Absolutely Obknoxious

I’m not ready for this.

Here we go, Raider fans. The countdown to the game has officially started. We are only 6 days away from the showdown in Norman. Win, and we go to the Big 12 Championship, lose, and we might go to the Big 12 Championship.

This week in Big 12 football was more amusing than anything else. The mighty Bears from Baylor have officially passed the keys to the Big 12 cellar to A&M with a 41-21 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Fran apparently put a “DNR” tag on the Aggies after leaving last year. I just don’t understand how a coach can take himself out of a game like Mike Sherman. It isn’t the talent on the field that is the problem, its the talent calling the plays. Sorry Aggies, but the future isn’t sunny right now.

Kansas failed to assist Texas Tech, falling to Texas 35-7. Word on the internet is that Texas was more impressive allowing only 7 points than Tech was in scoring 63 in Lawrence. In this writer’s opinion, Texas played maybe 15 good minutes of football all day. The first 43 minutes were some of the worst minutes for Texas football outside of Lubbock this season for Colt McCoy and his offense. But never fear, they still played better than Oklahoma, who gained 0 yards and didn’t even score on Saturday.

The Big 12 North belongs to the Tigers. Kansas just didn’t have the perfect storm of a season, having to actually play the top 3 teams in the Big 12 South.

It appears that Texas has gained further ground on Oklahoma in the BCS rankings, thanks to the bye week for the Sooners. The Sooners shouldn’t worry about it at all. If they win next week, they will surely jump the Longhorns in the polls thanks to the momentum from defeating the only undefeated Big 12 team. Add a victory over Big 12 #4 Oklahoma State, and OU will cruise their way to Kansas City. I don’t see Texas making it to the Big 12 Championship Game unless Oklahoma or Texas Tech lose their final game.

Texas has increased their lead over OU in the Harris Poll, a BCS qualifier, to 101 points. It doesn’t matter. If OU loses next week, they’re out, but if they win, Texas will watch them leapfrog their way up the poll. Unfortunately for Texas, the only game left on their schedule is against new Big 12 cellar-keeper Texas A&M, not exactly a resume builder. Also, as history has taught us before, any Texas A&M team is capable of beating Texas.

Speaking of the Showdown, be wary when picking a winner. I witnessed last year’s “Texas can’t possibly lose to Texas A&M two years in a row” meltdown in College Station. It was incredible to see a team with more talent get absolutely taken out of the game by the likes of Dennis Franchione and Stephen “Like every A&M senior QB  before me I’m sitting on the bench” McGee. Let’s not forget about Michael Goodson, like Coach Sherman has done this season. Goodson is the ultimate Longhorn killer. Texas hasn’t found a way to stop him in his 2 years. In 2006, he did it on the ground. In 2007, he did it any way he wanted to do it. In the Stephen McGee Era, Texas has yet to outgain Texas A&M. That has led to a 1-2 record in that span. Also, Colt McCoy will end his career without a winning record against the Aggies. No Texas QB has done that since Shea Morenz went 0-2 as a starter.

These next two weeks will decide the Big 12. If Texas Tech wins in Norman, the Big 12 South is locked down in their favor. If Oklahoma wins, then Tech will need Oklahoma and Texas to drop their last games in order to lock down the Big 12 South without resorting to tie-breakers. Texas needs Oklahoma to beat Tech and lose to Oklahoma State for a realistic chance. Texas, of course, needs to beat Texas A&M before they even think about the future.

It happened. It actually happened. Graham Harrell fumbled the 3rd play, then got angry. He went on a tear, throwing 6 TDs on the next 7 drives, allowing Shannon Woods to run in on the other, before fumbling a 2nd time and calling it a night.

