Oklahoma State

Texas Tech at #24 Oklahoma State -09-25-14

STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA-

The Ghost Limb

On the night of November 8, 2008, I found myself sitting in the Jones amongst a small, but passionate contingent of orange-clad Oklahoma State Cowboys fans. They weren't very happy to be in Lubbock, and while some bemoaned their team's performance, others headed toward the exits after Tech went up 56-20 on a Shannon Woods touchdown reception. 

I remember sitting there in my cold seat, thinking that Texas Tech was going to absolutely abuse the rest of the teams in the Big XII South and compete for not only a Big XII Championship, but possibly the National Title itself.

Fast forward six years...

Texas Tech hasn't beaten Oklahoma State since 2008 and is an unnerving 4 for 20 against former Big XII South teams since the beginning of the 2009 season. That may seem bad, and it is, but a big reason for Tech's irrelevance in conference play is its lack of consistency across the board. In the same timeframe that programs such as Baylor and Oklahoma State have solidified their place within the conference and attained double-digit winning seasons, Texas Tech has gone through three head coaches, at least five defensive coordinators, and multiple offensive and defensive philosophies and schemes. In short, Texas Tech has struggled to recruit and keep Big XII defensive talent due to a revolving door of coaches and defensive strategies. These issues have also affected the offensive talent Tech has brought in but to a much smaller extent. If anything, Tech still somewhat enjoys the distinction of being an offensively geared football team.

It feels like Texas Tech should be able to take care of business against team like Arkansas and Oklahoma State but the reality is that the program is probably at least another year away from fielding a complete defense. Like I said before, the main reason for this is because your best defenders are either young, JUCOs, or both, and have been thrown into the fire out of necessity. Tech hasn't done the job it has needed to do in developing high school talent and has needed to rely on JUCO projects and hopeful impact freshmen. Kingsbury isn't a grizzled veteran, he's a calculated gamble that looks to pay off for Tech in the longterm. However, this distinction doesn't lend itself to immediate results.

The bottom line is that the previous coaching staffs haven't done Tech's current defensive situation any favors, and while I don't particularly enjoy watching our true freshman DBs get abused, the fact that they are even playing reminds me that they are the best we have and will ultimately benefit from this.

It feels like Texas Tech should be where Baylor and Oklahoma State are in the CFB discussion but they aren't. It's going to take time and consistency, neither of which Tech has benefitted from over the years.

My "10 takeaways" from last night:

