The second half of October has been none too kind to Kansas and Texas Tech.
The Jayhawks have gone from a 5-0 start to a two-game losing streak. The Red Raiders’ loss last week — to a slumping rival, amid much hoopla — might have caused enough disgust for two defeats.
“We know we need to get this thing back on the right track, and we need to do it in a hurry,” said Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing, who had an atypically lousy game for him in a 35-13 loss to Oklahoma.
“As hungry as they are, we’re going to be just as hungry,” said Tech flanker Alex Torres, who was one of the few bright spots in a 52-30 loss to Texas A&M. “We know we didn’t come ready to play, and we’re looking to change that.”
KU (5-2, 1-2 in the Big 12 Conference) and Tech (5-3, 2-2) hook up at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Jones AT&T Stadium in what could be yet another indication of where the season is headed for each.
In a short time, the outlook for both has gone from rosy to quick recovery required.
How well has Tech recovered from last week’s pounding?
“I guess we’ll find out Saturday, you know?” Tech coach Mike Leach said.
The Red Raiders will spin their wheel of fortune this week with their third starting quarterback this month. Seth Doege did what he could to clean up the mess against the Aggies and did it well enough to be tapped for his first college start today.
“I think he plays well,” Leach said. “I think he’s got a really good arm. I mean, he throws the ball really well. One of these quarterbacks is going to realize how simple this is and take control of the position.”
Doege will try to pick up where he left off when he replaced Taylor Potts last week. With Tech trailing 38-14, he led two scoring drives in five series.
“He got the offense rolling, got a little bit of tempo going,” Torres said. “It was awesome seeing him go out there and perform the way he did.”
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Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
October 30, 2009
October 27, 2009
DEFENSIVE EFFORT FRUSTRATES TECH COACH
Ruffin McNeill wasn’t in the kind of reflective mood necessary on Tuesday to catalog his worst days as a football coach. Running herd over the losing defense in Saturday’s 52-30 Texas Tech loss to Texas A&M is surely up there, but the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator didn’t feel like putting it into context.
Instead, he said:
“I tell you what’s frustrating is when I feel like I let coach (Mike) Leach down. That’s frustrating to me. That’s the first person I don’t want to let down is coach Leach. I take full responsibility for one-third of this whole deal, and I didn’t uphold my one-third. The biggest thing is I let coach Leach down and the staff and the kids.’’
Saturday was McNeill’s 30th game as Tech defensive coordinator. A&M’s 321 rushing yards was the most the Red Raiders have allowed since they gave up 366 to Oklahoma State in 2007. The day after that OSU game, Lyle Setencich was let go as defensive coordinator and McNeill promoted.
The Aggies’ 559 yards total offense was the third-highest allowance under his watch, behind the 625-yard onslaught Oklahoma unleashed last November and the 579-yard night Houston launched in September.
What the Aggies did might have been more stunning than the others, because they had been slumping and the Raiders had been riding high on defense, ranking 24th in the nation against the run and eighth in sacks.
“We just have to learn from this game as a player and as a coach,’’ McNeill said. “Learn from history. We can’t do it over, but we can learn from it. I tell you what, today was one of the best Tuesday practices we’ve had, to be honest. We haven’t had any bad practices. We didn’t have bad practices last week, really. We had good practices every day, but it was a good practice today. So the kids have bounced back and so have we.’’
Linebacker Bront Bird said he and his defensive mates got away from everything that had made them successful this season, including a variety of fundamental breakdowns.
“We did everything you’re not supposed to do,’’ Bird said. “We didn’t have low pads. We didn’t use our hands well. We didn’t get off blocks. That hurt us. A&M played a wonderful game, and we didn’t rise to the challenge.’’
A&M running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael ran 25 times for 131 yards and 22 times for 121 yards, respectively, and racked up six touchdowns rushing and receiving.
Since the beginning of last season, Tech had mostly shut off the tap on quarterbacks trying to run. Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Baylor’s Robert Griffin were the only ones in the previous 20 games to run for more than 30 yards on Tech, and they’re in offenses in which designed quarterback runs are a focal point.
But on Saturday, A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson got in on the act, too, rushing 10 times for 71 yards.
“They were scrambles,’’ McNeill said. “He’s a (throw to the) first-read guy. If the read wasn’t there, he tucked it and (ran). By the time we came off to converge on him, he had gotten yardage. He had a couple of designed runs, but a lot of them were just scrambles.’’
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
Instead, he said:
“I tell you what’s frustrating is when I feel like I let coach (Mike) Leach down. That’s frustrating to me. That’s the first person I don’t want to let down is coach Leach. I take full responsibility for one-third of this whole deal, and I didn’t uphold my one-third. The biggest thing is I let coach Leach down and the staff and the kids.’’
Saturday was McNeill’s 30th game as Tech defensive coordinator. A&M’s 321 rushing yards was the most the Red Raiders have allowed since they gave up 366 to Oklahoma State in 2007. The day after that OSU game, Lyle Setencich was let go as defensive coordinator and McNeill promoted.
The Aggies’ 559 yards total offense was the third-highest allowance under his watch, behind the 625-yard onslaught Oklahoma unleashed last November and the 579-yard night Houston launched in September.
What the Aggies did might have been more stunning than the others, because they had been slumping and the Raiders had been riding high on defense, ranking 24th in the nation against the run and eighth in sacks.
“We just have to learn from this game as a player and as a coach,’’ McNeill said. “Learn from history. We can’t do it over, but we can learn from it. I tell you what, today was one of the best Tuesday practices we’ve had, to be honest. We haven’t had any bad practices. We didn’t have bad practices last week, really. We had good practices every day, but it was a good practice today. So the kids have bounced back and so have we.’’
Linebacker Bront Bird said he and his defensive mates got away from everything that had made them successful this season, including a variety of fundamental breakdowns.
“We did everything you’re not supposed to do,’’ Bird said. “We didn’t have low pads. We didn’t use our hands well. We didn’t get off blocks. That hurt us. A&M played a wonderful game, and we didn’t rise to the challenge.’’
A&M running backs Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael ran 25 times for 131 yards and 22 times for 121 yards, respectively, and racked up six touchdowns rushing and receiving.
Since the beginning of last season, Tech had mostly shut off the tap on quarterbacks trying to run. Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Baylor’s Robert Griffin were the only ones in the previous 20 games to run for more than 30 yards on Tech, and they’re in offenses in which designed quarterback runs are a focal point.
But on Saturday, A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson got in on the act, too, rushing 10 times for 71 yards.
“They were scrambles,’’ McNeill said. “He’s a (throw to the) first-read guy. If the read wasn’t there, he tucked it and (ran). By the time we came off to converge on him, he had gotten yardage. He had a couple of designed runs, but a lot of them were just scrambles.’’
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
October 25, 2009
TEXAS TECH VS. TEXAS A&M - WHAT HAPPENED?
I am too disgusted by this game to talk about it...poor offense, poor defense, poor coaching...as much as we looked like a complete team last week, this game was the opposite as we were the team in complete disarray.
October 24, 2009
WEAKLY RETORT: WEEK 7
It is a good thing I don’t gamble on sports, because otherwise I would be hanging upside-down from a balcony by a stereotype named “Guido”. My picks were particularly horrendous last week as I only got 2 of 6 right, and that wasn’t even picking against the spread.
Okay, I am going to take a detour here. Last night (Thursday), which is normally the night when I finish up The Retort, I spent most of it throwing up in my first ever non-Goldschlager induced vomiting. Never had a stomach bug before, so this was a new experience. Also a new experience was the feeling of Rosa’s fajitas (which I had covered in jalapenos) being ejected through my nasal cavity. Highly unpleasant, I can assure you, sort of like what I imagine tear gas feels like. At first, I thought God may have been playing a practical joke on me due to a joke a used in the Texas – OU write up. Then, I thought it was something I ate, but my four-year-old daughter had the same thing, and in the Venn diagram of things we both eat, there is only a faint sliver that overlaps, and it contains bananas, pizza and cookies, none of which was likely to be the cause of our distress. So, I can only conclude that it was a short acting stomach bug because I feel much better this morning. Assuming that neither of us is running a fever, we will be headed out to Lubbock this afternoon so that I can witness another event tomorrow evening that very well may induce the same response as the stomach bug. Just for fun, I am putting everything I wrote post-vomit in blue text, just to see if my writing style has differed. You will also get a chance to see just how much I jump around while I am writing this. So let’s grab our air sickness bags and get ready to barrel roll.
20/20 Hindsight:
Texas 16 - Oklahoma 13
We’ve come to expect classic matchups whenever the Horns and Sooners square off in Laura Miller’s Toilet. However, this was not one of them. Sam Bradford had his college career ended almost as soon as the game started due to his offensive line’s penchant for playing the role of a cape-waving matador, only without the part where they stab the defensive end with a sword. Or maybe it was the fact that the Longhorns could only ring up 269 total yards and the Sooners posted a jaw-dropping -16 yards rushing which means they would have been better off just spiking the ball. Perhaps it was the combined 21 penalties for 228 yards that gave this game the face only a mother could love. Still, my vote is the fact that between the two teams they coughed up more balls than a bulimic at a calf fry with Texas giving it away three times and the Sooners returning the favor five times of their own. There really isn’t much to say about this game other than the fact that Texas doesn’t yet appear to be a national championship contender, and could be the worst 6 – 0 team in history.
Oklahoma State 33 - Missouri 17
The OSU Cowboys continue to climb back up in the rankings, even with out Dez “You Lie!” Bryant hauling in passes for them. Missouri came out rolling, but couldn’t get anything going in the second half and failed to put up any more points. The Tigers piled up yards, but their 3 – 15 on third downs combined with four turnovers sealed their fate.
Texas Tech 31 - Nebraska 10
This game featured the two most confused looking coaches in the NCAA in Mike Leach and Bo Pelini. I can’t help but think that if you were telling a joke to the two of them that you would be compelled to back track and repeat the punchline about three times. You know, kind of like how Jay Leno tells EVERY joke. The Red Raiders didn’t stun everyone with their offense, the week after Sheffield throws for 490 yards and 7 TDs, but instead got it done by Ruffin the Quarterback (rock me) as McNeil’s defense totaled 5 sacks and held Air Husker to a single touchdown. If this Raider team can put the offense and defense together, not only will they create a word that will piss off my spell checker, but they can beat any team in the Big XII. I’m just praying that odfefense holds off for another week. Unfortunately for the Raiders it appears that Sheffield will be out with a broken foot, meaning the are going to be stuck playing their starter.
Colorado 34 - Kansas 30
Well this one was certainly an upset. Dan Hawkins did what my pony-league baseball coach never could, which was to pull his son for someone that could actually be effective. Tyler Hansen, not to be confused with Taylor Hanson the effeminate child MMMBop singer, took off his redshirt, put on a jersey and came out to lead the Buffaloes to a win over 17th ranked Kansas. The Buffalae scored 24 points in the second quarter and held on to win 34 – 30. I can only wonder how many Dorito’s were consumed in Boulder that night, both on the part of the celebrating Buffalo fans and Coach Mangino, who no doubt locked himself in his hotel room for an orange dust tinged pity party.
Iowa State 24 - Baylor 10
The Bears continue to suffer through their backup quarterback woes, this time allowing Iowa State up off the mat with their first Big XII win since 2007. The one time starter Blake Szymanski, whose name would totally tear up a game of Scrabble, passed for 223 yards, but with 3 INTs and no touchdowns. According to the ESPN writeup, before the second half kickoff a rabbit ran onto the field, blew through the Iowa State kickoff coverage and into the endzone, prompting Baylor coach Art Briles to tender him a scholarship offer. Okay, I added that last part.
Kansas State 62 - Texas A&M 14
Good freaking grief. The only thing I can think of is that Will Smith pulled out that little flashy thing from Men In Black and completely erased the minds of the A&M football team, wiping out basic motor skills in the process. After an Aggie fumble on the second play of the game, the Wildcats quickly jumped out to a 17 – 0 first quarter lead, and went to the locker room up 38 – 0 at the half. Now, if you are a coach, what kind of motivational speech do you give when you are getting completely donkeypunched on the road? Apparently it went something like this, “Okay, we’re going to go out there and kick the ball deep. I want everyone to get out of their lanes, and show me a whole bunch of shoulder tackles, and let’s see if we can’t let them take one to the house.” For once, the Aggie team followed the game plan, leading to Brandon Banks’ 97 yard kick return to open the second half. Even the seemingly secure Jerrod Johnson who had gone 242 pass attempts without throwing an interception decided he would be extra generous, throwing three picks and getting sacked six times. But the good news, according to the announcers, is that this is a young team, which means they will be around for three more years…
Click here to continue reading...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
Okay, I am going to take a detour here. Last night (Thursday), which is normally the night when I finish up The Retort, I spent most of it throwing up in my first ever non-Goldschlager induced vomiting. Never had a stomach bug before, so this was a new experience. Also a new experience was the feeling of Rosa’s fajitas (which I had covered in jalapenos) being ejected through my nasal cavity. Highly unpleasant, I can assure you, sort of like what I imagine tear gas feels like. At first, I thought God may have been playing a practical joke on me due to a joke a used in the Texas – OU write up. Then, I thought it was something I ate, but my four-year-old daughter had the same thing, and in the Venn diagram of things we both eat, there is only a faint sliver that overlaps, and it contains bananas, pizza and cookies, none of which was likely to be the cause of our distress. So, I can only conclude that it was a short acting stomach bug because I feel much better this morning. Assuming that neither of us is running a fever, we will be headed out to Lubbock this afternoon so that I can witness another event tomorrow evening that very well may induce the same response as the stomach bug. Just for fun, I am putting everything I wrote post-vomit in blue text, just to see if my writing style has differed. You will also get a chance to see just how much I jump around while I am writing this. So let’s grab our air sickness bags and get ready to barrel roll.
20/20 Hindsight:
Texas 16 - Oklahoma 13
We’ve come to expect classic matchups whenever the Horns and Sooners square off in Laura Miller’s Toilet. However, this was not one of them. Sam Bradford had his college career ended almost as soon as the game started due to his offensive line’s penchant for playing the role of a cape-waving matador, only without the part where they stab the defensive end with a sword. Or maybe it was the fact that the Longhorns could only ring up 269 total yards and the Sooners posted a jaw-dropping -16 yards rushing which means they would have been better off just spiking the ball. Perhaps it was the combined 21 penalties for 228 yards that gave this game the face only a mother could love. Still, my vote is the fact that between the two teams they coughed up more balls than a bulimic at a calf fry with Texas giving it away three times and the Sooners returning the favor five times of their own. There really isn’t much to say about this game other than the fact that Texas doesn’t yet appear to be a national championship contender, and could be the worst 6 – 0 team in history.
Oklahoma State 33 - Missouri 17
The OSU Cowboys continue to climb back up in the rankings, even with out Dez “You Lie!” Bryant hauling in passes for them. Missouri came out rolling, but couldn’t get anything going in the second half and failed to put up any more points. The Tigers piled up yards, but their 3 – 15 on third downs combined with four turnovers sealed their fate.
Texas Tech 31 - Nebraska 10
This game featured the two most confused looking coaches in the NCAA in Mike Leach and Bo Pelini. I can’t help but think that if you were telling a joke to the two of them that you would be compelled to back track and repeat the punchline about three times. You know, kind of like how Jay Leno tells EVERY joke. The Red Raiders didn’t stun everyone with their offense, the week after Sheffield throws for 490 yards and 7 TDs, but instead got it done by Ruffin the Quarterback (rock me) as McNeil’s defense totaled 5 sacks and held Air Husker to a single touchdown. If this Raider team can put the offense and defense together, not only will they create a word that will piss off my spell checker, but they can beat any team in the Big XII. I’m just praying that odfefense holds off for another week. Unfortunately for the Raiders it appears that Sheffield will be out with a broken foot, meaning the are going to be stuck playing their starter.
