by StangEsq » Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:58 am
I can't speak for the people in the sections mentioned above, but I went to the game with some friends from Tech (we were on the side Tech's players were on) and didn't hear anything that you wouldn't hear at TU or any other large school's stadium. Other than a lot of childish criticism of our band from sum beach behind us, I didn't have any problems with the crowd in our section.
As for the game, I was encouraged by Willis' poise, considering his inexperience. He was not accurate at all on throws beyond 10 yards, but I thought his short game was good, especially for his first time out there. He doesn't look like he has the footspeed of Ramon Flanigan, but he has good escapability and made some people miss. I didn't see any "panic" throws that we traditionally see from our QBs. He didn't give the game away.
Our special teams looked a lot better than I thought they would. Great punting and kickoff distance, and our returners are an asset.
Mapps looked good and could be a nice change of pace to Martin.
I thought the defense played a lot better as the game went on. We couldn't stop anything on a few of their drives. That said, not many teams go into Lubbock and do much better on defense. We started to get some pressure on Harrell in the second half and he didn't look nearly as good, but early on, he had all day to throw.
If you had told me that we would hold Tech to 35, I would have taken it. The offense was disappointing, but we have a young QB... give him some time and see how he develops. Not to draw a direct comparison, but keep in mind how bad Vince Young was his first year.