1. Penalties/ Dropped passes- Hindsight is 20/20 and it's never a good idea to look back and ponder what could have been, but the sheer number of dropped passes and penalties by Texas Tech players probably contributed more to a 10 point defeat than anything Oklahoma State was doing on their side of the ball. Texas Tech accounted for 16 penalties for 158 yards. Ab-so-freakin-lute-ly ridiculous, fixable, but ridiculous. To make things worse, just about every Tech receiver had at least one horrendous drop, had the catch been made, a large gain or even a touchdown would have been made. When you're dead last in penalties, on the road, and not playing particularly well the last thing you need is to further hinder your production with untimely drops. Help your QB out and catch the ball, hell, help your team out and not commit senseless penalties. /rant
2. Mike Smith- Lost in the commotion of Ombré uniforms and whether or not Webb is the GOAT or a scrub was the debut of Mike Smith as Texas Tech's defensive coordinator. On one hand, the defensive line played about as well as it has four games into the season. The linebacking corps similarly had a decent game, it seems that an emphasis was placed on angles, and tackling effectively. On the other hand, Tech's DBs were abused by OSU's Dax Garmon time after time. The OSU QB pretty much used the NCAA 14 approach to offense and just threw it deep for huge gains. While the DBs looked lost, or even confused at times it's easy to forget that Smith is dealing with a group largely composed of underclassmen. Overall, Smith's base defensive plan seemed similar to what Wallerstedt had been using thus far. What I noticed the most, however, was the energy level and excitement Smith brought to the defense. I won't get my hopes too high but the last guy I saw get that excited for his defensive players was Ruffin McNeill. 
3. Davis Webb- I hope Texas Tech fans don't have to find out the hard way that you don't know what you're missing until it's gone. I find it somewhat ironic that Webb was injured on a play in which he made the extra effort to attain the first down only for his first down scramble to be called back due to a penalty. Don't mind all the bitching and complaining coming from supposed red & black diehards; Webb really wasn't the reason Tech lost this game. On any team in the Football Subdivision the starting quarterback is probably the one player that receives way too much blame when things are going wrong, and also the one player that receives way too much praise for when they're going right. Don't get me wrong, Webb had some throws he probably wished he had back, and while It still seems like he's trying too hard to make a play there were plenty of times tonight where he actually did only for the receiver to drop the ball or let it bounce off their chest. I'm not really sure how that is a QB issue, or if people are actually questioning his tenacity or skill, it's hard to make completions when they repeatedly get called back for holds or are dropped altogether. Webb needs to do his job and nothing more, just as his receivers and backs need to do theirs and nothing more. 
4. Dylan Cantrell- Call him Mr. Hands, because this dude makes some truly acrobatic catches. Tech is lucky to have him and will benefit from using the Sophomore receiver further after the loss of similar possession-type receivers in Eric Ward and Jace Amaro from last year's team. 
5. Mixed bag- I'm not entirely inclined to feel like Tech's loss to OSU is some kind of moral victory. However, I don't think that it can be overstated that the team fought, on the road, against a Top 25 team, this same team that took reigning champions Florida State to the edge (albeit, with their starting QB). On the other hand, it really is hard to ignore all of the penalties and dropped passes, nonexistent defensive depth, and possible injury to arguably your most important player in Webb. I guess if I had to, I would put it this way: I expected a much worse loss, a loss in which Tech wouldn't have been in a competitive game against OSU going into the second half. While none of that happened, the game was far from clean and Tech wasn't nearly as competitive as they could have been. It's weird, but I'm not even mad.
6. Minor gripe- Oklahoma State, just stop. Stop using our hand signs (it's Guns Up, not Pistols Firing), and get your own mascot that isn't a knock off of the Masked Rider.
7. Looking forward- Kansas State, next Saturday in Manhattan at 6pm. I see an improvement through Tech's first four games so it is my hope that it carries on into the game against the Wildcats. 
8. Underrated- Having a proven, albeit young, commodity in Davis Webb as your quarterback. Patrick Mahomes is a talented dude but it was obvious from the first snap he took that the speed of the game was a lot to process. I've stated before that this team will only go as far as it's QB lets it, we need Webb to be healthy. 
9. Overrated- Underarmour's specialty uniforms for Texas Tech. I've held my tongue a lot because I really do enjoy UA's sideline and fan apparel, my closet is littered with their products. However, UA's attempt at specialty uni's is getting downright ridiculous, and ugly. The best alternate look that Tech has had the past few years came in the game against Arkansas. 
10. MVP(s)- Justin Stockton and DeAndre Washington continue to add a dimension to the Texas Tech offense that had been missing for a few seasons. This, as well as Davis Webb's protection through four games have come as a result of the offensive line. Once a blaring weakness, the line has been bolstered and achieved somewhat of a cohesion. The penalties need to be worked on but it's good to see this unit improve. 

Arkansas

Arkansas vs. Texas Tech- 09/13/2014

LUBBOCK, TEXAS-

The Fightin' Sam Waltons

For reasons beyond my control I wasn't able to attend the game or watch it in its entirety. Rather, I was able to catch glimpses here and there at the fine establishments of Mesquites, The Roof, and Buffalo Wild Wings. Because I wasn't able to see the game I'll try to keep this short.

