Texas Tech Tidbits

[Stallion]

SMU has averaged about 6 non-qualifiers a year in the last 2 recruiting classes too.

[KillBilly]

6 kids from the recruiting class don't qualify? Tubberville responds by saying, "oh we planned on that". Sure you did Tommy! What else have you planned for? Your QB breaking his leg? He didn't even recruit most of these kids - Mike Leach did.

So tech recruits 27 or so kids per year, even though they only have 20 scholarships availalbe, because they know six or seven won't qualify. What if by some miracle they do qualify? You have six or seven kids that have to wait for their scholarship by grey shirting (which could have otherwise gone to SMU or anywhere. I wonder if the kids know they may have to grey shirt when they committ?

For the 2010 class, Tech had 25 scholarships for 26 commits. One of the commits (Benjamin McRoy) planned to grey shirt from the beginning to synch his eligibility with a little brother who committed as part of Tech's 2011 class. So every commit had a scholarship even if they all qualified.

At the time Tuberville was hired, he only had 4-5 weeks to retain as many of Leach's recruits has possible and then to find replacements/additions. He took a flyer on the fastest recruits he could find knowing that some may not qualify. We'll use the extra scholarships for the 2011 class or give them to deserving walk-on players.

[KillBilly]

What worries me about this game is the depth that Tech has at running back. The supposedly have talent three-deep at RB. In a game played in hot weather, their big and talented OL matches up favorably against our talented, but thin defense. It will be tough to stop the Tech RBs if our defense is gassed in the second half. Unless SMU comes out and build a two to three touchdown lead due to opportunity on offensive and sloppiness by Tech it will be a tough game to win. Go Ponies.

The Tech offensive linemen are big tubs of lard.

Their line was actually pretty solid last year, but it looks like they are ALL gone. This roster lists
0 Seniors, 2 Juniors, 4 Sophomores, and 7 Freshman. Can that be right? Even if every one of those had a redshirt year, that's a whole lot of inexperience up front.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/tea ... ed-raiders

Tech's projected 2-deep OL

Left Tackle
1. LaAdrian Waddle, SO
2. Beau Carpenter, FR

Left Guard
1. Lonnie Edwards, JR
2. Blake Emert, JR

Center
1. Justin Keown, JR
1. Chris Olson, SR

Right Guard
1. Deveric Gallington, SO
2. Joel Gray, RS-FR

Right Tackle
1. Terry McDaniel, SO
1. Mickey Okafor, JR

Waddle, Carpenter, McDaniel and Gallington are major talents though still gaining experience. All have lost between 25-50 pounds compared to last season at Tuberville's request. The exception is true FR Beau Carpenter, who enrolled at Tech last December and has added 40 pounds. Keown and Olso can play every position on the OL. So overall, we feel good about our OL this season.

[KillBilly]

What worries me about this game is the depth that Tech has at running back. The supposedly have talent three-deep at RB. In a game played in hot weather, their big and talented OL matches up favorably against our talented, but thin defense. It will be tough to stop the Tech RBs if our defense is gassed in the second half. Unless SMU comes out and build a two to three touchdown lead due to opportunity on offensive and sloppiness by Tech it will be a tough game to win. Go Ponies.

RB is the strength of the team. Baron Batch, SR, is the primary back followed by 2 sophs, Eric Stephens and Harrison Jeffers. Stephens is our #1 KR and I believe he had the best KR avg. in the B12 last season. Jeffers is explosive, shifty and fast as hell. He regularly torches Tech's defense in practice, more than the other 2 RBs combined, but Jeffer's pass blocking and pass catching abilities are still a work in progress so he doesn't see he field much yet. Expect to see 60% Batch, 30% Stephens, and 10% Jeffers.

[smupony94]

New coach, familiar Texas Tech QB question

10:56 AM CDT on Thursday, August 12, 2010

Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas — Tommy Tuberville has a dilemma familiar to Texas Tech.

The new coach doesn't have a starting quarterback picked for a Red Raiders offense he says will continue to throw the ball all over the Big 12.

Predecessor Mike Leach often waited to pick a starter, though never because of injury.

Tuberville, who stepped in after the university fired Leach late last year amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion, will decide between seniors Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield. Both got injured early in spring workouts.

A starter will be picked about a week before the Red Raiders host SMU to open their season Sept. 5.

Neal Brown, who Tuberville brought in as offensive coordinator from pass-heavy Troy State in Alabama, said Potts has the stronger arm, while Sheffield is the better runner.

"I want both of them to think that they can be a starter," Tuberville said. "What we're looking for is more consistency from both of them. Both will play, but we're not going to have a situation where one plays the first quarter, and one plays the second."

Sheffield and Potts each had surgery in March. Sheffield, who threw for 1,219 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games in last season, needed repair to the same bone in his left foot that he injured in October at Nebraska.

Potts, who threw for 3,440 yards and 22 touchdowns in 11 games last season, needed surgery to fix an injury between his index finger and middle finger he got hitting a helmet while throwing.

Competing for the same job hasn't created friction, the seniors said.

"We're cool. We never walk by each other without saying, 'What's up?'" Sheffield said. "But at the same time, we're not texting each other or playing video games together or anything like that."

Whoever is picked won't have to watch over his shoulder, said Brown, whose Troy State team finished third nationally in total offense (486 yards) and fourth in passing (336 yards) last season.