Colorado 34 - Kansas 30
Well this one was certainly an upset. Dan Hawkins did what my pony-league baseball coach never could, which was to pull his son for someone that could actually be effective. Tyler Hansen, not to be confused with Taylor Hanson the effeminate child MMMBop singer, took off his redshirt, put on a jersey and came out to lead the Buffaloes to a win over 17th ranked Kansas. The Buffalae scored 24 points in the second quarter and held on to win 34 – 30. I can only wonder how many Dorito’s were consumed in Boulder that night, both on the part of the celebrating Buffalo fans and Coach Mangino, who no doubt locked himself in his hotel room for an orange dust tinged pity party.
Iowa State 24 - Baylor 10
The Bears continue to suffer through their backup quarterback woes, this time allowing Iowa State up off the mat with their first Big XII win since 2007. The one time starter Blake Szymanski, whose name would totally tear up a game of Scrabble, passed for 223 yards, but with 3 INTs and no touchdowns. According to the ESPN writeup, before the second half kickoff a rabbit ran onto the field, blew through the Iowa State kickoff coverage and into the endzone, prompting Baylor coach Art Briles to tender him a scholarship offer. Okay, I added that last part.
Kansas State 62 - Texas A&M 14
Good freaking grief. The only thing I can think of is that Will Smith pulled out that little flashy thing from Men In Black and completely erased the minds of the A&M football team, wiping out basic motor skills in the process. After an Aggie fumble on the second play of the game, the Wildcats quickly jumped out to a 17 – 0 first quarter lead, and went to the locker room up 38 – 0 at the half. Now, if you are a coach, what kind of motivational speech do you give when you are getting completely donkeypunched on the road? Apparently it went something like this, “Okay, we’re going to go out there and kick the ball deep. I want everyone to get out of their lanes, and show me a whole bunch of shoulder tackles, and let’s see if we can’t let them take one to the house.” For once, the Aggie team followed the game plan, leading to Brandon Banks’ 97 yard kick return to open the second half. Even the seemingly secure Jerrod Johnson who had gone 242 pass attempts without throwing an interception decided he would be extra generous, throwing three picks and getting sacked six times. But the good news, according to the announcers, is that this is a young team, which means they will be around for three more years…
Click here to continue reading...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
October 22, 2009
COWBOYS READY FOR ATLANTA'S HURRY-UP DRILL
There was in interesting stat on NBC Sunday that that Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan went 8-for-8 and two touchdowns against Chicago in the hurry-up offense.
So guess what the Cowboys are preparing for this week? Atlanta's hurry up. There are even signs up outside the locker room pertaining to the Falcons' quick tempo offense.
Coach Wade Phillips claimed to be unaware of the signs.
"I don't know if it was me or not," Phillips siad. "You mean about being unstoppable? I don't know who put thyat up there. I kind of know the reason."
Anything to motivate the team. But coming off the bye week, Phillips has some worry about the timing being off on both sides of the ball. To help them, Phillips had the defense work against the hurry up and they worked in two-minute drills on both sides of the ball.
"If they substitute you can substitute, so usually you have the right personnel you want against whatever theyre running," Phillips said. "But it's the communication of what you want to call so you don't get in a situation where you can only call one thing or maybe two things. You have to be able to communicate basically your whole defense in those situations. But we work on that all the time."
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
So guess what the Cowboys are preparing for this week? Atlanta's hurry up. There are even signs up outside the locker room pertaining to the Falcons' quick tempo offense.
Coach Wade Phillips claimed to be unaware of the signs.
"I don't know if it was me or not," Phillips siad. "You mean about being unstoppable? I don't know who put thyat up there. I kind of know the reason."
Anything to motivate the team. But coming off the bye week, Phillips has some worry about the timing being off on both sides of the ball. To help them, Phillips had the defense work against the hurry up and they worked in two-minute drills on both sides of the ball.
"If they substitute you can substitute, so usually you have the right personnel you want against whatever theyre running," Phillips said. "But it's the communication of what you want to call so you don't get in a situation where you can only call one thing or maybe two things. You have to be able to communicate basically your whole defense in those situations. But we work on that all the time."
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
TOP 5 TECH VICTORIES OVER THE AGGIES
Below is the Dallas Morning News' Top 5 Texas Tech victories over Texas A&M. I see that my personal favorite, a 56-17 schelacking of the Aggies back in 2005, did not make the list, but I do agree that most of the games listed below were the 5 most exciting in recent memory:
Oct. 7, 1995, Red Raiders 14, Aggies 7, in Lubbock:
Texas A&M entered the game as the No. 8 team in the country and enjoyed a 29-game conference winning streak. But with the score tied 7-7 with 30 seconds left and the Aggies driving, Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas picked off a Corey Pullig pass and returned it 23 yards for the winning touchdown for the unranked Red Raiders.
Oct. 5, 2002, Red Raiders 48, Aggies 47 (OT), in College Station:
Unranked Texas Tech rallied from 18 points down in the fourth quarter to push No. 23 Texas A&M into overtime. Dustin Long had seven touchdown passes for A&M and Kliff Kingsbury had five for Tech, but two kicks determined the difference. John Pierson missed his OT extra-point try, and Robert Treece made his.
Oct. 2, 1999, Red Raiders 21, Aggies 19, in Lubbock:
With tailback Ricky Williamsunable to go, Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes moved fullback Sammy Morris to his spot. Morris gained 170 yards rushing against No. 5 Texas A&M and its top-ranked run defense, and the Red Raiders rallied from 10 points down to score all 21 of their points in the second quarter for the upset.
Sept. 30, 2006, Red Raiders 31, Aggies 27, in College Station:
Trailing with 2:12 left and 80 yards ahead of him, Texas Tech sophomore quarterback Graham Harrell went to work. A drive that included an interception overturned by replay and an 11-yard catch by Jarrett Hicks on fourth-and-5 ended with Robert Johnson's 37-yard touchdown catch with 26 seconds left for the win.
Oct. 25, 1997, Red Raiders 16, Aggies 13, in Lubbock:
With 19 seconds left, unranked Texas Tech had a chance to break a tie with No. 20 Texas A&M with a successful field-goal attempt. But Texas Tech senior kicker Tony Rogers, a backup until Jaret Greaser was injured the week before, had to try a 47-yarder with a tricky 24 mph wind. His kick glanced off the left upright and went through.
Click here if you care about the Top 5 Aggie wins [since I don't]...
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
Oct. 7, 1995, Red Raiders 14, Aggies 7, in Lubbock:
Texas A&M entered the game as the No. 8 team in the country and enjoyed a 29-game conference winning streak. But with the score tied 7-7 with 30 seconds left and the Aggies driving, Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas picked off a Corey Pullig pass and returned it 23 yards for the winning touchdown for the unranked Red Raiders.
Oct. 5, 2002, Red Raiders 48, Aggies 47 (OT), in College Station:
Unranked Texas Tech rallied from 18 points down in the fourth quarter to push No. 23 Texas A&M into overtime. Dustin Long had seven touchdown passes for A&M and Kliff Kingsbury had five for Tech, but two kicks determined the difference. John Pierson missed his OT extra-point try, and Robert Treece made his.
Oct. 2, 1999, Red Raiders 21, Aggies 19, in Lubbock:
With tailback Ricky Williamsunable to go, Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes moved fullback Sammy Morris to his spot. Morris gained 170 yards rushing against No. 5 Texas A&M and its top-ranked run defense, and the Red Raiders rallied from 10 points down to score all 21 of their points in the second quarter for the upset.
Sept. 30, 2006, Red Raiders 31, Aggies 27, in College Station:
Trailing with 2:12 left and 80 yards ahead of him, Texas Tech sophomore quarterback Graham Harrell went to work. A drive that included an interception overturned by replay and an 11-yard catch by Jarrett Hicks on fourth-and-5 ended with Robert Johnson's 37-yard touchdown catch with 26 seconds left for the win.
Oct. 25, 1997, Red Raiders 16, Aggies 13, in Lubbock:
With 19 seconds left, unranked Texas Tech had a chance to break a tie with No. 20 Texas A&M with a successful field-goal attempt. But Texas Tech senior kicker Tony Rogers, a backup until Jaret Greaser was injured the week before, had to try a 47-yarder with a tricky 24 mph wind. His kick glanced off the left upright and went through.
Click here if you care about the Top 5 Aggie wins [since I don't]...
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
October 19, 2009
SHEFFIELD OUT 2-3 WEEKS WITH FOOT INJURY
Going into this season, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach had gone at least 12 years without having a quarterback on one of his teams miss a start because of injury.
Now it’s about to happen twice in less than a month.
The Avalanche-Journal has learned Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield will be out at least two to three weeks with a foot injury he suffered in Saturday’s 31-10 victory at Nebraska. Sheffield had a medical procedure performed Sunday on the injured foot.
He’s expected to miss home games the next two Saturdays, against Texas A&M and Kansas before Tech has an open date.
The earliest he’s likely to return is for a Nov. 14 road game at Oklahoma State.
Tech spokesman Chris Cook declined comment.
“Tech has no comment,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Leach said Tech’s starting quarterback for Saturday would be a game-time decision.
The injury to Sheffield means Taylor Potts, who got hurt in a 48-28 victory Oct. 3 against New Mexico, could return to the starting lineup. It might depend on how well medical staff believe Potts has recovered from the concussion he suffered. Potts practiced throughout last week and was in uniform at Nebraska, though he didn’t play.
Sheffield played the entire game at Nebraska, finishing 23 of 32 for 234 yards. He threw for one touchdown and scored two others via quarterback sneaks, one on Tech’s last offensive play.
The junior from Pflugerville Connally has completed 76 of 102 — 74.5 percent — for 1,014 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. Nearly all of that came in the last 2 1/2 weeks, which included his first career starts, against Kansas State and Nebraska.
Potts started the first five games and has 1,817 yards on 159-for-235 passing. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
Now it’s about to happen twice in less than a month.
The Avalanche-Journal has learned Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield will be out at least two to three weeks with a foot injury he suffered in Saturday’s 31-10 victory at Nebraska. Sheffield had a medical procedure performed Sunday on the injured foot.
He’s expected to miss home games the next two Saturdays, against Texas A&M and Kansas before Tech has an open date.
The earliest he’s likely to return is for a Nov. 14 road game at Oklahoma State.
Tech spokesman Chris Cook declined comment.
“Tech has no comment,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Leach said Tech’s starting quarterback for Saturday would be a game-time decision.
The injury to Sheffield means Taylor Potts, who got hurt in a 48-28 victory Oct. 3 against New Mexico, could return to the starting lineup. It might depend on how well medical staff believe Potts has recovered from the concussion he suffered. Potts practiced throughout last week and was in uniform at Nebraska, though he didn’t play.
Sheffield played the entire game at Nebraska, finishing 23 of 32 for 234 yards. He threw for one touchdown and scored two others via quarterback sneaks, one on Tech’s last offensive play.
The junior from Pflugerville Connally has completed 76 of 102 — 74.5 percent — for 1,014 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. Nearly all of that came in the last 2 1/2 weeks, which included his first career starts, against Kansas State and Nebraska.
Potts started the first five games and has 1,817 yards on 159-for-235 passing. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
TECH QB OUT WITH INJURY
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Official word from Pete Christy in Pete's Tweets: Balloon Boy is a hoax. Unfortunately Steven Sheffield being injured is not.
He is out with a foot injury. Potts will Quarterback against A&M.
Pete Christy will have more details coming up in NewsChannel 11 Sports tonight at 6 and 10.
Story courtesy of www.kcbd.com
He is out with a foot injury. Potts will Quarterback against A&M.
Pete Christy will have more details coming up in NewsChannel 11 Sports tonight at 6 and 10.
Story courtesy of www.kcbd.com
COWBOYS' OUTLOOK BOOSTED BY BYE WEEK
Those ugly wins are starting to look a lot better to the Dallas Cowboys.
After seeing all three of their NFC East foes lose while they were enjoying their bye weekend, the Cowboys returned to work a little more proud of their 3-2 record.
Dallas squeaked past then-winless Kansas City in overtime in its last game. Those Chiefs beat Washington on Sunday. Also, Philadelphia was stunned by Oakland and New York was crushed by New Orleans in a battle of unbeatens.
Coach Wade Phillips said the results were a reminder of how hard it is to win in the NFL.
The Cowboys play Sunday at home against Atlanta. The Falcons are 4-1 and coming off a win over Chicago.
Story courtesy of www.doublet1043.com
After seeing all three of their NFC East foes lose while they were enjoying their bye weekend, the Cowboys returned to work a little more proud of their 3-2 record.
Dallas squeaked past then-winless Kansas City in overtime in its last game. Those Chiefs beat Washington on Sunday. Also, Philadelphia was stunned by Oakland and New York was crushed by New Orleans in a battle of unbeatens.
Coach Wade Phillips said the results were a reminder of how hard it is to win in the NFL.
The Cowboys play Sunday at home against Atlanta. The Falcons are 4-1 and coming off a win over Chicago.
Story courtesy of www.doublet1043.com
LEACH SET TO TIE SPIKE DYKES RECORD AT TECH
People laugh at his jokes, laugh behind his back and laugh at his antics.
But Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is the one getting the last laugh.
With a win this Saturday at home at 6 p.m. against Texas A&M, Leach will tie Spike Dykes for the most wins at Tech by a coach. That's a phenomenal feat for a guy who has a law degree and had no formal coaching training before he became the offensive line coach at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1987.
Since becoming Tech's coach in 2000, Leach has led the Red Raiders to an 81-41 record and nine consecutive bowl game appearances. From 1986-'99, Dykes guided Tech to an 82-67-1 record and seven bowl berths.
"I've always respected Spike tremendously,'' Leach said during the Monday morning Big 12 Conference teleconference. "I don't know that I would have the job here without Spike.
"He's a great coach, he has a great background and did great things everywhere he was. So that's a real honor to be reaching anything (Dykes achieved).''
Depending on who you talk to, Leach is either one of the greatest coaching minds of our time or a guy who has a few loose screws because of his fascination with pirates. But there's no denying the fact that he has an eye for talent, his spread offense is consistently one of the best in the nation, the talent level has improved tremendously since he arrived at Tech, and the school had two Heisman Trophy candidates last year in Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree while reaching as high as No. 2 in the nation.
"I remember when I was a young coach coming up and you'd go to these clinics and things, and Spike Dykes was a great speaker and a great story teller,'' Leach said. "And then I get to Lubbock and sometimes it was kind of ho-hum at Spike, and I'm thinking you guys don't realize what a legend this guy is out there among the community.''
Last year Tech won 11 games, tying the school record for the most wins in a season. Currently, the Raiders are ranked No. 21 in the country and have posted a 5-2 overall record and 2-1 conference worksheet.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
But Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is the one getting the last laugh.
With a win this Saturday at home at 6 p.m. against Texas A&M, Leach will tie Spike Dykes for the most wins at Tech by a coach. That's a phenomenal feat for a guy who has a law degree and had no formal coaching training before he became the offensive line coach at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1987.
Since becoming Tech's coach in 2000, Leach has led the Red Raiders to an 81-41 record and nine consecutive bowl game appearances. From 1986-'99, Dykes guided Tech to an 82-67-1 record and seven bowl berths.
"I've always respected Spike tremendously,'' Leach said during the Monday morning Big 12 Conference teleconference. "I don't know that I would have the job here without Spike.
"He's a great coach, he has a great background and did great things everywhere he was. So that's a real honor to be reaching anything (Dykes achieved).''
Depending on who you talk to, Leach is either one of the greatest coaching minds of our time or a guy who has a few loose screws because of his fascination with pirates. But there's no denying the fact that he has an eye for talent, his spread offense is consistently one of the best in the nation, the talent level has improved tremendously since he arrived at Tech, and the school had two Heisman Trophy candidates last year in Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree while reaching as high as No. 2 in the nation.
"I remember when I was a young coach coming up and you'd go to these clinics and things, and Spike Dykes was a great speaker and a great story teller,'' Leach said. "And then I get to Lubbock and sometimes it was kind of ho-hum at Spike, and I'm thinking you guys don't realize what a legend this guy is out there among the community.''
Last year Tech won 11 games, tying the school record for the most wins in a season. Currently, the Raiders are ranked No. 21 in the country and have posted a 5-2 overall record and 2-1 conference worksheet.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
SHARPE WINS SHARE OF BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After collecting four sacks during Saturday's 31-10 win over Nebraska, Texas Tech defensive end Brandon Sharpe said he was simply trying to divert some attention his way.