My "10 takeaways":

1. The defense- The simple, undeniable answer to Texas Tech's reason for losing this game can be found in the complete inability to stop the opposing team from dictating tempo and running the ball right down the middle. Texas Tech has historically struggled against 'power-run' teams, but from what I observed against Arkansas it isn't so much scheme rather than technique. Tech's defenders simply aren't wrapping up and bringing down the ball carrier. Furthermore, poor linebacker play and an undersized defensive line continue to hamper Texas Tech's ability to hold on 3rd & medium-long situations. The big man Rika Levi was back in the mix against Ark but the Razorback's offensive line proved too dominant. Texas Tech probably won't face a better running team than Arkansas for the rest of the season but in the same token they will only go as far as their defense is able to take them. It's imperative that Tech figure something out defensively, youth and inexperience are  no longer an excuse.
2. Turnovers- Texas Tech has now turned the ball over multiple times in its first three games of this season. In that short stretch Tech has also not been able to force more turnovers than the opposing team. Tech was 'blown-out' by Arkansas but if you remove the 14 points Arkansas scored from Tech turnovers the game is still in doubt further into the fourth quarter.
3. Turned away- The reason I was unable to attend the game in person was due to being turned away at the student gate during the first quarter. The students came out in full force once again so I actually don't see this as a negative. Texas Tech is about to hit its Big XII schedule full force and they may be in for a bit of a rough patch, Kliff and co. will need for the students and crowd to still be behind the Raiders. For all the students that were upset because they didn't get to go inside: show up earlier. Simple as that.
4. Obligatory uniform mention- Underarmour's take on the throwback style Texas Tech uniforms were ridiculously awesome. I've been underwhelmed by UA's cluttered Lone Star Pride uniforms from the past couple of years so having a clean and simple throwback was awesome. I honestly think we should bust those out again sometime. Gotta love the old school double T.
5. Webb- The few bits of the game that I was able to see included Webb throwing touchdown passes to both Reginald Davis and Jakeem Grant. Unfortunately, I also observed Webb throw a pass that was nearly picked off and then immediately throw an INT directly to an Arkansas player. Webb simply isn't playing up to his talent or his ability, and while the defense carries the blame for this loss Webb needs to find his rhythm and confidence. There have simply been too many near misses and overthrown/underthrown balls to his receivers. In short, he needs to step up, take charge, and will his team to wins.
6. Looking ahead- Texas Tech hasn't won in Stillwater since November 2001 and is currently on a five-game losing streak to the Cowboys with Tech's last win being in 2008 when a couple of guys named Harrell and Crabtree destroyed Xerox State. Tech will need to pressure OSU's inexperienced quarterback and put points up on the board. The good news? It's all doable. The bad news? They only have until this coming Thursday to get it figured out.
7. Overrated- Bret Freakin' Biliema, did anyone else see him jawing at our cornerback? I think it was Justis Nelson. Where's the flag? Jeez...
8. Underrated- Being an absolute ugly SOB and having a hot wife. Seriously, has anyone else seen Bieliema's wife? 
9. Good play- goes to DJ Polite-Bray for his sliding touchdown reception in the end zone to tie the game 14-14 in the second quarter. Hopefully the first of many to come.
10. Misery loves company- Notable losses on the day include: USC, Texas, Kansas, and Michael Brewer-led Virginia Tech.

Anyone agree with my points? Have anything to add? Feel free to discuss!

Texas at El paso

Texas Tech at Texas- El Paso- 09/06/14-09/07/14

LUBBOCK, TEXAS-

Medianoche en El Paso...es una cosa muy mala

After traversing both time and space the Texas Tech football team managed to sneak out a win in their international friendly against the Miners of UTEP. The game, which began late Saturday night, ended early Sunday morning on a fourth down stand by the Texas Tech defensive unit (I just started laughing). By all regards, this match was supposed to be Texas Tech's 'redemption game', an opportunity to show everyone that a week of hard practice and self-reflection would fix the crippling penalties and slow starts. Last week, the leadership of the team expressed a sense of embarrassment, and a resolve to fix the issues as they saw fit.