#2 Texas Tech ended the night, mercifully, after posting 56 points and holding #8 Oklahoma State to a season low 20 points, and forced them into their worst offensive and defensive performances of the year. Ruffin McNeill’s defense kept the ball out of Dez Bryant’s hands, allowing him only 4 receptions, a season-low against D1A teams. In double teaming Bryant, Tech allowed Kendall Hunter to gain 112 yards and 2 TDs on 17 carries, but kept the rest of the offense in check all night. Hunter’s 112 net rushing yards are the most the Red Raiders have surrendered to an opposing back all season, edging out Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick’s 96 yards.

On the other side of the ball, Texas Tech was near perfect. The only negative part of the night was Graham Harrell’s unforced fumbles. The first on the opening drive when Graham and C Stephen Hamby couldn’t complete the shotgun snap, allowing Oklahoma State to drive to an early 7-0 lead. The second on a bad hand off between Harrell and Baron Batch. Other than that, Graham was perfect, completing 80% of his passes for 456 yards and tossing 6 TDs for the 4th time in his career. For the 3rd game in a row, Graham did not throw an interception and avoided being sacked for the 7th time this season. While Oklahoma State had a few chances to bring Harrell down, he either avoided the defender or found a receiver in time to avoid losing any yards.

Michael Crabtree was his same old self. The Heisman hopeful took it upon himself to ensure Texas Tech had enough touchdowns to stay ahead, grabbing 3 of Harrell’s throws for TDs to give him 18 on the year. Eric Morris played the role of savior, constantly getting open in the middle of the field. His 10 catches tied a career high, while his 97 yards and his lone TD aided the Raiders in their victory. In his last 3 games, Morris has 21 receptions for 182 yards and 4 TDs. Morris and Crabtree weren’t the only players with catches on the night, as 10 players in total were on the receiving end of a Graham Harrell or Taylor Potts toss.

The passing game would not have been as successful without the running game. The combination of Baron Batch and Shannon Woods once again proved to be a distraction for the opposing defense. The duo took 20 handoffs and churned out 115 yards and found the endzone once on the ground. Through the air, the pair caused more damage, catching 10 passes for 127 yards and 2 Shannon Woods TDs.

The playmaker on defense was S Darcel McBath. The senior caused OSU TE Brandon Pettigrew to cough up the ball on the first drive of the 2nd half, and followed with an interception in the redzone to start the 4th quarter. He also managed to disrupt two other Robinson throws. DT Colby Whitlock was, once again, a force to be reckoned with. Whitlock spent a good deal of time chasing Robinson and stopping the Oklahoma State runners. Robinson was sacked once by Whitlock, and was hit after a handful of pass attempts by the sophomore Whitlock.

The night ended in a blowout victory and a secure #2 ranking for Texas Tech. For the first time in the modern era, the Red Raiders found themselves with 10 wins and no losses. The win also sets up a game of epic proportions. Tech must now travel to Norman, Oklahoma on Nov. 22nd to face the #4/5 Oklahoma Sooners in a game that will send Texas Tech to its 1st ever Big 12 Championship Game. If Tech is upset, Oklahoma will have to beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater to guarantee their CCG spot.

So the Heisman Trophy is over 1 1/2 months from being decided, but we (I) here at Absolutely Obknoxious will cast my vote tonight.

You guessed it, Graham Harrell is my front runner for the Best Player in College Football. He not only has the stats, but he also has shown incredible leadership and is on the 2nd ranked team in the nation. I don’t see any reasons why Graham shouldn’t be awarded for his hardwork tonight.

So you say he’s a system quarterback. Well, you’re right. His numbers are gaudy because he plays in a pass first, pass second offense. He has thrown for 36 TDs and over 4,000 yards in only 10 games. He has also only thrown 5 interceptions and been an incredible field general, audibling to running plays and avoiding the rush without forgetting what his offense is all about. He isn’t Vince Young-elusive, but he can spin or slip out of a sure sack, roll out and find an open receiver for a first down or a touchdown. That right there is an incredibly valuable skill.