Mission accomplished.
On Monday, Sharpe was named the Big 12 Conference co-Defensive Player of the Week, along with Texas safety Earl Thomas.
In addition to the four sacks, Sharpe added seven tackles and really gave the Cornhuskers fits all day long. He also has seven of his eight sacks this season in the past two games.
"It's kind of like somebody has to have lights going on, and I think that's what went on,'' coach Mike Leach said about Sharpe during the Monday morning Big 12 Conference teleconference. "I think he's always had that talent and always that ability, and then he just kind of put it together.''
On the offensive side, two players also shared the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards, including Oklahoma State wide receiver Hubert Anyiam and Colorado running back Rodney Steward. Kansas State's Brandon Banks was named the conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
Mission accomplished.
On Monday, Sharpe was named the Big 12 Conference co-Defensive Player of the Week, along with Texas safety Earl Thomas.
In addition to the four sacks, Sharpe added seven tackles and really gave the Cornhuskers fits all day long. He also has seven of his eight sacks this season in the past two games.
"It's kind of like somebody has to have lights going on, and I think that's what went on,'' coach Mike Leach said about Sharpe during the Monday morning Big 12 Conference teleconference. "I think he's always had that talent and always that ability, and then he just kind of put it together.''
On the offensive side, two players also shared the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards, including Oklahoma State wide receiver Hubert Anyiam and Colorado running back Rodney Steward. Kansas State's Brandon Banks was named the conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
COWBOYS' BROOKING HAS A DIRECT APPROACH
Keith Brooking, consummate combatant on the field and refreshingly frank orator off it, has quickly provided stability at a position that lacked it and accountability in a locker room that needed it.
The Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker spent the first 11 seasons of his career playing for the Atlanta Falcons. Those in the media who covered him most described the five-time Pro Bowler as the conscience of the defense, switching positions for the good of the team, consistently leading the unit in tackles and speaking up when others walked away in tough times.
"He just came in and his only thing he wanted was to win and just be a team," Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff said. "And who can’t respect that?"
Coming out of the bye week, the Cowboys face another earlier-than-expected must-win scenario Sunday against Brooking’s old team, the Falcons, a rising NFC contender.
"I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have it circled on my calendar since I signed here," Brooking said. "I’m an emotional guy so I have to tame my emotions. This game is not about me, it’s about us winning. Do I want to win this game really bad? Yes. But, it’s about winning and going to 4-2."
Playing at home for the first time since Sept. 28, the Cowboys can’t afford to drop to 3-3 with a loss — and 1-2 at their supposedly inspirational palatial new home. Defeat would ignite new rounds of criticism and derision, and questions of impending divisiveness.
Yes, Brooking came to Dallas well aware of last season’s fallout. It’s a big reason why the Cowboys wanted him. Brooking played nine seasons under special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and spent time under Wade Phillips when he was defensive coordinator and then head coach of the Falcons.
Brooking, without hesitation, proclaimed locker-room issues won’t split these Cowboys.
"I’ll be dead honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect when I signed here, you hear so many things," Brooking said. "It’s 100 times better than I thought it was going to be. This locker room is tight. We’re together. There’s absolutely no distractions."
Brooking’s free-agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys came with little fanfare amid the still-burning wreckage of 2008; just another aging veteran — Brooking turns 34 in 11 days — to fill the revolving spot next to Bradie James.
In Atlanta, management made the difficult decision to part ways with the Atlanta lifer — born in nearby Senoia, Ga., and a star at Georgia Tech — believing Brooking’s most productive days are behind him.
Maybe so, but through five games with the Cowboys, he’s played exceptionally well, leading the Cowboys in tackles, with 37, as well as in spirited, arm-waving charges to the sideline after a big play like his fourth-down stop in Denver.
More surprising is how quickly the newcomer has emerged as a prominent voice of reason and cohesion in a locker room full of Cowboys veterans.
"If it takes me being more vocal, whatever it takes, I’m going to try to do my part for us to win ballgames," Brooking said. "If I see something that needs to be addressed, for sure, I feel comfortable in doing that. I think these guys know me well enough to know the kind of person I am and that I have great intentions in doing it. I’m here for these guys in whatever way. If it takes that to win ballgames, heck, yeah, I’ll do whatever."
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
The Dallas Cowboys inside linebacker spent the first 11 seasons of his career playing for the Atlanta Falcons. Those in the media who covered him most described the five-time Pro Bowler as the conscience of the defense, switching positions for the good of the team, consistently leading the unit in tackles and speaking up when others walked away in tough times.
"He just came in and his only thing he wanted was to win and just be a team," Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff said. "And who can’t respect that?"
Coming out of the bye week, the Cowboys face another earlier-than-expected must-win scenario Sunday against Brooking’s old team, the Falcons, a rising NFC contender.
"I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have it circled on my calendar since I signed here," Brooking said. "I’m an emotional guy so I have to tame my emotions. This game is not about me, it’s about us winning. Do I want to win this game really bad? Yes. But, it’s about winning and going to 4-2."
Playing at home for the first time since Sept. 28, the Cowboys can’t afford to drop to 3-3 with a loss — and 1-2 at their supposedly inspirational palatial new home. Defeat would ignite new rounds of criticism and derision, and questions of impending divisiveness.
Yes, Brooking came to Dallas well aware of last season’s fallout. It’s a big reason why the Cowboys wanted him. Brooking played nine seasons under special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and spent time under Wade Phillips when he was defensive coordinator and then head coach of the Falcons.
Brooking, without hesitation, proclaimed locker-room issues won’t split these Cowboys.
"I’ll be dead honest with you, I didn’t know what to expect when I signed here, you hear so many things," Brooking said. "It’s 100 times better than I thought it was going to be. This locker room is tight. We’re together. There’s absolutely no distractions."
Brooking’s free-agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys came with little fanfare amid the still-burning wreckage of 2008; just another aging veteran — Brooking turns 34 in 11 days — to fill the revolving spot next to Bradie James.
In Atlanta, management made the difficult decision to part ways with the Atlanta lifer — born in nearby Senoia, Ga., and a star at Georgia Tech — believing Brooking’s most productive days are behind him.
Maybe so, but through five games with the Cowboys, he’s played exceptionally well, leading the Cowboys in tackles, with 37, as well as in spirited, arm-waving charges to the sideline after a big play like his fourth-down stop in Denver.
More surprising is how quickly the newcomer has emerged as a prominent voice of reason and cohesion in a locker room full of Cowboys veterans.
"If it takes me being more vocal, whatever it takes, I’m going to try to do my part for us to win ballgames," Brooking said. "If I see something that needs to be addressed, for sure, I feel comfortable in doing that. I think these guys know me well enough to know the kind of person I am and that I have great intentions in doing it. I’m here for these guys in whatever way. If it takes that to win ballgames, heck, yeah, I’ll do whatever."
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
TECH RANKED FOR 1ST TIME IN 2009
A day after notching its first road win and in convincing fashion, Texas Tech cracked both top 25 polls released Sunday. It’s the first time the Red Raiders have been ranked since the end of last season.
Tech (5-2, 2-1 Big 12 Conference), which won 31-10 at then-No. 15 Nebraska on Saturday for its third straight win, is ranked 21st in The Associated Press Top 25 and 24th in the USA Today coaches poll. The Cornhuskers (4-2, 1-1) dropped out of both rankings.
Tech wasn’t in the first BCS standings released Sunday night.
The Red Raiders host rival Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Aggies are coming off a 62-14 loss to Kansas State, a team Tech beat 66-14 a week earlier.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
Tech (5-2, 2-1 Big 12 Conference), which won 31-10 at then-No. 15 Nebraska on Saturday for its third straight win, is ranked 21st in The Associated Press Top 25 and 24th in the USA Today coaches poll. The Cornhuskers (4-2, 1-1) dropped out of both rankings.
Tech wasn’t in the first BCS standings released Sunday night.
The Red Raiders host rival Texas A&M (3-3, 0-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Aggies are coming off a 62-14 loss to Kansas State, a team Tech beat 66-14 a week earlier.
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
October 17, 2009
SHEFFIELD, TECH UPSET NEBRASKA 31-10
LINCOLN, Neb. — Steven Sheffield passed for a touchdown and ran for two in his first road start, and Texas Tech jumped out fast to upset No. 15 Nebraska 31-10 Saturday.Sheffield, who passed for 490 yards passing and seven touchdowns in his debut as the starter against Kansas State last week, was nearly perfect early, completing 14 of his first 16 passes against the Cornhuskers. Playing for the injured Taylor Potts, Sheffield went 9-for-16 in the second half and finished with 234 yards.
Texas Tech (5-2, 2-1) won for the first time in four road games since last October. Nebraska (4-2, 1-1) held the Raiders to 259 yards — 263 under their average.
But Nebraska's offense for the second straight week did next to nothing until the fourth quarter. By then it was too late.
Tech's often-overshadowed defense, led by end Brandon Sharpe, allowed just one field goal until the middle of the fourth quarter.
Sharpe had four sacks and batted down a pass, and strong safety Franklin Mitchem had seven tackles and an interception.
Sheffield picked up where he left off last week against K-State. He completed all six of his passes while leading the Red Raiders on an 80-yard touchdown drive to start the game, finishing with a 16-yarder to Baron Batch.
Sheffield couldn't get anything going on his next series, but Tech's defense provided a big lift. Nebraska's Niles Paul fumbled after taking a lateral from Zac Lee, and Daniel Howard picked up the ball and ran it back 82 yards for a 14-0 lead.
Rajon Henley and Sharpe sacked Lee on back-to-back plays before Sheffield ran in from a yard to wrap up a 12-play, 65-yard drive that put Tech up by three TDs.
Tech led 24-3 at half after the teams traded field goals.
The Raiders generated 47 yards in the second half, but their defense never let the Huskers get closer than two touchdowns.
Nebraska backup Cody Green, who played one series in the third quarter, replaced Lee in the middle of the fourth and found Khiry Cooper for a 13-yard pass that was Nebraska's only touchdown.
Green drove the Huskers inside the Tech 15 late in the fourth quarter before getting intercepted by Mitchem.
Lee had the Huskers inside the Tech 10 early in the fourth before they self-destructed. Offensive lineman Ricky Henry got a personal foul for pushing the pile after the whistle, and center Jacob Hickman was called for a false start. The series ended with Lee throwing out the back of the end zone, prompting boos from frustrated fans.
In 12 quarters against BCS opponents, Nebraska has failed to score a touchdown in 10 of them.
Lee was 16 of 22 for 128 yards and Green 7 of 16 for 87.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
TEXAS TECH VS. NEBRASKA GAME RECAP
THE GOOD:
- Tech defense looks awesome. Tonight's effort was the main reason that Tech came away with a victory. The big story coming into the game was Nebraska's Suh, but I have to believe that by the end of the game all anybody should be talking about is Tech's Brandon Sharpe, who had a career 4 sacks in this game! The Defense even got a fumble recovery that we hustled back for a TD - just a great effort!
- For the first time I can remember in the Leach era, the game ended with only 4 Tech penalties for 40 yards. This group is really playing well together as a team and showing the discipline it takes to hang around in close games for the win.
THE BAD:
- Offense took foot off the petal in the 2nd half with multiple 3 and outs. This was especially disappointing after watching the ease that the offense moved the chains in the 1st half. I can't figure out if Nebraska made some great halftime adjustments that our offense couldn't process, or if we became complacent with a nice lead and didn't give as much effort until they closed the gap.
THE UGLY:
Although I didn't realize it at the time, it appears that Sticks has some type of foot or ankle injury that occurred late in the game. The word on the street is that he had a procedure on it Sunday and will be out for the next 2-3 weeks. Let's hope that Potts has completely recovered from his concussion so he can lead us to victory against the hated Aggies next week!
- Tech defense looks awesome. Tonight's effort was the main reason that Tech came away with a victory. The big story coming into the game was Nebraska's Suh, but I have to believe that by the end of the game all anybody should be talking about is Tech's Brandon Sharpe, who had a career 4 sacks in this game! The Defense even got a fumble recovery that we hustled back for a TD - just a great effort!
- For the first time I can remember in the Leach era, the game ended with only 4 Tech penalties for 40 yards. This group is really playing well together as a team and showing the discipline it takes to hang around in close games for the win.
THE BAD:
- Offense took foot off the petal in the 2nd half with multiple 3 and outs. This was especially disappointing after watching the ease that the offense moved the chains in the 1st half. I can't figure out if Nebraska made some great halftime adjustments that our offense couldn't process, or if we became complacent with a nice lead and didn't give as much effort until they closed the gap.
THE UGLY:
Although I didn't realize it at the time, it appears that Sticks has some type of foot or ankle injury that occurred late in the game. The word on the street is that he had a procedure on it Sunday and will be out for the next 2-3 weeks. Let's hope that Potts has completely recovered from his concussion so he can lead us to victory against the hated Aggies next week!
TEXAS TECH VS. NEBRASKA PREVIEW
Line: Nebraska by 10 1/2.
Series record: Nebraska leads 7-3.
Last meeting: 2008, Texas Tech 37-31, OT.
What's at Stake
Nebraska has struggled against the Big 12 South and needs a win here to stay on top in the North. With three straight games against nationally ranked foes Kansas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma coming up, Tech can't afford a loss if it hopes to stay relevant in the South.
Key Matchup
Nebraska RB Roy Helu Jr. vs. Texas Tech front seven. Time of possession will be huge. The Huskers must commit to their ground game if they want to keep Tech's high-scoring offense off the field. Helu will get lots of work with top backup Rex Burkhead out with an injury.
Players to Watch
Texas Tech: QB Steven Sheffield. The junior ripped Kansas State for 490 yards passing and 7 TDs in his first start. Coach Mike Leach isn't saying whether Sheffield will get the call for what would be Sheffield's first time in a hostile environment. He would face a defense that's allowing just about 8 points a game and is among the best in the nation against the pass.
Nebraska: NT Ndamukong Suh. If the 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior takes control like he did against Missouri, the volume could be turned up on whispers about his being a Heisman contender. Don't think the presence of Suh won't be a factor in which Tech QB starts. Sheffield can move around while Tech QB Taylor Potts is much less mobile.
Facts & Figures
Texas Tech has won three straight against Nebraska but is 1-3 in Lincoln. ... The Raiders' 739 total yards against Kansas State last week is the highest total in the Big 12 this season and is second nationally to the 775 put up by Nevada against UNLV. ... Suh's seven pass break-ups in five games already is a season school record for defensive linemen.
Series record: Nebraska leads 7-3.
Last meeting: 2008, Texas Tech 37-31, OT.
What's at Stake
Nebraska has struggled against the Big 12 South and needs a win here to stay on top in the North. With three straight games against nationally ranked foes Kansas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma coming up, Tech can't afford a loss if it hopes to stay relevant in the South.
Key Matchup
Nebraska RB Roy Helu Jr. vs. Texas Tech front seven. Time of possession will be huge. The Huskers must commit to their ground game if they want to keep Tech's high-scoring offense off the field. Helu will get lots of work with top backup Rex Burkhead out with an injury.
Players to Watch
Texas Tech: QB Steven Sheffield. The junior ripped Kansas State for 490 yards passing and 7 TDs in his first start. Coach Mike Leach isn't saying whether Sheffield will get the call for what would be Sheffield's first time in a hostile environment. He would face a defense that's allowing just about 8 points a game and is among the best in the nation against the pass.
Nebraska: NT Ndamukong Suh. If the 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior takes control like he did against Missouri, the volume could be turned up on whispers about his being a Heisman contender. Don't think the presence of Suh won't be a factor in which Tech QB starts. Sheffield can move around while Tech QB Taylor Potts is much less mobile.
Facts & Figures
Texas Tech has won three straight against Nebraska but is 1-3 in Lincoln. ... The Raiders' 739 total yards against Kansas State last week is the highest total in the Big 12 this season and is second nationally to the 775 put up by Nevada against UNLV. ... Suh's seven pass break-ups in five games already is a season school record for defensive linemen.