The problem lies with the assumption that the glaring  issues first raised against UCA were ever addressed to begin with. 

Surprise!...They weren't.

The triple threat of poor tackling, stupid  penalties, and lack of offensive rhythm once again reared it's ugly head in El Paso and nearly contributed to the Red Raiders defeat. Furthermore, while the game last Saturday against the Bears of  UCA proved to only be decided by a single touchdown, the Red Raiders never felt like they would lose. In tonight's game against El Paso I never felt that way, rather, I felt that Texas Tech was lucky. UTEP played to win, and nearly did so. After a second lackluster performance against a team that Tech should have throttled, more questions will arise. Some may focus on Webb, or team chemistry, or whether or not sideline interference is ever really called. However, the only question that matters is this: Will Tech's luck extend another week when the run-heavy Razorbacks of Arkansas come into town?

I'm not sure we're ready for that answer...

My "10 takeaways" from last night:

1. Check Yo Self- penalties Texas Tech was flagged ten times for a total of 90 yards. There may have been some improvement for Tech in this department, the penalties weren't nearly as drive-killing as they were against UCA, but rather they seemed to be frustrating in a different sense. Of the ten penalties called against Tech were two back-to-back flags for holding on lineman Dominique Roberston, as well as two penalties for sideline interference and a duplicate jersey number infraction...More on these later.
2. Runnin'- My memories of dominant Texas Tech running backs are somewhat limited, but in my opinion the trio of Stockton, White, and Washington are the closest example the Red Raiders have had in recent years. Stockton runs with a churning power and decisive speed that reminds me a lot of the Woods/Batch combo circa 2007-2008. Meanwhile, White and Washington are no slackers themselves, both seem to be better at finding open lanes and hitting them than last season. White plays the game like he's somehow hooked up to a Xbox controller (spin move), meanwhile Washington isn't a slouch himself, the confidence and ability he had pre-injury in 2011 seems to be back and he is in top form. The running back corps development and ability is something that may  be harped on a little much but its deservedly so. It's been a long while since Texas Tech could reliably run the ball, much less break runs open for 75+ yard touchdowns.
3. Eazy-Duz-It- The game in El Paso was Texas Tech's first road test of the 2014 season. Although Webb and the offense once again started with a sort of sputter and didn't really seem to 'warm up' until midway through the second quarter I don't really see this as being a result of the locale or the stadium environment. The UTEP crowd looked rowdy and I'm sure they helped inspire their team, I just don't feel that they rattle the Tech players, the coaches? Maybe. I don't really see how else you get multiple warnings for sideline interference. 
4. Insane In The Brain- Speaking of which, I really don't understand how Texas Tech even received one warning for sideline interference. It shouldn't happen and the fact that it did falls directly on the coaching staff. The warning was frustrating enough, but then Tech received a penalty for not addressing it. Subsequently, said penalty resulted in Tech's defense staying on the field and ultimately ended with a UTEP touchdown to put the game in the 'uncomfortably close' category of scary.
5. Sabotage- Both Rika Levi and Jackson Richards were kept out of the UTEP game due to injury. As a result, Defensive Coordinator Matt Wallerstedt fielded a sort of hodgepodge defensive line, featuring newcomers from the JUCO ranks. The results of the defensive line mirrored their sort of mixed bag approach. UTEP's star running back Aaron Jones ran roughshod over Tech's defensive line with ease. However, a bright spot was that the Tech line seemed to pressure UTEP QB Jameill Showers  and running back Jones multiple times resulting in short gains, the problem here is that the defensive linemen couldn't consistently achieve an effective pass rush on the UTEP QB and even sometimes created running lanes for the UTEP backs. The issue with Texas Tech's defensive line may be one that is not solved until the second half of the season: right now things don't look that great but the JUCO additions will need time to adjust to D1 level game speed and the line itself will need to be given a sort of gelling period. I wouldn't hit the panic button yet, while Tech has historically struggled in defending the run and Arkansas may very well put up ridiculous rushing stats we are after all only two games into a very young and unpredictable season. 
6. Obligatory uniform mention- The black helmet, black jersey, and white pants combo has to be one of my all time favorites. Back in 2008, Texas Tech absolutely destroyed Dez Bryant and the Oklahoma State Cowboys while wearing this uniform combo. 
7. The Next Episode- After Texas Tech's defensive showing in these first two games I completely understand if some think the Red Raiders have absolutely no chance in defending the run against the very run-oriented Arkansas Razorbacks. I'll admit I don't see Texas Tech being able to win unless they somewhat keep the run in check against Arkansas. However, if they are able to do so and are also able to take advantage of Arkansas' weak secondary they should be in the best position to win. My predictions: Head: Tech loses in a shoot-out, 49-45. Heart: Tech finally wins the turnover battle, wins 41-31.
8. Underrated-  Not redshirting some of the new freshmen. Does Tech win this game if Stockton is redshirted by Tech? Probably not. If they can contribute right away, let them.
9. Overrated- Games that start at 10pm central time. Seriously, never again. Please.
10. Game ball- Justin Stockton & Bradley Marquez: these guys both made outstanding plays that ultimately helped put Tech in the win column. Without Marquez's clutch catches and Stockton's 75+ yard touchdown run Texas Tech most definitely would not have left El Paso without a loss. Honorable mention: Davis Webb, the dude was up and down for much of the first quarter, but finally set into a bit of a rhythm in the second half. I feel like Webb is having to live up to the memory burned into our collective minds from the Holiday Bowl performance last season. When it comes down to it, Webb is still only a sophomore and is missing his sort of safety blanket targets from last season in Amaro and Ward. Davis will get better as the season goes on, no reason to panic. 