Any quarterback can gain insane numbers in Mike Leach’s offense, which Sonny Cumbie and Cody Hodges proved correct, but Graham Harrell has proved that it takes an incredible player and student to win in Mike Leach’s system. Sure he has Michael Crabtree to throw to, but he also gets the ball to Michael Crabtree, regardless of how open he is or isn’t. Without his accuracy, Michael Crabtree wouldn’t have the type of career he has enjoyed. He’d be great, but not Michael Crabtree great.

Anyone who has sat down and viewed Graham Harrell’s career in Scarlet and Black can truly understand what I’m talking about when I say that his maturity level is off the charts this year. He has bought into the team concept more so than any other Big 12 QB. He knows the offense goes through him, and the Heisman can easily be his if he calls his number, but instead he has audibled for #2 and #25 to get carries. Graham’s ability to recognize what the defense is throwing at him has helped Texas Tech find success in making the ground game a large component for seemingly the first time since Shaud Williams called Lubbock home. Whether it is an inside run with Baron Batch, or an inside draw with Shannon Woods, Graham has made the right call 95% of the time. The duo has gained 1,272 yards and only lost 17 on 209 carries, mostly due to the reading ability of Harrell.

He has the stats. He has the wins. He has the leadership. He should have the trophy.

Heisman Rankings

#1. Graham Harrell (QB Texas Tech) - see above

#2. Sam Bradford (QB Oklahoma) - 38 TDs is no laughing matter.

#3. Michael Crabtree (WR Texas Tech) - 18 TDs and one incredible play.

#4. Colt McCoy (QB Texas) - Little Colt has definitely grown up since his Soph. season.

#5. Javon Ringer (RB Michigan State) - He is the best player in the Big 10 this year.

Honorable Mention (No Order)

Kendall Hunter (RB Oklahoma State) - Powerful RB who is running over the Big 12

Tim Tebow (QB Florida) - Hard to keep the reigning winner off the list.

Knowshon Moreno (RB Georgia) - Playmaker with incredible drive

Donald Brown (RB Connecticut) - Only one game under 100 yards

Jordan Shipley (WR Texas) - A TD in every game, returned a kick and a punt (with ref help ) for TDs

Nothing that I can think of can compare to Saturday night. After waiting in that horrible student line to get into the jam-packed stadium for seats that could have been much better, I was never happier to be a Red Raider. The excitement in the stands turned into disbelief as Texas Tech jumped out to a 19-0 lead in the first half, but the regular emotions returned once Texas came back to take their 33-32 advantage with only 1:30 left on the clock. As painful as it was watching Colt McCoy march the Longhorns down the field towards the go ahead score, you could sense that everybody knew what was forthcoming.

Not to be outdone, Graham Harrell orchestrated his offense to perfection. After a 38 yard kickoff return by Jamar Wall, Graham Harrell found Detron Lewis twice and Edward Britton once in the span of four plays for three crucial first downs. With time ticking down, Graham Harrell threw a bullet to Britton that deflected off his hands and into the hands of Texas S Blake Gideon…and then onto the ground. The collective air was sucked out of Jones Stadium for a brief second until the officials ruled the pass an incompletion. What followed next was destiny more than history.

Michael Crabtree. The best WR in the nation, if not the best WR ever. The man just has every single tool necessary to be considered a great one. He can catch, run, juke, evade, elude, jump, score and destroy. When there are 8 seconds left and your team is 28 yards away from beating the top ranked team in the nation, Michael Crabtree is the man you want to catch a pass. Luckily for us, Michael Crabtree WAS that man to catch a pass. His grab at the 5 yard line between two Texas defenders was incredible. His spin move to break the grasp of Texas CB Curtis Brown was simply amazing. His trot across the goal line with :01 left on the game clock was destiny.

