approach, a recruiting style that one source familiar with the conference deemed "the most negative recruiting in the country."

Snip.

At last year's Big 12 tournament, Texas coach Rick Barnes had harsh words for Drew, stemming from Drew's hiring of Dwon Clifton as director of player development, a newly created position. Clifton happened to be the AAU coach of Kentucky freshman superstar John Wall. Although Drew isn't the only coach adding AAU coaches to his staff, many consider it a shady practice. It ultimately did not pay off in Wall's recruitment, but Barnes made it clear he didn't like it.

"There's a line that he knows that he can't cross with me," Barnes told The New York Times. Asked whether he had anything else to say about Drew's recruiting practices, Barnes said, "I wish I could."

This is one thing that I've always admired about PK, is that he doesn't dip his toe into unquestionable recruiting tactics, but now that the Texas Tech program has struggled to take off, would you trade Drew's recruiting tactics for PK's integrity, or is this one of those situations where you can have both, integrity and strong recruiting, but it's just not happening right now with PK?

Talk with Brewer:  DMN College Blog's Mike Graham has been busy as he talked with recent QB commit Michael Brewer:

Q: Why did you commit to Texas Tech?

MB: They're bringing in a new coaching staff, and I really like coach [Tommy] Tuberville and all the guys that he's bringing in around him. I felt like [offensive coordinator Neal Brown's] new offense would be the best for me out of all the options I had. I feel very blessed and grateful to have all the options that I had, but there was no other place that I wanted to be at the end of the day.

Q: Was it a tough decision to turn down a grayshirt offer from Texas?

MB: It was pretty tough. They wanted me to grayshirt which was, all it was, was coming in a semester late and be their quarterback in the 2012 class. Comparing all the schools that I had, I felt like Texas Tech was the best fit for me. It's close to home so my family can watch me every week, and I'm really excited to get to work with coach Brown and coach Tuberville.

Go read the whole thing. 

Tubs in Midland:  Head coach Tommy Tuberville was in Midland yesterday and CBS 7 has some video of yesterday's event.  Perhaps RaiderDoc can give us a rundown of yesterday's festivities.

More Videos:  The official site has some more videos, specifically interviews with Offensive Coordinator Neal Brown, Defensive Coordinator James Willis, Outside Receivers Coach Tommy Mainord and Running Backs Coach Chad Scott.  There's no link and the video player is really small, but I'm just trying to get you through the day.

Happy Birthday to Me and Captain Leach:  That's right, your intrepid blogger and the Captain both have birthdays today.  I always thought that this was some sort of karma that myself and Leach shared a birthday, but now I don't know what to make of it . . . just coincidence I guess.  I any event, I hope Leach has a great birthday and looks forwards to those tremendously fun depositions scheduled for Friday.

Still Needing Pitching:  LAJ's George Watson writes that although the team has improved (and I would agree that there is an upgrade in talent over two years ago) that this team still needs to find some pitching:

The only pitcher - and I mean ONLY pitcher - who has shown consistency on the mound in every single outing has been junior right-hander Bobby Doran. He's thrown three solid to outstanding games, including keeping Tech around in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Rice, and what does he have to show for it?

A record of 0-0. He's received three no-decisions in games Tech has gone 1-2 in, beating Michigan 4-2, losing to Washington State 6-3 and to Rice on Saturday.

Other than Doran, no pitcher has put together two solid outings.

Not Friday starter Chad Bettis, who has allowed 11 earned runs and 19 hits in 14 innings covering his last two starts.

Not supposed shut-down closer Jay Johnson, who sports an 0-2 record, a 6.10 ERA and who took the loss against Rice after opening the ninth with a walk and his fourth hit batter of the season that led to the eventual winning run.

Not Sunday starter Louis Head, who has thrown just 51/3 innings in his last two starts combined and giving up 10 earned runs and 11 hits in those two outings.

Watson's conclusion is that someone on the pitching staff needs to step up.  Good read.

Tough Spot:  DT's Mike Graham writes that due to this team's seven game losing streak, that it's put this team in a tough spot:

Okorie believes it was the result of a snowball effect.

"I just feel like we lost a couple, then a couple of players lost confidence in what they’re able to do," he said. "They got out of their row, they’re not doing what they normally do. I just feel like we have to take a step back and kind of talk to each other and just kind of figure out how we can get everybody back into their row."

Fortunately for the Red Raiders, their conference collapse only pushed them back to the No. 9 seed in the tournament where they will square off with their most familiar foe in No. 8-seeded Colorado at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo.

However, the losing streak has cost the Red Raiders almost all hope of postseason play.

Big 12 Tournament Preview:  Basketball Prospectus' Kevin Pelton previews the Big 12 Tournament and had this to say about Texas Tech:

9. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders got off to a 9-0 start this season and even cracked the polls at one point. But Tech enters the Big 12 Tournament on a seven-game losing streak. Tech might still salvage an NIT bid with a win over Colorado, but the Buffaloes can say the same thing. Pat Knight's team was subpar on both ends of the floor and his genetic abhorrence of three-point shots quells any hopes of overcoming Tech's lack of top-shelf talent. The Red Raiders, especially junior John Roberson, actually shoot the deep ball pretty well. They just don't take enough of them.

Brewer Has Big Shoes to Fill:  LAJ's Don Williams talks with newest commit, Lake Travis QB Michael Brewer, who has family history with UT and with Lubbock.  Brewer, who intends on graduating in December of next year and will be on campus in the spring (much like Beau Carpenter did this year) talks about the new and <sarc>completely revamped</sarc> Texas Tech offense what type of quarterback he is:

Brewer said among the pluses to joining Tech is that Brown’s offense is similar to what he’s been running at Lake Travis.

"I’ve briefly seen just a little bit of film on some of the stuff they’re going to be running,’’ he said. "It’s a really fast-paced, no-huddle, hurry-up offense. Running the ball. Throwing the ball all around the field. Rolling out. Running the quarterback — not a lot, but just enough.’’

Brewer also seems well-suited for Brown’s offense in the latter regard. He carried the ball 114 times for 615 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

"I’m a pass-first and then run-second guy,’’ he said. "But if necessary, I can run the ball.’’

Leach Scheduled for Depositions:  A short article from the LAJ regarding Leach's scheduled depositions on Friday, but the big news appears to be that Leach's attorneys are wanting the school records of Tommy Tuberville's children from Frenship I.S.D.  I've said it a number of times, I'm an attorney, but not a trial attorney, but this seems a bit desperate on Leach's attorneys standpoint, but I think when you make requests for things, you throw out the casting net and hope like hell that you pull in something. Someone from the DTN Law Review who is more than likely much more qualified than myself can chime in with their two cents.

Success and/or Recruiting Success Breeds Recruiting Success and/or Success:  Football Outsiders' Bill Connelly (who also writes for ESPN and Rock M Nation) has a really interesting post about how vital recruiting success is to success on the field.  I won't try to summarize this, but just direct you to go read the whole thing.