WHATEVER HIS ROLE, CHOICE A GREAT OPTION FOR DALLAS COWBOYS
Idle teams give idle minds the chance to concoct all sorts of scenarios.
A popular one this bye week is that the Cowboys need to get Tashard Choice more touches. Public opinion builds that even if Choice doesn't start, he deserves a more prominent role in the Cowboys' running game.
If you are part of this grassroots movement, one piece of information should be passed along. You're a little late to the party.
Don't let the depth chart, where Choice is listed behind Marion Barber and Felix Jones, fool you. This is no third-string back. And don't restrict your sample to the start of this season.
Choice has amassed 402 more yards than Barber since Thanksgiving of last season and has 56 more touches in those 10 games. Jones is so far back he's not part of the discussion.
Barber is the starter. Jones is the most dangerous offensive weapon the Cowboys possess. But their inability to stay healthy has thrust Choice into the primary role.
It's simply not acknowledged because of that irritating No. 3 next to his name.
"We've got to give him some touches," coach Wade Phillips said. "We can't eliminate him. He makes plays."
How does Choice define his role?
"I don't know," he said. "The X factor?
"It's different with me every week. One week I can be in only on third down and special teams, another week I can be carrying the load.
"It just depends on the week, I guess."
It depends on the workload Barber's strained quadriceps allows him to carry. He's clearly not as explosive as he was before the injury. It could take him weeks to regain the strength he lost.
It depends on when Jones returns from his sprained knee. He's optimistic that will happen for next week's game against Atlanta.
"It's hard when you know you can do it every down, but you've got to play here and there, so you've got to make the most of it," Choice said.
What Choice does know is that he's the Cowboys' third-down back. His ability to recognize defenses and explain protection schemes like a coach earned him the position.
Continue reading story here...
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
RAIDERS READY TO TEST NEBRASKA'S NASTY "D"
Two Saturdays in a row, Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield was more than ready when his first real chance came to be a difference maker.
He was better than anyone could have imagined, whipping up on double-digit underdogs at home. The next great unknown is how he’ll fare facing a ranked opponent somewhere other than Jones AT&T Stadium.
After Sheffield led rousing victories against New Mexico and Kansas State, he leads Tech against No. 15 Nebraska today at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
“I think he’s ready to go on the road,” Tech tackle Marlon Winn said this week. “I think he’s ready to go anywhere we take him. (Against New Mexico), he stepped in like he was supposed to be there the whole time, and he kind of took the (job) over like it was his deal anyway. He did the same thing against Kansas State, and I don’t expect any different of him in Nebraska.”
How he starts could make all the difference. Sheffield led the team to touchdowns on his first four series in a 48-28 win over UNM and directed the Red Raiders to five touchdowns and a field goal on their first six possessions in last week’s 66-14 mutilation of Kansas State.
So some trend’s about to change.
Nebraska has allowed only seven points in the first quarter this season.
Not only that, the Cornhuskers have yet to allow a point in sudden-change situations — nothing after six turnovers — and have allowed only four touchdowns all season.
“I just think we have to do the best we can,” Tech coach Mike Leach said. “We had a similar situation with Kansas State. They played real well defensively, too, and we didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about that. We just need to focus on us and see what we can do.”
The game looks pivotal since both teams have favorable schedules upcoming. After today, Tech has two home games followed by an open date.
If Nebraska can take care of Tech today, the Cornhuskers could be 7-1 for a Nov. 7 home game against No. 20 Oklahoma. The Huskers figure to be favored against Iowa State and Baylor the next two weeks.
Before they can do all that looking ahead, the Huskers need to iron out some kinks offensively. Nebraska I-back Roy Helu Jr. is the Big 12 Conference’s leading rusher, averaging 110 yards a game, but the Huskers were shut out for three quarters last Thursday before rallying to beat Missouri 27-12.
“I think we’ll play well Saturday,” said Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s second-year head coach. “I like our plan, and I think we are going to play really well.”
Tech beat Nebraska 37-31 in overtime last year in Lubbock. The Cornhuskers looked mediocre before that game and had a 3-3 record afterward. But they are 10-2 since with both losses on the road to top-15 opponents — Oklahoma last year and Virginia Tech this year.
The Huskers have made their biggest leap on defense: They’ve gone from No. 80 in scoring defense and No. 55 in total defense last season to No. 2 and No. 13 through five games this season.
“They’re big, physical people — that’s their biggest strength,” Leach said. “I think they look similar. I thought they were good last year. I guess a lot of them are a year older.”
Tech players are eager to see if they can follow up on last week’s dominating performance. Their 66 points was the highest total since a 70-10 victory against Nebraska in 2004, and the defense gave up only one touchdown.
“Now that we’ve seen how we can play,” linebacker Bront Bird said, “we need to play every single game like that.”
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
He was better than anyone could have imagined, whipping up on double-digit underdogs at home. The next great unknown is how he’ll fare facing a ranked opponent somewhere other than Jones AT&T Stadium.
After Sheffield led rousing victories against New Mexico and Kansas State, he leads Tech against No. 15 Nebraska today at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
“I think he’s ready to go on the road,” Tech tackle Marlon Winn said this week. “I think he’s ready to go anywhere we take him. (Against New Mexico), he stepped in like he was supposed to be there the whole time, and he kind of took the (job) over like it was his deal anyway. He did the same thing against Kansas State, and I don’t expect any different of him in Nebraska.”
How he starts could make all the difference. Sheffield led the team to touchdowns on his first four series in a 48-28 win over UNM and directed the Red Raiders to five touchdowns and a field goal on their first six possessions in last week’s 66-14 mutilation of Kansas State.
So some trend’s about to change.
Nebraska has allowed only seven points in the first quarter this season.
Not only that, the Cornhuskers have yet to allow a point in sudden-change situations — nothing after six turnovers — and have allowed only four touchdowns all season.
“I just think we have to do the best we can,” Tech coach Mike Leach said. “We had a similar situation with Kansas State. They played real well defensively, too, and we didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about that. We just need to focus on us and see what we can do.”
The game looks pivotal since both teams have favorable schedules upcoming. After today, Tech has two home games followed by an open date.
If Nebraska can take care of Tech today, the Cornhuskers could be 7-1 for a Nov. 7 home game against No. 20 Oklahoma. The Huskers figure to be favored against Iowa State and Baylor the next two weeks.
Before they can do all that looking ahead, the Huskers need to iron out some kinks offensively. Nebraska I-back Roy Helu Jr. is the Big 12 Conference’s leading rusher, averaging 110 yards a game, but the Huskers were shut out for three quarters last Thursday before rallying to beat Missouri 27-12.
“I think we’ll play well Saturday,” said Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s second-year head coach. “I like our plan, and I think we are going to play really well.”
Tech beat Nebraska 37-31 in overtime last year in Lubbock. The Cornhuskers looked mediocre before that game and had a 3-3 record afterward. But they are 10-2 since with both losses on the road to top-15 opponents — Oklahoma last year and Virginia Tech this year.
The Huskers have made their biggest leap on defense: They’ve gone from No. 80 in scoring defense and No. 55 in total defense last season to No. 2 and No. 13 through five games this season.
“They’re big, physical people — that’s their biggest strength,” Leach said. “I think they look similar. I thought they were good last year. I guess a lot of them are a year older.”
Tech players are eager to see if they can follow up on last week’s dominating performance. Their 66 points was the highest total since a 70-10 victory against Nebraska in 2004, and the defense gave up only one touchdown.
“Now that we’ve seen how we can play,” linebacker Bront Bird said, “we need to play every single game like that.”
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
WEAKLY RETORT: WEEK 6
Introduction:
Things are slowly start to take shape in the Big XII, and that shape is a giant compass that points south. The conference has 3 ranked teams in what appears to be a down year, and they are all in the Southern Division, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma. It doesn’t look like anyone in the Big XII will be competing for the MNC this year so it will probably just come down to a slugfest for bowl pecking order, making each week even more interesting. Crap. I just wrote all that and then glanced down to see that Kansas was ranked at number 17. As usual, I maintain my commitment to not go back and fact check so I will leave the above text as a testament to just how little meaningful research I actually do. Only this time I lucked out and happened to catch myself before a flood of emails alerted me to the fact. So let’s get out our reading glasses, sharpen our pencils, and think of a five letter word for perineum to complete 35-across. _ _ I N T
20/20 Hindsight:
Nebraska 27 - Missouri 12
The scoring in this one led off with one of my favorite football plays, the safety. Not just because it is rare and usually an exciting play (unless it is just the kicker running out of the back of the end zone), but I like seeing players and fans erupting into “The Safety Dance."
And although Missouri scored again to lead 9 – 0 at the half, you know what they say, “In a monsoon, it’s anybody’s ballgame.” The Children of the Corn suddenly came to life in the 4th quarter, scoring 27 points, 20 of which in a span of just over 3 minutes early in the quarter. It certainly didn’t help the Missouri cause, that quarterback Blaine Gabbert was strug-uh-ling to the tune of 17 for 43 for 134 yards and two picks. I admit it, I still giggle whenever I refer to a Missouri QB and picks.
Oklahoma State 36 - Texas A&M 31
Okay, I’m not trying to sound like sour grapes, but after the nonstop talk about how Oklahoma State was missing their top receiver, I wondered why it was never mentioned that A&M was also missing their top receiver. Sure, Jeff Fuller isn’t as crucial to the Aggie offense as Dez Bryant is to the Cowboys, but he was out with a broken leg while Dez was MIA for lying to an investigatory panel. All things aside, the NCAA penalization of Oklahoma State on Saturday was nothing compared to the whistle-thumping laid on them by the zebras. The Cowboys were hit 11 times for 118 yards, many times 15-yarders in key situations. I haven’t seen that much flying yellow laundry since Greg Wiggle’s dressing room got broken into by the Tasmanian Devil.
However, it was Robinson through the air and Toston on the ground that eventually put the Aggies away in the second half.
Kansas 41 - Iowa State 36
The Kansas offense seems to be in good hands as Todd Reesing has another outstanding showing, going 37 of 49 for 442 yards and four TDs. And on the other end, receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe continue to play one up as they go back and forth breaking each other’s records for career receptions. Apparently they play other things as well, as big teddy bear coach Mark Mangino said of the duo, “It’s hard to believe there’s a better pitch-and-catch group in the country than those guys.” The defense, however, lives far more to be passionately desired, as they allow the lowly Cyclones to rack up over 500 yards of offense and 36 points. The kicking game wasn’t much better for either team, as the first 3 PATs of the game were missed. Iowa State held firm until the end, but couldn’t complete a 4th and 9 pass in the end zone with just under a minute left. I’m sure Coach Mangino was really sweating this one out. I mean, I’m sure he was sweating anyway, but this time he was REALLY sweating.
Oklahoma 33 - Baylor 7
Art Briles and the Bears who have never gotten the better of Oklahoma faced off against Bob Stoops, who has never gotten the better of sensible headwear. And nothing changed on Saturday, as the visored one welcomed back his starting QB Sam Bradford, who showed up along with 389 passing yards and a touchdown. His numbers would have been even better if his receiving core wouldn’t have eaten three tubs of movie popcorn before the game, leading to almost a dozen dropped passes. I can’t help but think that the Sooners were hoping for a better showing against the Bears and their 3rd string quarterback as they get ready to face off next weekend against the Longhorns in the only football game in Texas not played at Jerryworld.
Texas 38 - Colorado 14
Once again, the Longhorns started off slowly, trailing 14 – 3 amidst a chorus of boos, before all of the burnt orange t-shirt owners from community colleges in the greater Austin area became jubilant when Mack Brown’s crew was able to pull away in the second half. This is not the game that Austin was hoping for as the Longhorns managed a paltry 313 yards and only 46 yards on the ground. That was still far superior to the Buffali, who only put together 127 total yards of offense, barely enough to make it down the field once. Both teams also spent the game mired in penalties as, forget what I said about the OSU game, the Horns racked up 8 for 93 yards, and Colorado was whistled for 20 penalties for 140 yards, more than they had in total offense. Fortunately for the Horns, Jordan Shipley is bills-in-the-mail fast. He had 147 yards receiving as well as a punt return for a touchdown. Yet despite all of this, the Longhorns just aren’t playing like the number 3 team. In fact, at this point I will go on record as saying they are more overrated than that crushed ice feature on your refrigerator. You know, how you see it in the store and you are like, “sweet, this thing makes crushed ice, I’ll take it” but you get it home and when you actually crush the ice it is more like randomly shaped pebbles mixed in with snowconesque ice shavings and it kind of just piles up on your face when you try and drink your beverage and you swear you will never use it again. Texas is kind of like that.
Texas Tech 66 - Kansas State 14
The Red Raiders show that just about anybody can put up big numbers in this offense as backup quarterback Steven Sheffield plugs in for 490 passing yards and seven touchdowns in his first career start. The LOLcats were outgained 739 yards to 284 and looked completely overmatched in every phased of the game, including rushing where the Raider Air Assault piled up 185 yards on the ground, en route to scoring at least two touchdowns in each period.. It kind of had that odd look to it, like when you see a bird running down the street, and you kind of wonder why it doesn’t just fly. I mean it is a bird, and that’s what birds do. Maybe it is just sandbagging because it is being chased by a wildcat that only has one leg. Sadly, the only way that these Wildcats stood a chance would be if Coach Bill Snyder hopped aboard a broom and somehow grabbed the golden snitch.
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
Things are slowly start to take shape in the Big XII, and that shape is a giant compass that points south. The conference has 3 ranked teams in what appears to be a down year, and they are all in the Southern Division, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma. It doesn’t look like anyone in the Big XII will be competing for the MNC this year so it will probably just come down to a slugfest for bowl pecking order, making each week even more interesting. Crap. I just wrote all that and then glanced down to see that Kansas was ranked at number 17. As usual, I maintain my commitment to not go back and fact check so I will leave the above text as a testament to just how little meaningful research I actually do. Only this time I lucked out and happened to catch myself before a flood of emails alerted me to the fact. So let’s get out our reading glasses, sharpen our pencils, and think of a five letter word for perineum to complete 35-across. _ _ I N T
20/20 Hindsight:
Nebraska 27 - Missouri 12
The scoring in this one led off with one of my favorite football plays, the safety. Not just because it is rare and usually an exciting play (unless it is just the kicker running out of the back of the end zone), but I like seeing players and fans erupting into “The Safety Dance."
And although Missouri scored again to lead 9 – 0 at the half, you know what they say, “In a monsoon, it’s anybody’s ballgame.” The Children of the Corn suddenly came to life in the 4th quarter, scoring 27 points, 20 of which in a span of just over 3 minutes early in the quarter. It certainly didn’t help the Missouri cause, that quarterback Blaine Gabbert was strug-uh-ling to the tune of 17 for 43 for 134 yards and two picks. I admit it, I still giggle whenever I refer to a Missouri QB and picks.
Oklahoma State 36 - Texas A&M 31
Okay, I’m not trying to sound like sour grapes, but after the nonstop talk about how Oklahoma State was missing their top receiver, I wondered why it was never mentioned that A&M was also missing their top receiver. Sure, Jeff Fuller isn’t as crucial to the Aggie offense as Dez Bryant is to the Cowboys, but he was out with a broken leg while Dez was MIA for lying to an investigatory panel. All things aside, the NCAA penalization of Oklahoma State on Saturday was nothing compared to the whistle-thumping laid on them by the zebras. The Cowboys were hit 11 times for 118 yards, many times 15-yarders in key situations. I haven’t seen that much flying yellow laundry since Greg Wiggle’s dressing room got broken into by the Tasmanian Devil.
However, it was Robinson through the air and Toston on the ground that eventually put the Aggies away in the second half.