Personally, I did not see anything after he broke free from the defenders. I was somewhere between the metal bleachers and the lights. After years of frustration, Tech was finally over that first major hump. Oklahoma has fallen twice in three years to the Raiders, but Texas hasn’t tasted defeat at Mike Leach’s hand since the last time a 3 year starter was calling the plays on the field in 2002. 9-0 with three games left on the schedule. A 10-win season almost imminent. All that stands in the way of that respect Texas Tech yearns for is the entire state of Oklahoma.

(To be continued)

Each day draws us closer to that former perennial battle for the second best team in the state of Texas. What used to be a squaring off of programs battling to earn to coveted spot in the state ranking behind Texas and in front of TCU has now turned into a parody of its former self.

This year, Texas Tech is firmly entrenched as #2 in Texas while Texas A&M is stuck in the “also receiving votes” section of the Top 10. At 6-0 and ranked as high as #5, Texas Tech is enjoying a season that Lubbock hasn’t seen since Rodney Allison had them at 8-0 in 1976. On the other side of the spectrum, A&M has struggled to a 2-4 start for the first time since 1980 under former Tech QB Tom Wilson.

What was once the second biggest intrastate rivalry game has now quickly plummeted to Earth as nothing more than a display of Tech’s offensive might over the hapless Fightin’ Aggies. What was once a 31-21-1 series lead for A&M has dwindled down to a 34-31-1 margin since 1995. Tech has won the past 3 games in the series, and looks to start a winning streak at Kyle Field for the first time since 1984.

Hopefully one day Texas A&M will rise above the Baylor’s of the world and claim their spot behind the other top programs once again, but I don’t see that day coming anytime soon. Then again, Baylor is better than A&M, so who knows.

No, Donnie Carona is not injured, but his playing time certainly is. After struggling to do the simplest of things that Alex Trlica did so well for 4 years, the coaching staff has taken a page from Tommy Bowden and replaced a struggling starter with a backup 6 games into the season. At least our coaches still have their jobs!

Cory Fowler, a senior from The Woodlands, will take over for Carona in kicking extra points and short field goals. This should be a great help for the Raiders who have left 16 points on the field in the form of 4 missed FGs and 4 missed XPs.

Carona, a scholarship player in his first year, was a project from the start. He spent his high school career at Bishop Monsignor Kelly HS in Beaumont playing running back, linebacker and handling the kicking duties for the Bulldogs. Career wise, he came to Tech with a 11-13 FG record, and hit 37-38 XPs his final season in the smelly city by the Gulf. Unfortunately, his success against TAPPS D-I opponents didn’t translate to NCAA FBS or FCS teams. He seemed to be slow on his kicks, resulting in blocks and rushed endings that went wide. While we won’t see him doing any chip shots, he will still continue to kickoff and attempt long field goals.

Fowler, on the other hand, finished high school as one of The Woodlands’ all-time leading scorers. He connected on 17 of his 22 field goal attempts and 69 of 71 XPs. You might remember Fowler from the Gator Bowl, where he was successful on an onside kick attempt to open up the 2nd half.

LA-J Story

After months of waiting, that ever so beloved week for the fans of Texas Tech has arrived: The week of the Aggie game. Overall, A&M holds a 34-31-1 edge over the Raiders, but in the past 13 years, they have only managed 3 wins to 10 losses. As far as the games in College Station, Mike Leach has gone 2-2 in the once mighty confines of Kyle Field, winning the 2006 game on a last minute touchdown catch by Robert Johnson through the outstretched arms of A&M DB Jordan Peterson.

So here’s how I think the game is gonna go…

Tech wins, fairly easy. With the resurgent running attack coupled with the nation’s top passing attack, the Red Raiders should move down the field almost at will against the porous defense that has left behind the “Wrecking Crew” days and entered an era that breeds more fear in wondering if Von Miller will get called for unneccesary roughness rather than credited with a sack. Texas Tech will tote their #2 offense to College Station with the hopes of delivering A&M their 4th home loss in 5 home games.