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas vs. Texas Tech -08/30/14

LUBBOCK, TEXAS-

Give them an inch, and they''ll take a mile

The excruciating wait for Fall Saturdays with Texas Tech football is finally over. On Saturday night the Kingsbury-led high-flying offense of Texas Tech, clad in scarlet and black, made their first appearance of the 2014 season since defeating the No.14 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils in the National University Holiday Bowl in San Diego. After their stellar performance against Arizona State came increased expectations, increased hope, and all around good feelings in relation to the future of the football program and Kingsbury's second season.

To put it mildly, the feeling of euphoria and excitement that came with that win about 244 days ago has been completely reversed with a lackluster, penalty-filled, frustrating performance by all three sides of Tech's football team. Is this some sort of indictment of Kingsbury's bro-coach aura? Probably not, in fact, I would be inclined to believe the exact opposite. While no one enjoys not beating easy teams as well as they should, Texas Tech has historically struggled in games it had no business not struggling with. 

My "10 takeaways" from last night:

1. Tangled Webb- Davis Webb looked shaky early on, his timing seemed off and he was missing receivers either too high or too low for the first two quarters. While only one of the INT's can really be blamed on him, it was tough to see him take a safety due to intentional grounding in the end zone and not settle down until sometime in the third quarter. He will need to be much more poised and calm in the coming weeks, especially at UTEP in El Paso, both because it is a road game and also because he will be in El Paso around midnight. Nothing good ever happens in El Paso around midnight.  However, is his performance reason to panic? No, it is after all, only the first game of the season, and while his performance in the first half was rather pedestrian, he seemed to regain his mojo and found Marquez for a pair of much needed touchdowns in the second half. Webb will be fine, he has all the intangibles and skill required to run the Texas Tech offense.
2. Rika Levi- Anyone who has ever quipped that a single player does not make or break a team has obviously never met 360lb Rika Levi, nor do they understand simple physics, as a 360lb big dude is a lot harder to run through than a leaner 240lb dude. Tech needs its big guy to be ok, and while his injury did not look severe, Rika never reentered the game for Tech while an already thin defensive line struggled to shutdown the Bear's running back attack. Get well bud, we need you.
3. Stop the breaks- For what seemed like the entirety of the game Texas Tech was unable to stop the Bears from running the ball right at them. In this situation it seems to be more of a 'Jimmy & Joes' problem rather than an Xs & Os issue. That is, Texas Tech is replacing Kerry Hyder and Dartwan Bush, both lost to graduation from the 2013 team. To be competitive in the coming weeks something will need to be done concerning the Red Raider's defensive line. While Tech has had issues with fielding an undersized defensive line these past few years it was thought that the inclusion of Rika Levi, all 360lbs of him would somewhat remedy that situation. Levi's injury, the severity of which remaining to be seen, combined with upcoming games against run-happy UTEP and Arkansas, Tech will need to figure out a way to stop the run. Quickly.