Kansas 41 - Iowa State 36
The Kansas offense seems to be in good hands as Todd Reesing has another outstanding showing, going 37 of 49 for 442 yards and four TDs. And on the other end, receivers Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe continue to play one up as they go back and forth breaking each other’s records for career receptions. Apparently they play other things as well, as big teddy bear coach Mark Mangino said of the duo, “It’s hard to believe there’s a better pitch-and-catch group in the country than those guys.” The defense, however, lives far more to be passionately desired, as they allow the lowly Cyclones to rack up over 500 yards of offense and 36 points. The kicking game wasn’t much better for either team, as the first 3 PATs of the game were missed. Iowa State held firm until the end, but couldn’t complete a 4th and 9 pass in the end zone with just under a minute left. I’m sure Coach Mangino was really sweating this one out. I mean, I’m sure he was sweating anyway, but this time he was REALLY sweating.
Oklahoma 33 - Baylor 7
Art Briles and the Bears who have never gotten the better of Oklahoma faced off against Bob Stoops, who has never gotten the better of sensible headwear. And nothing changed on Saturday, as the visored one welcomed back his starting QB Sam Bradford, who showed up along with 389 passing yards and a touchdown. His numbers would have been even better if his receiving core wouldn’t have eaten three tubs of movie popcorn before the game, leading to almost a dozen dropped passes. I can’t help but think that the Sooners were hoping for a better showing against the Bears and their 3rd string quarterback as they get ready to face off next weekend against the Longhorns in the only football game in Texas not played at Jerryworld.
Texas 38 - Colorado 14
Once again, the Longhorns started off slowly, trailing 14 – 3 amidst a chorus of boos, before all of the burnt orange t-shirt owners from community colleges in the greater Austin area became jubilant when Mack Brown’s crew was able to pull away in the second half. This is not the game that Austin was hoping for as the Longhorns managed a paltry 313 yards and only 46 yards on the ground. That was still far superior to the Buffali, who only put together 127 total yards of offense, barely enough to make it down the field once. Both teams also spent the game mired in penalties as, forget what I said about the OSU game, the Horns racked up 8 for 93 yards, and Colorado was whistled for 20 penalties for 140 yards, more than they had in total offense. Fortunately for the Horns, Jordan Shipley is bills-in-the-mail fast. He had 147 yards receiving as well as a punt return for a touchdown. Yet despite all of this, the Longhorns just aren’t playing like the number 3 team. In fact, at this point I will go on record as saying they are more overrated than that crushed ice feature on your refrigerator. You know, how you see it in the store and you are like, “sweet, this thing makes crushed ice, I’ll take it” but you get it home and when you actually crush the ice it is more like randomly shaped pebbles mixed in with snowconesque ice shavings and it kind of just piles up on your face when you try and drink your beverage and you swear you will never use it again. Texas is kind of like that.
Texas Tech 66 - Kansas State 14
The Red Raiders show that just about anybody can put up big numbers in this offense as backup quarterback Steven Sheffield plugs in for 490 passing yards and seven touchdowns in his first career start. The LOLcats were outgained 739 yards to 284 and looked completely overmatched in every phased of the game, including rushing where the Raider Air Assault piled up 185 yards on the ground, en route to scoring at least two touchdowns in each period.. It kind of had that odd look to it, like when you see a bird running down the street, and you kind of wonder why it doesn’t just fly. I mean it is a bird, and that’s what birds do. Maybe it is just sandbagging because it is being chased by a wildcat that only has one leg. Sadly, the only way that these Wildcats stood a chance would be if Coach Bill Snyder hopped aboard a broom and somehow grabbed the golden snitch.
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
October 14, 2009
RANGERS AND HITTING COACH JARAMILLO PART WAYS
The rest of the coaching staff will return, the Rangers have announced.
Dallas-raised Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers hitting instructor for the last 15 seasons, has turned down the club's one-year contract offer and is preparing to explore the free agent market after his contract expires October 31.
Jaramillo, who turned 59 on September 20, has been a player, coach or manager in the Rangers' organization for 26 of his 31 years in baseball.
Rangers officials met with Jaramillo shortly after the season to extend the one-year offer but to also stipulate that the offense needed to improve. The Rangers ranked seventh in runs scored in the AL in 2009, but ranked 11th of 14 teams in batting average (.260) and 12th in on-base percentage (.320). There were concerns about the team's approach, particularly how often the Rangers swung at first pitches and put themselves in unfavorable hitting counts. Though the Rangers ranked in the middle of the pack in pitches per plate appearance (7th at 3.86), they had the highest percentage of first-pitch swings in the AL (31.1) last season.
During his tenure, Jaramillo has produced four MVPs (Juan Gonzalez twice, Ivan Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez), a batting champ (Michael Young) and three home run champions (Alex Rodriguez 2001-03).
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
Dallas-raised Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers hitting instructor for the last 15 seasons, has turned down the club's one-year contract offer and is preparing to explore the free agent market after his contract expires October 31.
Jaramillo, who turned 59 on September 20, has been a player, coach or manager in the Rangers' organization for 26 of his 31 years in baseball.
Rangers officials met with Jaramillo shortly after the season to extend the one-year offer but to also stipulate that the offense needed to improve. The Rangers ranked seventh in runs scored in the AL in 2009, but ranked 11th of 14 teams in batting average (.260) and 12th in on-base percentage (.320). There were concerns about the team's approach, particularly how often the Rangers swung at first pitches and put themselves in unfavorable hitting counts. Though the Rangers ranked in the middle of the pack in pitches per plate appearance (7th at 3.86), they had the highest percentage of first-pitch swings in the AL (31.1) last season.
During his tenure, Jaramillo has produced four MVPs (Juan Gonzalez twice, Ivan Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez), a batting champ (Michael Young) and three home run champions (Alex Rodriguez 2001-03).
Story courtesy of www.dallasnews.com
SHEFFIELD NAMED BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield was named Big 12 offensive player of the week for his performance against Kansas State. Sheffield, filling in for starter Taylor Potts, threw for 490 yards on 33-of-41 passing and had seven touchdowns. The touchdown mark ties the second-best single game performance in Tech history. Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was named defensive player of the week. Suh had six tackles, three hurries, a forced fumble and an interception in Nebraska's win over Missouri last Thursday. Texas' Jordan Shipley earned special teams player of the week honors. He had a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown to go along with 147 yards receiving.
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
LEACH STILL HASN'T NAMED STARTER FOR NEBRASKA GAME
Mike Leach was asked at his Monday news conference if the answer to who starts at quarterback -- Taylor Potts (reported as a concussion, though no official word from Tech) or Steven Sheffield -- will be a game-time decision.
"Not to do anything to diminish the excitement and anticipation of a gametime decision because I think that would screw up the whole thing and then we'd be less 'big-time' around here and that would certainly be disturbing to everybody," Leach said, "I think that the biggest thing is we're going to look at practice and see how people do in practice and see how they play in practice and perform in practice."
Leach had this to say about whether Potts was cleared to play:
"Well, unless you know that he's ever not been cleared to play because we've been 100 percent healthy and the rest," Leach said. "I'll tell you another interesting thing on that injury thing while we're on the subject. The thing that goes over everybody's head is, did you know that it was illegal to discuss those things in the first place? Doctors aren't all owed to so why would they turn me loose with it? I realize that there are those that fold to the pressure and there are those that potentially put themselves in a bad legal situation as far as yammering on about their team's situation but I think that in the interest of not exposing myself to any legal ramifications, I think it'd be best to follow the law like the doctors do and not talk about the injuries."
Got it?
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
"Not to do anything to diminish the excitement and anticipation of a gametime decision because I think that would screw up the whole thing and then we'd be less 'big-time' around here and that would certainly be disturbing to everybody," Leach said, "I think that the biggest thing is we're going to look at practice and see how people do in practice and see how they play in practice and perform in practice."
Leach had this to say about whether Potts was cleared to play:
"Well, unless you know that he's ever not been cleared to play because we've been 100 percent healthy and the rest," Leach said. "I'll tell you another interesting thing on that injury thing while we're on the subject. The thing that goes over everybody's head is, did you know that it was illegal to discuss those things in the first place? Doctors aren't all owed to so why would they turn me loose with it? I realize that there are those that fold to the pressure and there are those that potentially put themselves in a bad legal situation as far as yammering on about their team's situation but I think that in the interest of not exposing myself to any legal ramifications, I think it'd be best to follow the law like the doctors do and not talk about the injuries."
Got it?
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
AUSTIN NFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin was named NFC offensive player of the week Tuesday.
Austin earned the award by setting a franchise record with 250 receiving yards in the Cowboys' overtime victory over Kansas City. Austin, who finished with 10 catches and two touchdowns, broke the club mark set by Bob Hayes in 1966. Hayes, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, had 246 receiving yards against the Redskins on Nov. 13, 1966.
Austin's 250 yards were the most by a wide receiver in his first NFL start. He became the 15th wideout to reach at least 250 yards in a single game since the AFL-NFL merger.
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
Austin earned the award by setting a franchise record with 250 receiving yards in the Cowboys' overtime victory over Kansas City. Austin, who finished with 10 catches and two touchdowns, broke the club mark set by Bob Hayes in 1966. Hayes, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, had 246 receiving yards against the Redskins on Nov. 13, 1966.
Austin's 250 yards were the most by a wide receiver in his first NFL start. He became the 15th wideout to reach at least 250 yards in a single game since the AFL-NFL merger.
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
October 11, 2009
IS THERE A QB CONTROVERSY AT TECH?
Now he’s done it, the thing Mike Leach hates most.Steven Sheffield, darn him, has gone and created a distraction.
Leach’s first nine years coaching Texas Tech were free of quarterback controversy, largely because Leach made it so. Years past, when the waters roiled around a Kliff Kingsbury, a Sonny Cumbie or a Graham Harrell, Leach calmed the situation like a first-grade teacher shushing class. Always, he sticks to his starter.
How about now?
Not to say that Taylor Potts deserves to sit, thanks to circumstances beyond Potts’ control. Hey, he’s the nation’s second-leading passer, and he needed all of about three games to earn huddle cred with his toughness.
But can you bench Sticks now? After his rescue effort one Saturday and a rout the next? With him moving the team, making sound decisions and firing up the fans? Heck, Tech higher-ups have to be thinking, too, about ticket sales since Jones Stadium is growing — and because it was much emptier than usual for a 66-14 blowout of Kansas State on a chilly
Saturday night.
Frankly, I don’t know that the quarterback call is one Leach will have to make right away. Potts couldn’t recover in a week’s time from a concussion, and I’d be surprised if he’s cleared to go next weekend at Nebraska.
But after Sheffield’s 490-yard, seven-touchdown gem, it’s clear the Red Raiders have two viable options. At some point, Leach will have to make a choice, be it next week or next month or, looking ahead, next year.
As smoothly as he handled his first significant game action the week before, Sheffield raised his bid for the job in his first career start. The game was over when Tech led 38-0 at halftime as the Red Raiders scored every time they touched the ball against a team that had yet to give up more than 23 points in a game this season.
Sheffield wasn’t just along for the ride. He threw touch passes, put zing we didn’t know he had on balls that called for it and, to the astonishment of quite a few, unleashed a couple of bombs just perfectly.
Jacoby Franks latched on to one and turned it into a 72-yard touchdown. Lyle Leong dropped another, and Sheffield ran 50 yards downfield to tell Leong, shake it off, I’ll get back to ya. He did, in the fourth quarter, for his seventh touchdown pass.
Like last week, Sheffield played with boyish enthusiasm, judiciously left the pocket to buy time when necessary and mixed in one of his own runs for a first down.
Maybe most impressive, he chose the right option nearly all the time, seldom forcing anything.
Behind closed doors, I can tell you what Leach is thinking: A starter doesn’t lose his job because he got hurt.
Knowing Mike, that philosophy might go double for his quarterbacks, a position at which he makes evaluations based on what he’s seen for years in meeting rooms and monotonous practices. The lawyer coach reviews all the evidence.
And, to be sure, there are reasons not to hand it over to Sticks too quickly.
New Mexico’s New Mexico, and Kansas State’s not the middle-aged Bill Snyder’s Kansas State. Sheffield looked dandy against two outclassed teams. A crowd that wanted to see him do well was ready with the support whenever he did.
And if Sheffield could move ahead of Potts in the last two Saturdays alone, what was he doing the last three years? After all, both Tech quarterbacks entered the program at the same time, sat through all the same meetings, went to all the same practices and, going into August, no one thought for a second that Potts shouldn’t be starting quarterback.
Now there’s a lot more to think about.
Story courtesy of Don Williams at www.redraiders.com
COWBOYS VS. CHIEFS WRAP-UP
The Kansas City Chiefs pushed the Cowboys to the brink, but they lost the game because they couldn't contain wide receiver Miles Austin of Monmouth University fame. Making his first NFL start, Austin showed everyone why owner Jerry Jones spent the past offseason praising him at every turn.
Without running back Felix Jones (knee) in the lineup, the Cowboys have been in desperate need of a playmaker. On Sunday, Austin responded with 10 catches for 250 yards, eclipsing the single-game record that Bob Hayes had held since 1966. The win puts the Cowboys at 3-2 heading into the bye week.
But for the better part of the game, the Chiefs played the role of the hungry team. We'll never know what may have happened had the Cowboys lost at Arrowhead on Sunday. Jones had said last week that coach Wade Phillips' job was safe, but you never know what can happen in the aftermath of a crippling loss.
Instead, the Cowboys celebrated a win -- and it's one they won't apologize for. You can no longer style-point Cowboys victories. They'll take them any way they can get them. Running back Tashard Choice came up big on a drive that allowed the Cowboys to close the gap to 13-10. It was his 36-yard touchdown run that seemed to finally bring the Cowboys' offense to life.
From that point on, it was the Tony Romo-to-Austin show. It was only a week ago that Romo was intercepted when he tried to throw a pass to Austin in Broncos territory. It's been widely debated in Dallas whose fault it was, but it didn't matter Sunday. Austin used his speed and power to overwhelm the Chiefs defense.
And the Chiefs fell to 0-5. It was a bitter defeat for first-year coach Todd Haley, who has an intimate knowledge of the Cowboys' personnel from his time in Dallas. He's not the type of coach who will take pride in coming close.
Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware collected his first two sacks of the season and finished with six tackles. Inside linebacker Keith Brooking had 11 tackles, including a sack. The Cowboys are still a team in search of an identity, but on Sunday afternoon they found a hero.
His name is Miles Austin -- and they're going to have a tough time keeping him off the field. Here's a postgame story from ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon.
Story courtesy of www.ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Without running back Felix Jones (knee) in the lineup, the Cowboys have been in desperate need of a playmaker. On Sunday, Austin responded with 10 catches for 250 yards, eclipsing the single-game record that Bob Hayes had held since 1966. The win puts the Cowboys at 3-2 heading into the bye week.
But for the better part of the game, the Chiefs played the role of the hungry team. We'll never know what may have happened had the Cowboys lost at Arrowhead on Sunday. Jones had said last week that coach Wade Phillips' job was safe, but you never know what can happen in the aftermath of a crippling loss.
Instead, the Cowboys celebrated a win -- and it's one they won't apologize for. You can no longer style-point Cowboys victories. They'll take them any way they can get them. Running back Tashard Choice came up big on a drive that allowed the Cowboys to close the gap to 13-10. It was his 36-yard touchdown run that seemed to finally bring the Cowboys' offense to life.
From that point on, it was the Tony Romo-to-Austin show. It was only a week ago that Romo was intercepted when he tried to throw a pass to Austin in Broncos territory. It's been widely debated in Dallas whose fault it was, but it didn't matter Sunday. Austin used his speed and power to overwhelm the Chiefs defense.
And the Chiefs fell to 0-5. It was a bitter defeat for first-year coach Todd Haley, who has an intimate knowledge of the Cowboys' personnel from his time in Dallas. He's not the type of coach who will take pride in coming close.
Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware collected his first two sacks of the season and finished with six tackles. Inside linebacker Keith Brooking had 11 tackles, including a sack. The Cowboys are still a team in search of an identity, but on Sunday afternoon they found a hero.
His name is Miles Austin -- and they're going to have a tough time keeping him off the field. Here's a postgame story from ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon.
Story courtesy of www.ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
TEXAS TECH VS. K- STATE RECAP
THE GOOD:
"Sticks" Sticking around at QB?: Steven Sheffield put on another outstanding show Saturday night with 490 passing yards and 7 TDs. Not bad for a guy getting his first start of his collegiate career.