The worst unit at A&M is by far their rushing defense. Ranked #111, the Aggies surrender 223.33 yards per game on the ground. Dat Nguyen weeps nightly. Baron Batch has returned to the lineup for the Matadors after spending the last year nursing an injury and has breathed new life into a running game that retired with Spike Dykes. Not only is the Shannon Woods/Baron Batch combo helping Tech gain 143 yards per game, but they have also put the ball in the endzone an astonishing 17 times in only 6 games. A 200-yard ground day for Tech would not come as a surprise.

As for Tech’s bread-and-butter, Graham Harrell has brushed off his early funk and stormed back into the top spot for NCAA passers. Since the SMU game, Harrell has averaged a completion rate of 73.4% and averaged 369.5 yards and 4.25 TDs per game without an interception. A&M’s hopees of stopping Harrell are slim. While their pass defense is good on paper, it is not good in person. Opponents have been exploiting the weak rush defense without worrying about throwing the ball. Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Miami found no trouble moving the ball through the air against the Aggies, averaging well over 10 yards per reception.

That’s only one side of the game, the A&M offense is nowhere near the level of the Tech offense, and the same goes for the defenses. Tech’s defense has a knack for forcing turnovers and holding offenses on 3rd down. A&M’s offense has a knack for underutilizing it’s weapons.

Look for Tech to come away with an easy win to improve to 7-0 on the season.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but school comes first.

So this week was full of upsets, both on the gridiron and in my betting pool. I successfully predicted that VT would upset Nebraska, but lost my other 6 bets.

On Thursday, top ranked USC went down in Corvallis, thanks to Texan Jacquizz Rodgers, who rushed for 186 yards and 2 TDs.

Saturday continued with a string of upsets. Ole Miss went to Gainesville and beat #4 Florida with the help of a blocked EP and a stuff of Superman (Tebow) on 4th and 1. Michigan decided to play football this year, but only in the second half of their game against #9 Wisconsin. Trailing 19-0 at half, the Wolverines stormed back to take a 27-19 lead before Wisconsin themselves stormed back with an amazing drive to score a TD to cut the lead to 2. The ensuing 2-point conversion was good, until a flag for illegal man downfield negated the successful attempt, forcing them to fail on their 2nd attempt. Wolverine fans were pleased to win their 23rd straight Big Ten home opener.

Later in the night, the marquee matchup (that was on ESPN instead of ABC) of #3 Georgia hosting #8 Alabama was a huge disappointment. Alabama held a 31-0 halftime lead before finally ending it 41-30, upsetting the heavily favored Bulldogs at home. Matt Stafford was far from his normal self, and Knowshon Moreno only had 9 carries. Is Nick Saban back?

Crammed into all those games, Navy beat their first ranked opponent in 23 years, stopping #16 Wake Forest 24-17. Maryland did the possible, beating #20 Clemson 20-17. Maybe Tommy Bowden’s rope is getting shorter. At least he decided to use CJ Spiller and James Davis in this game. #23 East Carolina is finally out of our lives, after Houston dropped them 41-24. No BCS busting from them this year. #2 Oklahoma hosted #24 TCU with the hopes of not repeating 2005. The Sooners prevailed 35-10, showing TCU that playing tough opponents is bad for their record. #12 Penn State outlasted #22 Illinois at a white Beaver Stadium (that sounds bad). Derrick Williams returned a kick for a TD, ran for a score and caught a TD pass.

So those were the day’s top 25 upsets and losses. Truly an Upset Saturday. As of now, the Coaches Poll has been released. I for one, am not pleased at all…
Tech managed to move up ONE spot. While 4 teams ranked higher than Tech fell to lower ranked opponents, 3 teams jumped the Red Raiders, who landed softly at #8. I can live with Alabama jumping and even understand Penn State’s leap, but BYU moving up 4 spots after an idle week is preposterous. Albeit Tech hasn’t faced many tough opponents as of yet, but they are about to get into the Big 12 season, while BYU will be battling the mighty Mountain West. BYU’s toughest opponent, TCU just got their asses kicked by a team that Tech has defeated 2 of the last 3 years. It looks like we’re going to have another Hawaii on our hands come bowl season, thanks to the extremely soft schedules played outside of BCS Conferences. Dog on Tech all you want for their OOC schedule, but they still have to face Texas and Oklahoma every year. This is a team that is 1-8 against ranked opponents since 2003, defeating only #17 TCU in 2006. Sure they have Max Hall, but they’ve also defeated 4 teams who probably won’t even finish with winning records, and currently have a combined 2 wins against FBS teams.