"It's not a deal where if he throws five incompletions in the first quarter you go to the next guy," Brown said. "I think you got to let him play, and obviously if he doesn't produce over an extended period of time then you make a change."

The offense will pass first but Brown wants to spread the ball around to the team's playmakers, including running backs Baron Batch and Eric Stephens and a receiving corps that returns two strong starters — Detron Lewis and Alex Torres.

"The No. 1 goal is to win and we want to run the ball good enough where if our quarterback doesn't play his 'A' game, let's say he plays his 'C' game, we want to run the ball where we still got a chance to win that game," Brown said. "That's what we're looking at."

Time will tell whether Browns' concerns on offense — depth at running back and the line — will continue to keep him "up at night."

Overall, Tuberville wants more quickness on offense and defense. To that end, many offensive linemen dropped a combined total of about 240 pounds this summer. They are trimmer, have more endurance and are stronger, he said.

"All those little things will add up," Tuberville said.

A lingering question is the Red Raiders' defense, long the stepchild of Texas Tech football and for years maligned as the reason the program couldn't get to a conference championship.

"To me they don't walk around with the swagger that they need to," Tuberville said. "They need to feel like, 'Hey, we're as much of this team as anybody else and we can win as many games as the offense.' We have to get to that point."

Enter defensive coordinator James Willis, an assistant under Tuberville for three years at Auburn before spending last season with national champion Alabama.

Willis said spring workouts showed him a defense that was faster than he anticipated.

He has focused on tackling, addressing woes Texas Tech has shown in recent years. Too often opponents have slipped out of Red Raiders' tackles.

"You get what you emphasize, so we've stressed tackling very much everyday. We teach it everyday," said Willis, who played for Green Bay, Philadelphia and Seattle in his seven years in the NFL. "If you're not doing the things all the time, it's hard to do it on a certain day."

Texas Tech opens the season Sept. 5 at home against SMU.

[ponyte]

TTU & TCU are by far and away our biggest challenges during the regular season. It is good to hear how excited folks are about ASMU both within the program and external to the program. However, Sept 5 will be a huge challenge and a real measure of the JJ ear to date.

TTU worries about a starter at QB while we are worried about running back coroner back, nose tackle and some offensive line positions.

I think the UAB and WSU games are really big games. One has a short week after a tough opponent and the other is the week before a tradition rival that will likewise be a tough opponent.

I am excited about the season and hopeful for more positive growth but Sept worries me, starting with TTU.

[The PonyGrad]

TTU & TCU are by far and away our biggest challenges during the regular season. It is good to hear how excited folks are about ASMU both within the program and external to the program. However, Sept 5 will be a huge challenge and a real measure of the JJ ear to date.

TTU worries about a starter at QB while we are worried about running back coroner back, nose tackle and some offensive line positions.

I think the UAB and WSU games are really big games. One has a short week after a tough opponent and the other is the week before a tradition rival that will likewise be a tough opponent.

I am excited about the season and hopeful for more positive growth but Sept worries me, starting with TTU.

Let me assuage your concerns... uh... never mind.

[Nacho]

sheffield is far and away their best qb. potts is not bad but he is not going to start.

[GeorgiaMustang]

We have not pressured a TT QB in years. Hopefully with some pressure from our up front guys, the secondary can become a little better. Tough but this is where my hope lies.

We also haven't had a tandem of defensive ends as good as Taylor Thompson and Marquis Frasier in years. I think their speed off the edge could create pressure.

[PonyKai]

We have not pressured a TT QB in years. Hopefully with some pressure from our up front guys, the secondary can become a little better. Tough but this is where my hope lies.

We also haven't had a tandem of defensive ends as good as Taylor Thompson and Marquis Frasier in years. I think their speed off the edge could create pressure.

What about 2006? Had to be the best starting defensive line we've had in 20+ years. We also played Tech at Jones AT&T to start that year, lost 35-3. I Don't remember what kind of an impact our DE's had in that game.

[Stallion]

The biggest problem on defense is that Tech is going to run Baron Batch all day long behind that big offensive line right up the gut and test an apparent huge weakness at NG. If Davis is the starter-absolutely no experience, about 40-50 pounds undersized spells big trouble over 4 quarters on a Hot afternoon game. The weakness inside is going to slow down SMU's DE pass rush too. We may wish Tech threw the ball more. Our NG and our ILB match up better with less physical CUSA offenses. At the end of the year Baron Batch was turning it on-look for him to be among the Top backs in Texas.

[NickSMU17]

Nevada was the most prolific rushing team in the country last year...


Just saying...

[Pony Ride]

Nevada was the most prolific rushing team in the country last year...


Just saying...

Nevada did not have their top two running backs in that game. That made it just a little bit easier for us.

[NickSMU17]

Nevada was the most prolific rushing team in the country last year...


Just saying...

Nevada did not have their top two running backs in that game. That made it just a little bit easier for us.

Do you really think it would have mattered that much...

and I know Tech and Nevada are not very comparable, but we can beat them...it would not be that shocking

[PK]

We have not pressured a TT QB in years. Hopefully with some pressure from our up front guys, the secondary can become a little better. Tough but this is where my hope lies.

IIRC the last time we played them we gave their OL all they could handle. We forced them to close up the gaps between linemen that they normally use, because we were putting too much pressure on their QB.