Tech Running Game on Track: The few times that Sheffield wasn't throwing TDs, the running back trio of Batch, Jeffers, and Stephens ate up yards in the ground game as they combined to rush for over 175 and 1 TD [Batch]. Add to that an additional 75+ receiving yards for one very productive unit.
Defense Steps Up: Even the offensive fireworks couldn't overshadow a defensive unit that only gave up 284 total yards and 1 TD [the other score was a return on a Sheffield interception]. They also forced 2 fumbles that our offense capitalized on. Great Effort, Guys!
THE BAD:
Honestly, was there any bad spot last night? It's a thing of beauty when all 3 facets of the game come together, and with the exception of a few miscues, last night was the best game of the season for Texas Tech.
THE UGLY:
Where's the Students? We dominated most phases of the game, so the ugliest thing I could think of was the lack of students represented at the game. Apparently they were on a fall break Monday and Tuesday so many students opted to ditch the game to go home to visit mommy and daddy. I don't know what's worse, having a half-filled student section on TV, or scheduling a homecoming when half the students aren't even there...
"Sticks" Sticking around at QB?: Steven Sheffield put on another outstanding show Saturday night with 490 passing yards and 7 TDs. Not bad for a guy getting his first start of his collegiate career.
Tech Running Game on Track: The few times that Sheffield wasn't throwing TDs, the running back trio of Batch, Jeffers, and Stephens ate up yards in the ground game as they combined to rush for over 175 and 1 TD [Batch]. Add to that an additional 75+ receiving yards for one very productive unit.
Defense Steps Up: Even the offensive fireworks couldn't overshadow a defensive unit that only gave up 284 total yards and 1 TD [the other score was a return on a Sheffield interception]. They also forced 2 fumbles that our offense capitalized on. Great Effort, Guys!
THE BAD:
Honestly, was there any bad spot last night? It's a thing of beauty when all 3 facets of the game come together, and with the exception of a few miscues, last night was the best game of the season for Texas Tech.
THE UGLY:
Where's the Students? We dominated most phases of the game, so the ugliest thing I could think of was the lack of students represented at the game. Apparently they were on a fall break Monday and Tuesday so many students opted to ditch the game to go home to visit mommy and daddy. I don't know what's worse, having a half-filled student section on TV, or scheduling a homecoming when half the students aren't even there...
TEXAS TECH KILLS K-STATE 66-14
The Red Raiders came out flying and never took their foot off the gas pedal as they trounced Kansas State 66-14. Steven Sheffield lit up the West Texas sky with 490 yards 7 touchdowns during his first start career start.
With starting quarterback Taylor Potts out with a concussion, backup Steven Sheffield got his first career start on Saturday night against Kansas State.
Sheffield did not disappoint.
In the first half, Sheffield completed 22 of 29 passes for 370 yards and 5 touchdowns. The 370 passing yards sets a new school record for most yards in a half, surpassing the previous record of 367 yards set by B.J. Symons against Ole Miss in 2003.
Sheffield finished the game with 490 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Sheffield was very liberal with the ball distribution, as he found 11 different receivers for catches and 4 for scores in the first half alone.
The Red Raider D was equally impressive, pitching a shutout until 7:33 left in the second half. They finished the game with 4 sacks and only allowed 284 total yards.
3rd string Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege saw his first live action of football since his sophomore year at 2A Crane High School after the Red Raiders built a 59-7 lead in the 4th quarter.
Detron Lewis led the receiving corps with 8 catches for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jacoby Franks scored the first touchdown of his career on a 72 yard strike in the second quarter.
Next week the Red Raiders head to Lincoln to face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Story courtesy of www.raiderpower.com
WEAKLY RETORT: WEEK 5
PsychoAg joins us again for another edition of the Weakly Retort. A fan favorite since 2005, the Retort takes a light-hearted look at the college football landscape, with a specific emphasis on the Big 12.
Introduction:
This week was definitely sucky, if I may use a word that Microsoft Word keeps wanting to replace with sulky, which I suppose is also correct. First, the Aggies rolled into their first of ten matchups with Arkansas and got their hindquarters served up on a rotisserie, more on that later. I will admit that Jerryworld is a strange venue for a college football game. I don’t know if it was the eerie artificial lighting that I swear is because they must be using those squiggly light bulbs that Al Gore keeps telling everyone to use or else the polar bears are going to get hemorrhoids or something like that. Maybe it was the overcast rainy day that completely ruined any semblance of tailgating. Or maybe it was just the fact that my team jumped out to a lead and then doodied their sheets that put me in a foul mood.
Of course, the Cowboys didn’t help things. Normally, I can count on them to bail out the sports-weekend by winning when the Aggies lose. Instead they went up to Denver and got Mile High clubbed over the head in a game that almost made me wish we had Jessica Simpson back. Almost. At least the mention of her should help this pop up in some Google searches, much to the chagrin of the US Magazine aficionado that has no interest in what I have to say about sports. So, with all of that said, let’s grab our turkey basters and get ready to Octomom.
20/20 Hindsight:
West Virginia 35 - Colorado 24
The Buffali resume their trend of heading in the wrong direction as they seek the 10-win treasure that Coach Dan Hawkins promised the Colorado faithful. At least when Christopher Columbus went to the wrong place, he discovered a new world. The best that Colorado can hope to find is a bowl season sitting at home eating cranberry sauce that is still in the shape of a can because their grandmother was too lazy to even cut it into slices. The fact that Dan Hawkins’ son is the starting quarterback won’t make the meal even slightly uncomfortable now will it? As for the game itself, West Virginia found success on the legs of Devine. No, not the drag queen.
Noel Devine, the running back who torched the Colorado line for 220 yards, including runs of 77 yards and 56 yards. Meanwhile, Cody Hawkins, despite throwing two touchdowns, also tossed three interceptions, no doubt relegating him to the kids table eating macaroni and cheese and jello instead of turkey and dressing, a detail I included only to see how many commas I could fit in one sentence.
Kansas State 24 - Iowa State 23
Never has there been so much drama with so little interest, unless you count the whole Jon minus Kate divided by eight saga. The two Big XII North powerhouses squared off at Arrowhead stadium in front of a paltry crowd of 40,000 causing the two athletic directors to rethink the two-year deal, or at least consider promising a guest appearance by William Hung and a free flu shots next year. But for those that showed up, they actually got to see a pretty exciting game. No team led by more than a touchdown at any point, and the play of the game was after Iowa State scored with 32 seconds remaining to seemingly tie the game, only to have the extra point blocked. FAIL.
Texas Tech 48 - New Mexico 28
The Red Raiders struggled early in this game, going into the half with only a 14 – 7 lead. Starting quarterback Taylor Potts threw two interceptions, one returned for New Mexico’s only score of the half. But after two hard sacks, Taylor Potts seemed to be a bit seasick aboard the pirate ship and so he was lifted for Steven Sheffield who was handed the giant wheel with all of the handles on it. You know what I mean. Sheffield came in and took care of business, throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns. And despite the obvious pain in Potts’ eyes and the field sobriety test they were giving him on the sideline, Mike Leach still took a cue from the Iraqi Information Minister, claiming that there were no injuries.
Baylor 31 - Kent State 15
To show you just how bad Kent State is, they get more than doubled up by Baylor, who was playing with their 3rd string quarterback. The Bears got outgained on the ground and in the air, but won the turnover battle and ultimately the game, which is really the only statistic that matters unless you are playing fantasy football. Speaking of, I have finally given up fantasy football. I got so tired of watching games, not caring so much who won, but hoping that this player would score three touchdowns, and that player would throw two interceptions, and this other player would stop eating his boogers. And for the record, you there in the office, NOBODY cares how your fantasy team did. Especially the people that aren’t in your league. Please don’t come by my desk and tell me how you picked up Orville Pigstumper off of the waiver wire and he scored 3 TDs and you beat “The Nas-T- Boyz” 127 – 123. Nobody scores that many points in a game, not even Tech. You want to know my fantasy football? It’s called a playoff.
Arkansas 47 - Texas A&M 19
The Aggies came out of the gate with guns blazing, which is a metaphor that makes absolutely no sense. But after a couple of early missed opportunities, Johnson and the Aggies went completely flaccid as the Razorbacks began to pile on the points heading into half time. Jerrod certainly looks like he will be a solid quarterback, but he is going to have to get some protection from his offensive line. The poor left tackle struggled all night long and I’m sure there is nothing for the psyche like replays of you getting abused on a screen the size of Noah’s Ark.
Miami 21 - Oklahoma 20
In what was probably the best game of the weekend, the Sooners travel to Miami where they fall to the Hurricanes. Miami did everything wrong in the first half, including throwing picks on the first two drives, which apparently was quite amusing as Hurricane quarterback Jacory Harris was seen laughing on the sideline. Perhaps he was just giggling that the game was being played in a stadium named after a bad Saturday Night Live sketch.
The Hurricanes also downed a punt inside the one, and then gave up a 48 yard run on the next play. But the tide quickly turned in the second half as the wheels started to come off of the Sooner Schooner. Some other stuff happened that I didn’t see because I was at the A&M game, but the importance of the win certainly wasn’t overstated by Miami coach Randy Shannon, who said, “Big, huge win for us. It’s huge.” The Sooners hope to have Sam Bradford back before the start of Big XII play, and I do too because he lends himself to some really good jokes.
Click here to continue reading...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
Introduction:
This week was definitely sucky, if I may use a word that Microsoft Word keeps wanting to replace with sulky, which I suppose is also correct. First, the Aggies rolled into their first of ten matchups with Arkansas and got their hindquarters served up on a rotisserie, more on that later. I will admit that Jerryworld is a strange venue for a college football game. I don’t know if it was the eerie artificial lighting that I swear is because they must be using those squiggly light bulbs that Al Gore keeps telling everyone to use or else the polar bears are going to get hemorrhoids or something like that. Maybe it was the overcast rainy day that completely ruined any semblance of tailgating. Or maybe it was just the fact that my team jumped out to a lead and then doodied their sheets that put me in a foul mood.
Of course, the Cowboys didn’t help things. Normally, I can count on them to bail out the sports-weekend by winning when the Aggies lose. Instead they went up to Denver and got Mile High clubbed over the head in a game that almost made me wish we had Jessica Simpson back. Almost. At least the mention of her should help this pop up in some Google searches, much to the chagrin of the US Magazine aficionado that has no interest in what I have to say about sports. So, with all of that said, let’s grab our turkey basters and get ready to Octomom.
20/20 Hindsight:
West Virginia 35 - Colorado 24
The Buffali resume their trend of heading in the wrong direction as they seek the 10-win treasure that Coach Dan Hawkins promised the Colorado faithful. At least when Christopher Columbus went to the wrong place, he discovered a new world. The best that Colorado can hope to find is a bowl season sitting at home eating cranberry sauce that is still in the shape of a can because their grandmother was too lazy to even cut it into slices. The fact that Dan Hawkins’ son is the starting quarterback won’t make the meal even slightly uncomfortable now will it? As for the game itself, West Virginia found success on the legs of Devine. No, not the drag queen.
Noel Devine, the running back who torched the Colorado line for 220 yards, including runs of 77 yards and 56 yards. Meanwhile, Cody Hawkins, despite throwing two touchdowns, also tossed three interceptions, no doubt relegating him to the kids table eating macaroni and cheese and jello instead of turkey and dressing, a detail I included only to see how many commas I could fit in one sentence.
Kansas State 24 - Iowa State 23
Never has there been so much drama with so little interest, unless you count the whole Jon minus Kate divided by eight saga. The two Big XII North powerhouses squared off at Arrowhead stadium in front of a paltry crowd of 40,000 causing the two athletic directors to rethink the two-year deal, or at least consider promising a guest appearance by William Hung and a free flu shots next year. But for those that showed up, they actually got to see a pretty exciting game. No team led by more than a touchdown at any point, and the play of the game was after Iowa State scored with 32 seconds remaining to seemingly tie the game, only to have the extra point blocked. FAIL.
Texas Tech 48 - New Mexico 28
The Red Raiders struggled early in this game, going into the half with only a 14 – 7 lead. Starting quarterback Taylor Potts threw two interceptions, one returned for New Mexico’s only score of the half. But after two hard sacks, Taylor Potts seemed to be a bit seasick aboard the pirate ship and so he was lifted for Steven Sheffield who was handed the giant wheel with all of the handles on it. You know what I mean. Sheffield came in and took care of business, throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns. And despite the obvious pain in Potts’ eyes and the field sobriety test they were giving him on the sideline, Mike Leach still took a cue from the Iraqi Information Minister, claiming that there were no injuries.
Baylor 31 - Kent State 15
To show you just how bad Kent State is, they get more than doubled up by Baylor, who was playing with their 3rd string quarterback. The Bears got outgained on the ground and in the air, but won the turnover battle and ultimately the game, which is really the only statistic that matters unless you are playing fantasy football. Speaking of, I have finally given up fantasy football. I got so tired of watching games, not caring so much who won, but hoping that this player would score three touchdowns, and that player would throw two interceptions, and this other player would stop eating his boogers. And for the record, you there in the office, NOBODY cares how your fantasy team did. Especially the people that aren’t in your league. Please don’t come by my desk and tell me how you picked up Orville Pigstumper off of the waiver wire and he scored 3 TDs and you beat “The Nas-T- Boyz” 127 – 123. Nobody scores that many points in a game, not even Tech. You want to know my fantasy football? It’s called a playoff.
Arkansas 47 - Texas A&M 19
The Aggies came out of the gate with guns blazing, which is a metaphor that makes absolutely no sense. But after a couple of early missed opportunities, Johnson and the Aggies went completely flaccid as the Razorbacks began to pile on the points heading into half time. Jerrod certainly looks like he will be a solid quarterback, but he is going to have to get some protection from his offensive line. The poor left tackle struggled all night long and I’m sure there is nothing for the psyche like replays of you getting abused on a screen the size of Noah’s Ark.
Miami 21 - Oklahoma 20
In what was probably the best game of the weekend, the Sooners travel to Miami where they fall to the Hurricanes. Miami did everything wrong in the first half, including throwing picks on the first two drives, which apparently was quite amusing as Hurricane quarterback Jacory Harris was seen laughing on the sideline. Perhaps he was just giggling that the game was being played in a stadium named after a bad Saturday Night Live sketch.
The Hurricanes also downed a punt inside the one, and then gave up a 48 yard run on the next play. But the tide quickly turned in the second half as the wheels started to come off of the Sooner Schooner. Some other stuff happened that I didn’t see because I was at the A&M game, but the importance of the win certainly wasn’t overstated by Miami coach Randy Shannon, who said, “Big, huge win for us. It’s huge.” The Sooners hope to have Sam Bradford back before the start of Big XII play, and I do too because he lends himself to some really good jokes.
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Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
October 7, 2009
CRABTREE FINALLY SIGNS DEAL WITH 49ERS
After months of holding out, wide receiver Michael Crabtree has agreed to a contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
The deal, first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, was confirmed by 49ers spokesman Bob Lange in a text message to The Associated Press early Wednesday.
Crabtree will get a six-year deal that he can void to five years if he meets undefined performance clauses, a league source told ESPN's Michael Smith.
The 22-year-old Crabtree is expected to report to the team's training facility Wednesday.
Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker met into the early-morning hours Wednesday with 49ers owner Jed York, general manager Scot McCloughan and Paraag Marathe, vice president of football operations. The two sides had gone almost three weeks without talking.
San Francisco selected Crabtree with the 10th pick in this year's draft and could use the wideout's game-breaking ability in the passing game. That said, he has a lot of catching up to do to learn the offense after missing all of training camp.
He also sat out the 49ers' offseason minicamps and organized team activities while recovering from a foot injury, but was a regular presence for rehabilitation and strengthening workouts at the team's training facility.
Coach Mike Singletary, whose 49ers lead the NFC West and at 3-1 are off to their best start since 2002, said Monday he would welcome Crabtree whenever he joins the team.
Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last year during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. He finished his college career with 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 TDs.