4. The Crowd- With the football team struggling to put away FCS Central Arkansas for much of the night it would have been real easy, maybe even understandable, for the Texas Tech faithful to turn on their Red Raiders and file out in droves by the end of the third quarter. Instead, the majority of students, fans and alumni remained until the end of the Matador Song. 
5. Long lines/Keeping students at bay- Minor gripe: I'm not sure what the exact situation was or if their was a larger issue, but for some reason Texas Tech or G. Boren Services decided to keep many of the assembled Texas Tech students at bay, waiting to be 'let in' only after large crowds had formed. 
6. Replacing Amaro & Ward- While there is no way of directly replacing Jace Amaro and Eric Ward's contributions to the Texas Tech offense I felt Tech did a good job of focusing on Jakeem Grant and Bradley Marquez. These two receivers along with highly regarded Devin Lauderdale and D.J. Polite-Bray should bring another meaning to the term 'speed kills'.
7. Penalties- As much as Texas Tech struggled against Central Arkansas they didn't make things any easier for themselves with senseless holds, unsportsmanlike conducts, and personal fouls. There were numerous times where Tech would obtain a huge first down on offense or third down stop on defense only for it to be wiped out because of a boneheaded mistake. You can't go forwards if you're going backwards.
8. Underrated- The Big XII- apart from Iowa State's loss against NDSU, and Texas Tech's own performance against Central Arkansas, the rest of the Big XII played markedly well against Alabama and Florida State. 
9. Overrated- The thought that Texas Tech's run defense would be a vast improvement over last year's unit. Through the first half of games in 2013 the Raider defense looked sufficient, the last half? Not so much, it wasn't until the Holiday Bowl, which featured a mostly injury-free defense that you saw the Red Raiders adequately respond to a D1 offense. As bad as that sounds it was actually a lot worse on Saturday night, with an injured Rika Levi, true freshman corners on each side of the field, and an undersized defensive line Texas Tech struggled mightily against a team they should have been able to keep from rushing more than 100 yards. To add insult to injury the Red Raiders also struggled in TO department. Once again, they were unable to come up with any INTs or fumble recoveries, while UCA intercepted Davis Webb twice. Another area of concern would be the Special Teams gaffes observed on Saturday night, while its understandable that Texas Tech probably will not run every kickoff or punt back for a touchdown, I was fairly disappointed in our inability to field a competent unit. Maybe it was first-game jitters or the sun obscured his vision but Cameron Batson fumbling the ball on a UCA punt could have been disastrous. While the inclusion of Special Teams coordinator Darren Chiaverini alleviated a lot of the worry built up from years of onside kicks and punt returns gone awry this was an area of the team I was most looking forward to seeing an improvement. I understand it is the first game but with Texas Tech's defensive struggles they really need to get their act together. Fast.
10. Game ball- The running-back corps- the combination of DeAndre Washington, Quinton White, and newcomer Justin Stockton provided a much needed run game that was missing for much of 2013. Furthermore, while Davis Webb seemed shaky in the first half of last night's game the run game was consistent throughout. It's been way too long since Red Raider fans have been able to see a Tech running back break a play for 10+ yards consistently.