Story courtesy of www.espn.com
The deal, first reported by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, was confirmed by 49ers spokesman Bob Lange in a text message to The Associated Press early Wednesday.
Crabtree will get a six-year deal that he can void to five years if he meets undefined performance clauses, a league source told ESPN's Michael Smith.
The 22-year-old Crabtree is expected to report to the team's training facility Wednesday.
Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker met into the early-morning hours Wednesday with 49ers owner Jed York, general manager Scot McCloughan and Paraag Marathe, vice president of football operations. The two sides had gone almost three weeks without talking.
San Francisco selected Crabtree with the 10th pick in this year's draft and could use the wideout's game-breaking ability in the passing game. That said, he has a lot of catching up to do to learn the offense after missing all of training camp.
He also sat out the 49ers' offseason minicamps and organized team activities while recovering from a foot injury, but was a regular presence for rehabilitation and strengthening workouts at the team's training facility.
Coach Mike Singletary, whose 49ers lead the NFC West and at 3-1 are off to their best start since 2002, said Monday he would welcome Crabtree whenever he joins the team.
Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last year during his sophomore season at Texas Tech. He finished his college career with 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 TDs.
Story courtesy of www.espn.com
CRABTREE TALKING WITH 49ER'S...AND SO IS MC HAMMER?
Ring the bell, school's back in!And so are negotiations between first-round draft pick Michael Crabtree(notes) and the San Francisco 49ers. Oddly, they seem to include early '90s rapper M.C. Hammer, too.
What qualifies Hammer to be there -- other than a mind to rhyme and two hype feet, of course -- I couldn't tell you. But he's there, according to excellent 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco, who includes several updates about Crabtree, his agent Eugene Parker and Hammer on his Twitter page.
He also posted a recap of his day attempting to cover the negotiations, including Hammer seemingly being offended when Maiocco asked him who he was. Hammer, don't hurt 'em!
Yes, folks, I later found out there was a very good reason this man looked like Hammer. It was Hammer. And although one hotel employee told me Crabtree said to Hammer, "Get it done," as he entered the SUV, it's safe to say that Hammer has no role in the negotiations. Hammer is long time friends with Deion Sanders and Crabtree's agent, Eugene Parker. Sanders is a mentor for Crabtree.
It is my understanding that progress is being made in the negotiations. Heck, the fact that they've finally had a face-to-face meeting is tremendous progress. It shows Crabtree has a willingness to play for the 49ers.
I'm happy about the progress, too. Hammer hasn't gotten this much attention since those Nationwide (is on yo side!) commercials stopped running. Oh, and I'm happy for Crabtree, too. It's about damn time he reopened talks with the 49ers.
As for Hammer, the younger readers might not be familiar with him, so I think the best way to describe him is this: People my age think of Hammer now the way you're going to think of Soulja Boy in 20 years. It was amusing and enjoyable at the time, but eventually you'll be confused as to how the whole thing ever happened. And then he'll turn up and negotiate a contract for Matthew Stafford(notes) Jr.
Story courtesy of www.sports.yahoo.com
October 6, 2009
EXPECT RANGERS' BUDGET TO REMAIN THE SAME IN 2010
Whatever the Texas Rangers look like in 2010, they will probably be doing it for around the same amount of money as they did it this season.
“It (our budget) will be close, if not the same, than what it was this year,” team president Nolan Ryan said this morning as he, general manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington wrapped up the 2009 season.
The Rangers opened this season with a payroll of just over $68 million, but still managed to post the fourth-best record in the American League and their 87 victories matched the sixth-highest total in franchise history.
Now the team must decide what direction it will take next year in its bid to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
There are questions about ownership, free agents and coaches heading into the off-season. It will also be an off-season in which the Rangers will be faced with something they haven’t had in years - lofty expectations entering next year.
“In Ron’s end of season meeting with the players, he said it perfectly,” Daniels said. “He said there were a lot of positives. There were a lot of strides, but individually, as an organization and as a team. But the biggest step forward is yet to come. The most challenging is yet to come.”
What form the Rangers will take in their bid to make the playoffs team remains to be seen. There are organizational meetings to come in which potential free agents will be discussed as well as the coaching situation.
Only Washington and Mike Maddux are under contract for 2010. The Rangers would like to see the entire staff come back next year, including hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, but nothing has been decided.
Daniels also said the Rangers have sincere interest in bringing back Marlon Byrd. But Byrd is a 32-year-old outfielder who is coming off a career year and the team already has a crowded outfield with Josh Hamilton, David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon.
The Rangers were pleased with the pitching and defense this season, but the offense has room for improvement. Both Ryan and Washington said the team must improve in situational hitting, an area the team struggled in 2009.
“The situation is primary and everything else is secondary,” said Washington, who will return to his home in New Orleans later this week before heading back to Arlington for meetings next week. “That’s something we’ve certainly got to work on and make sure these guys understand. Sometimes you don’t need base hits to put runs on the board.”
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
“It (our budget) will be close, if not the same, than what it was this year,” team president Nolan Ryan said this morning as he, general manager Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington wrapped up the 2009 season.
The Rangers opened this season with a payroll of just over $68 million, but still managed to post the fourth-best record in the American League and their 87 victories matched the sixth-highest total in franchise history.
Now the team must decide what direction it will take next year in its bid to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
There are questions about ownership, free agents and coaches heading into the off-season. It will also be an off-season in which the Rangers will be faced with something they haven’t had in years - lofty expectations entering next year.
“In Ron’s end of season meeting with the players, he said it perfectly,” Daniels said. “He said there were a lot of positives. There were a lot of strides, but individually, as an organization and as a team. But the biggest step forward is yet to come. The most challenging is yet to come.”
What form the Rangers will take in their bid to make the playoffs team remains to be seen. There are organizational meetings to come in which potential free agents will be discussed as well as the coaching situation.
Only Washington and Mike Maddux are under contract for 2010. The Rangers would like to see the entire staff come back next year, including hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, but nothing has been decided.
Daniels also said the Rangers have sincere interest in bringing back Marlon Byrd. But Byrd is a 32-year-old outfielder who is coming off a career year and the team already has a crowded outfield with Josh Hamilton, David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon.
The Rangers were pleased with the pitching and defense this season, but the offense has room for improvement. Both Ryan and Washington said the team must improve in situational hitting, an area the team struggled in 2009.
“The situation is primary and everything else is secondary,” said Washington, who will return to his home in New Orleans later this week before heading back to Arlington for meetings next week. “That’s something we’ve certainly got to work on and make sure these guys understand. Sometimes you don’t need base hits to put runs on the board.”
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
October 5, 2009
CRABTREE TO RENEW CONTRACT TALKS
First-round draft pick Michael Crabtree left for San Francisco from Tampa, Fla., on Monday to renew contract talks with the 49ers, according to multiple sources.
NFC West blog
ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
Crabtree was unavailable for comment. The Dallas native and former Texas Tech receiver has been training in Tampa the past few weeks in Tampa.
Eugene Parker, Crabtree's agent, is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco on Tuesday. Parker declined comment when reached.
Crabtree, the 10th overall selection in last April's draft, is the only unsigned first-round pick. He has missed the first four weeks of the regular season.
The 22-year-old Crabtree is seeking money comparable to higher picks and has turned down the 49ers' offer for approximately five years and $20 million, with a reported $16 million guaranteed.
The 49ers have until Nov. 17 to sign Crabtree in order for him to play this season. If Crabtree is not signed and he is not traded, he would go back into the April draft.
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
NFC West blog
ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
Crabtree was unavailable for comment. The Dallas native and former Texas Tech receiver has been training in Tampa the past few weeks in Tampa.
Eugene Parker, Crabtree's agent, is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco on Tuesday. Parker declined comment when reached.
Crabtree, the 10th overall selection in last April's draft, is the only unsigned first-round pick. He has missed the first four weeks of the regular season.
The 22-year-old Crabtree is seeking money comparable to higher picks and has turned down the 49ers' offer for approximately five years and $20 million, with a reported $16 million guaranteed.
The 49ers have until Nov. 17 to sign Crabtree in order for him to play this season. If Crabtree is not signed and he is not traded, he would go back into the April draft.
Story courtesy of www.espndallas.com
COWBOYS FIZZLE AGAINST BRONCOS
Who and what are these Dallas Cowboys?
And just who was that impersonating owner Jerry Jones in the locker room following Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High?
Jones was simply too positive and too gracious for the occasion.
His team had just lost a game it had controlled throughout, especially on defense.
But that was before Denver receiver Brandon Marshall caught a pass over cornerback Terence Newman and zigzagged his way through flailing defenders en route to a 51-yard touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the game, giving the Broncos the lead for good.
Certainly, the Cowboys’ offense came close to sending the game into overtime with a seemingly miraculous final drive. On fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 27, quarterback Tony Romo spun out of two near sacks and found fourth receiver Sam Hurd, who broke free for a 53-yard play to the Denver 20.
Shortly thereafter, the Cowboys had second-and-goal at the 2. But a spike to stop the clock was followed by two incompletions on passes intended for Hurd, who was subbing for an injured Roy Williams (ribs).
The end was fitting for an offense that was stagnant all game and has no go-to playmaker.
It has the Cowboys at a crossroads a month into the season with a 2-2 mark and still searching for an identity.
But Jones chose to lavish praise on the undefeated Broncos (4-0) rather than concern himself with his team’s continued mediocrity since last winning a playoff game in 1996.
"We played at home against a 4-0 team that is a legitimate 4-0 team," Jones said. "That sums it up for me. I’m disappointed we lost the game. I’m not dwelling on any part of it. I’m giving Denver credit for winning, more credit than I’m placing blame for losing it."
For Dallas, it’s not about placing blame, but taking stock in its situation and doing something about it.
Since starting the Wade Phillips era in 2007 with 12 wins in their first 13 games, the Cowboys have gone 12-12, including the 2007 playoff loss to the New York Giants.
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
And just who was that impersonating owner Jerry Jones in the locker room following Sunday’s 17-10 loss to the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High?
Jones was simply too positive and too gracious for the occasion.
His team had just lost a game it had controlled throughout, especially on defense.
But that was before Denver receiver Brandon Marshall caught a pass over cornerback Terence Newman and zigzagged his way through flailing defenders en route to a 51-yard touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the game, giving the Broncos the lead for good.
Certainly, the Cowboys’ offense came close to sending the game into overtime with a seemingly miraculous final drive. On fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 27, quarterback Tony Romo spun out of two near sacks and found fourth receiver Sam Hurd, who broke free for a 53-yard play to the Denver 20.
Shortly thereafter, the Cowboys had second-and-goal at the 2. But a spike to stop the clock was followed by two incompletions on passes intended for Hurd, who was subbing for an injured Roy Williams (ribs).
The end was fitting for an offense that was stagnant all game and has no go-to playmaker.
It has the Cowboys at a crossroads a month into the season with a 2-2 mark and still searching for an identity.
But Jones chose to lavish praise on the undefeated Broncos (4-0) rather than concern himself with his team’s continued mediocrity since last winning a playoff game in 1996.
"We played at home against a 4-0 team that is a legitimate 4-0 team," Jones said. "That sums it up for me. I’m disappointed we lost the game. I’m not dwelling on any part of it. I’m giving Denver credit for winning, more credit than I’m placing blame for losing it."
For Dallas, it’s not about placing blame, but taking stock in its situation and doing something about it.
Since starting the Wade Phillips era in 2007 with 12 wins in their first 13 games, the Cowboys have gone 12-12, including the 2007 playoff loss to the New York Giants.
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Story courtesy of www.star-telegram.com
TECH LINEMAN BACK AFTER SUSPENSION
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Texas Tech guard and team captain Brandon Carter is back from his suspension for violating team rules.
Tech spokesman Chris Cook says Carter, also known for his colorful mohawk, practiced Sunday for the first time in more than a week.
Tech hasn't released details of what led to the suspension. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported Carter threw his helmet and loudly criticized coaches after a Sept. 19 loss at Houston, but Cook told The Associated Press he couldn't confirm that report.
Carter was one of the Tech players who had a Twitter page before coach Mike Leach banned them, but the suspension was unrelated.
Tech beat New Mexico 48-28 last weekend and faces Kansas State at home Saturday.
Story courtesy of www.kcbd.com
Tech spokesman Chris Cook says Carter, also known for his colorful mohawk, practiced Sunday for the first time in more than a week.
Tech hasn't released details of what led to the suspension. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported Carter threw his helmet and loudly criticized coaches after a Sept. 19 loss at Houston, but Cook told The Associated Press he couldn't confirm that report.
Carter was one of the Tech players who had a Twitter page before coach Mike Leach banned them, but the suspension was unrelated.
Tech beat New Mexico 48-28 last weekend and faces Kansas State at home Saturday.
Story courtesy of www.kcbd.com
October 3, 2009
TECH LOSES QB IN 48-28 WIN OVER NEW MEXICO
In 10 years as Texas Tech head coach, Mike Leach has never had a quarterback miss a start because of injury. It could happen next week, in which case Leach at least can turn to Steven Sheffield with a degree of confidence.
Sheffield, entering after Taylor Potts got knocked out of the game with a concussion, led Tech to touchdowns on his first four possessions. The Red Raiders had been in a swoon nearly the entire first half, but the bony junior from Pflugerville gave them an immediate energy boost and they went on to beat New Mexico 48-28 on a cool, gray Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.
“I think what I did well is I started good,’’ said Sheffield, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns. “I brought tempo the offense. I got everybody excited to play.’’
Sheffield, a 6-foot-4 former walk-on who just earned a scholarship this year, took Tech from a 7-7 tie to a 35-7 lead by completing 16 of 23 passes in the most extensive playing time of his career.
Tech (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) returns to conference play Saturday, hosting Kansas State in a 6 p.m. regionally televised game. With sources confirming Potts has a concussion, it looks as if Sheffield will have a chance to make his first career start.
“I thought he came out and played good,’’ said Leach who, in keeping with his personal policy, didn’t reveal anything about Potts’ status. “I thought that drive right before the half he kind of sparked, not just the offense but all aspects of our team.’’
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
Sheffield, entering after Taylor Potts got knocked out of the game with a concussion, led Tech to touchdowns on his first four possessions. The Red Raiders had been in a swoon nearly the entire first half, but the bony junior from Pflugerville gave them an immediate energy boost and they went on to beat New Mexico 48-28 on a cool, gray Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.
“I think what I did well is I started good,’’ said Sheffield, who threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns. “I brought tempo the offense. I got everybody excited to play.’’
Sheffield, a 6-foot-4 former walk-on who just earned a scholarship this year, took Tech from a 7-7 tie to a 35-7 lead by completing 16 of 23 passes in the most extensive playing time of his career.
Tech (3-2, 0-1 Big 12) returns to conference play Saturday, hosting Kansas State in a 6 p.m. regionally televised game. With sources confirming Potts has a concussion, it looks as if Sheffield will have a chance to make his first career start.
“I thought he came out and played good,’’ said Leach who, in keeping with his personal policy, didn’t reveal anything about Potts’ status. “I thought that drive right before the half he kind of sparked, not just the offense but all aspects of our team.’’
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of www.redraiders.com
TEXAS TECH SMACKS NEW MEXICO: WINS 48-28
THE GOOD:
"Sticks" Rocks! Backup QB Steven Sheffield came in for the injured Potts and quickly led the Red Raiders down the field for a TD before the half. He continued to provide a spark for both the offense and defense in the 2nd half as the game was put under control. It's fun to have a reliable back-up...now the question is, will he remain the back-up going forward?
Harrison Jeffers is F-A-S-T.!: Every time Jeffers got the ball, he made things happen with his speed. He only had 31 yards rushing but he got 3 TDs; in addition he had 90 yards receiving with 1 more TD. I say let's get the ball in his hands some more this season.
THE BAD:
Taylor Potts = Jekyll and Hyde: I can't figure this kid out. His opening drive passes were right on target and it only took 2 attempts to get to the endzone, making me think we were going to roll offensively in this game. Then the next 2 possessions are back to back interceptions - both were not good throws [he is strong so why does he throw off his back foot]. This inconsistency is driving me crazy, and I can't tell yet if this is what you get with Potts, or if he is still learning. He ended up taking a head shot early in the 2nd Quarter, and we assume he has a concussion as he did not return to the field after the half.
The Offensive Line was "Offensive": The Tech O-line allowed 5 sacks in this game after only allowing 6 in the first four games. Plus the starting QB was knocked out of the game on one of those sacks. Granted, they are playing without the suspended Brandon Carter, and starting Center Byrnes went out with an injury, but our entire offense is predicated on protecting the QB to find the open passing lanes. I really hope to see some improvement next week.
No pressure "D": Lobos were getting 10 yard screens and big passes to open guys in the middle of the field...this is the bend don't break defense that is reminiscent of the "Lyle" days. NM is not known for being an offensive juggernaut, yet they converted 5-11 3rd downs in the 1st half, and 3-6 4th downs in the game, both of which meant our offense was stuck on the sidelines. I really hope we can get some better pressure on the other team's offense and soon!
Too Many Injuries: Good Grief, it seemed like alot of players went out of the game last night. We had 4 players leave the game due to injuries, plus we were already down 2 other starters because of injuries. And with Leach's policy of not disclosing injuries, we are not likely to know the status of any of these players until the game next Saturday.
Too Many Turnovers: It was a miracle that we can still win a game despite having 5 turnovers. Yep, you read it correctly, we had 5 turnovers and still got the "W". Obviously with Big 12 play starting next week, we cannot continue to expect to win games when you give the ball back to the other team.
THE UGLY:
"Pink" out the stadium = FAIL! I have seen the crowds' "Red-out" and "Black-out" stadiums before, but the crowds attempt to "pink" out the stadium for breast cancer awareness looked atrocious on television. And it seemed to suck the life out of the fans as well as they didn't seem nearly as loud as normal [but that could be due to the overcast skies as well].
"Sticks" Rocks! Backup QB Steven Sheffield came in for the injured Potts and quickly led the Red Raiders down the field for a TD before the half. He continued to provide a spark for both the offense and defense in the 2nd half as the game was put under control. It's fun to have a reliable back-up...now the question is, will he remain the back-up going forward?
Harrison Jeffers is F-A-S-T.!: Every time Jeffers got the ball, he made things happen with his speed. He only had 31 yards rushing but he got 3 TDs; in addition he had 90 yards receiving with 1 more TD. I say let's get the ball in his hands some more this season.
THE BAD:
Taylor Potts = Jekyll and Hyde: I can't figure this kid out. His opening drive passes were right on target and it only took 2 attempts to get to the endzone, making me think we were going to roll offensively in this game. Then the next 2 possessions are back to back interceptions - both were not good throws [he is strong so why does he throw off his back foot]. This inconsistency is driving me crazy, and I can't tell yet if this is what you get with Potts, or if he is still learning. He ended up taking a head shot early in the 2nd Quarter, and we assume he has a concussion as he did not return to the field after the half.
The Offensive Line was "Offensive": The Tech O-line allowed 5 sacks in this game after only allowing 6 in the first four games. Plus the starting QB was knocked out of the game on one of those sacks. Granted, they are playing without the suspended Brandon Carter, and starting Center Byrnes went out with an injury, but our entire offense is predicated on protecting the QB to find the open passing lanes. I really hope to see some improvement next week.
No pressure "D": Lobos were getting 10 yard screens and big passes to open guys in the middle of the field...this is the bend don't break defense that is reminiscent of the "Lyle" days. NM is not known for being an offensive juggernaut, yet they converted 5-11 3rd downs in the 1st half, and 3-6 4th downs in the game, both of which meant our offense was stuck on the sidelines. I really hope we can get some better pressure on the other team's offense and soon!
Too Many Injuries: Good Grief, it seemed like alot of players went out of the game last night. We had 4 players leave the game due to injuries, plus we were already down 2 other starters because of injuries. And with Leach's policy of not disclosing injuries, we are not likely to know the status of any of these players until the game next Saturday.
Too Many Turnovers: It was a miracle that we can still win a game despite having 5 turnovers. Yep, you read it correctly, we had 5 turnovers and still got the "W". Obviously with Big 12 play starting next week, we cannot continue to expect to win games when you give the ball back to the other team.
THE UGLY:
"Pink" out the stadium = FAIL! I have seen the crowds' "Red-out" and "Black-out" stadiums before, but the crowds attempt to "pink" out the stadium for breast cancer awareness looked atrocious on television. And it seemed to suck the life out of the fans as well as they didn't seem nearly as loud as normal [but that could be due to the overcast skies as well].
October 2, 2009
WEAKLY RETORT: WEEK 4
PsychoAg joins us again for another edition of the Weakly Retort. A fan favorite since 2005, the Retort takes a light-hearted look at the college football landscape, with a specific emphasis on the Big 12.
Introduction:
Well, we are moving right along and the games are getting better and the weather is getting footballier. This is perfect, because yards are starting to go dormant, giving us more free time on the weekends, proving that God loves us. The national championship picture is getting more muddled as top ranked teams are dropping like hip hop albums. But while it is still a little bit warm outside, let’s strap on our swim fins and snorkel through the Big XII.
20/20 Hindsight:
Missouri 31 - Nevada 21
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert knew he had some big shoes, and some big nostrils to fill after the graduation of Chase Daniel. And so far, at least on one of those accounts, the sophomore has struck gold, leading the Tigers to a 4-0 start. In this game, Missouri (who I refuse to call Mizzou because it is stupid) racked up almost 500 yards of offense, but seemed to have trouble finding paydirt as they settled for four field goals and actually trailed 13 – 12 early in the second half.
Kansas 35 - Southern Miss 28
What an odd week for Kansas fans. In a rumble that would have made Rita Moreno proud, Jayhawk faced off against Jayhawk as a series of major fights broke out between the football and basketball teams. I have no idea what the fight was over, but apparently tensions where high due to some postings on Facebook. Still, I can’t imagine it being much of a fight when a 80 man roster of some 300 pounders square off against a 20 man squad of tall skinny guys. I think a cage match between Self and Mangino would have been far more interesting.
Texas 64 - UTEP 7
Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy was able to shake off the bovine flu to lead his team to a flagrant case of indecency with a group of Miners. The Longhorns outgained the Miners 639 yards to 53, holding them to 1 of 12 3rd down conversions, leading UTEP coach Mike Price to proclaim the Longhorns “the best team in the county”. That is certainly one way to spin it. Another is “we suck”.
Kansas State 49 - Tennessee Tech 7
KSU kick returner Brandon Banks made history Saturday by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game against kickoff covering powerhouse Tennessee Tech. I’m certainly not saying that his feat was easy, but when asked how he did it, Banks answered in Forrest Gumpian fashion “I just ran the ball. The other 10 guys on the team blocked real well.” In the part of the game that didn’t involve kick returning, the Tech offense never got anything going at all, piling up a mere 107 total yards, including -19 rushing. Apparently their 10 guys didn’t block worth a crap.
Texas A&M 56 - UAB 19
Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson puts up major numbers against the 118th ranked pass defense throwing for almost 300 yards and 3 TDs, and adding another three scores on the ground. This with his top receiver and top running back on the sideline. However, the Aggies newfound offensive explosion require some tempering, given that it has been done against New Mexico, Utah State, and UAB, teams that are a combined 3 – 9. Getting excited about this offense is on par with bragging to your drinking buddies that you can draw a better unicorn than your four-year-old daughter (which I can’t). Still, in Aggieland, we are looking for a glimmer of hope. And despite the fact that we have started off 3 – 0 three of the last four years, this year somehow seems different. Just like all of the other ones.
Nebraska 55 - ULaLa 0
The Huskers of Corn celebrated their 300th straight sellout on Saturday, cementing the fact that there is absolutely nothing better to do in Nebraska than violate someone for 3 hours and then hand them a large check. In the “odd stat of the week”, the Ragin’ Cajuns someone won the time of possession battle 30:03 to 29:57 despite getting beat 55 – 0. I think I’ve already given more thought to this update than the Cornhuskers had to give on game planning.
Oklahoma State 56 - Grambling State 6
Why was this game played? What did either team gain from this? In a perfect example of breaking from the “saying what you are supposed to say” tradition of player interviews, OSU quarterback Zac Robinson opined, “ It’s hard sometimes against these types of teams when everybody says you’re supposed to win. You can get caught kind of playing down to their level. We focused on all week just going out and pretending like we were playing a big opponent.” Yeah, well I bet you didn’t win halftime. Oooh, burn.
Iowa State 31 - Army 10
The Iowa State spread offense found its legs as the Cyclones balance 175 yards in the air with 201 more on the ground, leading to a 31 – 10 victory over Army. The Black Knights were able to score their lone touchdown by throwing a 5 yard fade into the end zone to 6 foot 10 receiver Ali Villanueva, who was covered by a 5 foot 9 cornerback. And before you think, “Man, that’s just too easy”, understand that they had tried the SAME PLAY on first and second down with no success. After the game, the overmatched corner Kennard Banks said, “Everybody is coming together. We’re starting to understand what we need to do to win now.” That, of course, being “play North Dakota State, Kent State, and Army.”
Houston 29 - Texas Tech 28
It was a tough week in Raiderland. First, the Raiders are able to mix a little run in with their offensive cocktail and show success on the ground to the tune of 163 yards. And I must admit, watching Tech run the football looks almost as odd as naked people with shoes on. But they simply couldn’t outlast the Cougars, due in part to a much criticized call by Mike Leach to go for the touchdown on 4th and goal from the one yard line instead of kicking the field goal to go up by 8. This handed the Raiders their second loss in a row in a season where many hoped to build on the success from last year. Secondly, word came out earlier in the week that offensive lineman Brandon Carter had been stripped of his captaincy and suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons that many feel may have had to do with postings on his Facebook account. The RoadWarrior lookalike apparently said something that rocked the Pirate Ship and many are anxious to see how this affects the team.
Baylor 68 - Northwestern State 13
The Baylor Bears continued their exorcism tour as they drove out the Northwestern State Demons 68 – 13, two weeks after shocking the Demon Deacons at Wake Forest. The Bears scored 27 points in each the second and third quarters, however they went for two early in the third quarter (and failed) in lieu of kicking the extra point in order to avoid a potentially uncomfortable score, and one that would have no doubt been a violation of their student handbook. Unfortunately, it looks like the Bears will have to face a few demons of their own after word is coming out that standout quarterback Robert Griffin will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. After having gone through a torn ACL and the
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
Introduction:
Well, we are moving right along and the games are getting better and the weather is getting footballier. This is perfect, because yards are starting to go dormant, giving us more free time on the weekends, proving that God loves us. The national championship picture is getting more muddled as top ranked teams are dropping like hip hop albums. But while it is still a little bit warm outside, let’s strap on our swim fins and snorkel through the Big XII.
20/20 Hindsight:
Missouri 31 - Nevada 21
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert knew he had some big shoes, and some big nostrils to fill after the graduation of Chase Daniel. And so far, at least on one of those accounts, the sophomore has struck gold, leading the Tigers to a 4-0 start. In this game, Missouri (who I refuse to call Mizzou because it is stupid) racked up almost 500 yards of offense, but seemed to have trouble finding paydirt as they settled for four field goals and actually trailed 13 – 12 early in the second half.
Kansas 35 - Southern Miss 28
What an odd week for Kansas fans. In a rumble that would have made Rita Moreno proud, Jayhawk faced off against Jayhawk as a series of major fights broke out between the football and basketball teams. I have no idea what the fight was over, but apparently tensions where high due to some postings on Facebook. Still, I can’t imagine it being much of a fight when a 80 man roster of some 300 pounders square off against a 20 man squad of tall skinny guys. I think a cage match between Self and Mangino would have been far more interesting.
Texas 64 - UTEP 7
Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy was able to shake off the bovine flu to lead his team to a flagrant case of indecency with a group of Miners. The Longhorns outgained the Miners 639 yards to 53, holding them to 1 of 12 3rd down conversions, leading UTEP coach Mike Price to proclaim the Longhorns “the best team in the county”. That is certainly one way to spin it. Another is “we suck”.
Kansas State 49 - Tennessee Tech 7
KSU kick returner Brandon Banks made history Saturday by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game against kickoff covering powerhouse Tennessee Tech. I’m certainly not saying that his feat was easy, but when asked how he did it, Banks answered in Forrest Gumpian fashion “I just ran the ball. The other 10 guys on the team blocked real well.” In the part of the game that didn’t involve kick returning, the Tech offense never got anything going at all, piling up a mere 107 total yards, including -19 rushing. Apparently their 10 guys didn’t block worth a crap.
Texas A&M 56 - UAB 19
Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson puts up major numbers against the 118th ranked pass defense throwing for almost 300 yards and 3 TDs, and adding another three scores on the ground. This with his top receiver and top running back on the sideline. However, the Aggies newfound offensive explosion require some tempering, given that it has been done against New Mexico, Utah State, and UAB, teams that are a combined 3 – 9. Getting excited about this offense is on par with bragging to your drinking buddies that you can draw a better unicorn than your four-year-old daughter (which I can’t). Still, in Aggieland, we are looking for a glimmer of hope. And despite the fact that we have started off 3 – 0 three of the last four years, this year somehow seems different. Just like all of the other ones.
Nebraska 55 - ULaLa 0
The Huskers of Corn celebrated their 300th straight sellout on Saturday, cementing the fact that there is absolutely nothing better to do in Nebraska than violate someone for 3 hours and then hand them a large check. In the “odd stat of the week”, the Ragin’ Cajuns someone won the time of possession battle 30:03 to 29:57 despite getting beat 55 – 0. I think I’ve already given more thought to this update than the Cornhuskers had to give on game planning.
Oklahoma State 56 - Grambling State 6
Why was this game played? What did either team gain from this? In a perfect example of breaking from the “saying what you are supposed to say” tradition of player interviews, OSU quarterback Zac Robinson opined, “ It’s hard sometimes against these types of teams when everybody says you’re supposed to win. You can get caught kind of playing down to their level. We focused on all week just going out and pretending like we were playing a big opponent.” Yeah, well I bet you didn’t win halftime. Oooh, burn.
Iowa State 31 - Army 10
The Iowa State spread offense found its legs as the Cyclones balance 175 yards in the air with 201 more on the ground, leading to a 31 – 10 victory over Army. The Black Knights were able to score their lone touchdown by throwing a 5 yard fade into the end zone to 6 foot 10 receiver Ali Villanueva, who was covered by a 5 foot 9 cornerback. And before you think, “Man, that’s just too easy”, understand that they had tried the SAME PLAY on first and second down with no success. After the game, the overmatched corner Kennard Banks said, “Everybody is coming together. We’re starting to understand what we need to do to win now.” That, of course, being “play North Dakota State, Kent State, and Army.”
Houston 29 - Texas Tech 28
It was a tough week in Raiderland. First, the Raiders are able to mix a little run in with their offensive cocktail and show success on the ground to the tune of 163 yards. And I must admit, watching Tech run the football looks almost as odd as naked people with shoes on. But they simply couldn’t outlast the Cougars, due in part to a much criticized call by Mike Leach to go for the touchdown on 4th and goal from the one yard line instead of kicking the field goal to go up by 8. This handed the Raiders their second loss in a row in a season where many hoped to build on the success from last year. Secondly, word came out earlier in the week that offensive lineman Brandon Carter had been stripped of his captaincy and suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons that many feel may have had to do with postings on his Facebook account. The RoadWarrior lookalike apparently said something that rocked the Pirate Ship and many are anxious to see how this affects the team.
Baylor 68 - Northwestern State 13
The Baylor Bears continued their exorcism tour as they drove out the Northwestern State Demons 68 – 13, two weeks after shocking the Demon Deacons at Wake Forest. The Bears scored 27 points in each the second and third quarters, however they went for two early in the third quarter (and failed) in lieu of kicking the extra point in order to avoid a potentially uncomfortable score, and one that would have no doubt been a violation of their student handbook. Unfortunately, it looks like the Bears will have to face a few demons of their own after word is coming out that standout quarterback Robert Griffin will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. After having gone through a torn ACL and the
Click here to continue story...
Story courtesy of psychoag at www.raiderpower.com
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