For the rest of their year, BYU gets to look ahead to cupcakes. No trip to Kansas, no fun weekend in Norman, no parties with the Longhorns. Not even a plane ride to Bryan-College Station. None of that. They instead get to go to Colorado twice and even make a trip to Fort Worth. Hardly the top teams in anybody’s opinion.

Meanwhile, in College Station, the Aggies invited in some real soldiers and barely survived with a win. 21-17 was a lot closer than it actually looks. For the second straight game, Army blundered on 4th down to give A&M something to brag about in the mirror. After watching the game in entirety, I stand by my prediction that Arkansas State will have more Big 12 wins than Texas A&M.

Next week, Tech opens Big 12 play in Manhattan, Kansas against Kansas State. I’ll try to get some previews up if I have time.

No, this isn’t from Hurricane Ike, but rather a system that sat on top of Lubbock yesterday and dumped over 8 inches of rain. Apparently,the field wasn’t draining very fast…

Hopefully the fine workers at Jones AT&T Stadium will get the lake cleared in time for the game tomorrow.

(Pictures courtesy of RaiderPower.com)

***According to Don Williams, the field is now clear of water and ready to host tomorrow’s game.

A big weekend for football looms on the horizon. Not only will this guy get to see his Red Raiders, but the most anticipated regular season game since Texas visited Ohio State in 2005 is on Saturday night! That’s right, top ranked USC will take on 5th ranked Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Colisuem. Color me excited, but I won’t get to watch the whole game due coinciding start times (Tech at 6, USC/Ohio State at 7).

Here are some predictions…

(5) Ohio State at (1) USC

I’m gonna give USC a win here. Not only are they at home, but they look to be the USC team that ESPN expected them to be. Mark Sanchez had a great game at Virginia in week 1, showing the great touch and leadership that made him a top QB recruit at Mission Viejo. Todd Boeckman, on the other hand, seems to be a recast of Justin Zwick. A slow white QB who will lose his job to a quicker black QB (nothing racist, just an observation) with playmaking potential. If Beanie Wells sits out, USC will win, but if Beanie gets into the action, USC will win.

Arkansas at (8) Texas

POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 27 DUE TO HURRICANE IKE

(13) Kansas at (19) South Florida

South Florida narrowly escaped Orlando with an OT win against Central Florida. Kansas pounded La Tech at home to the tune of 29-0. Kansas features QB Todd Reesing and a stout linebacker-led defense while South Florida’s chances rest on the arm of gunslinger Matt Grothe. Bulls WR Taurus Johnson has playmaking ability, but the Kansas secondary is not Central Florida. I expect Kansas to pull out this win, but not by much.

With the Texas game postponed and A&M sitting at home this weekend, the Big 12 has a chance to improve its overall record to 26-2. The only possible losses I can even imagine would be Kansas (at South Florida), Baylor (because its Baylor) or Iowa State (visiting rival Iowa for the CyHawk Trophy).

Alright folks, I finally get to see Tech play a game this week. On Saturday, the 12th ranked Red Raiders host SMU, a team they have easily beaten time and time again, but this year might be a little different.

In the offseason, SMU made their strongest football move since paying for the Pony Express. They gave Phil Bennett the boot and brought June Jones back to the mainland. With the coaching move, SMU drastically changed their offensive gameplan from none to pass, pass, pass.

Leading the way for the Ponies is true freshman QB Bo Levi Mitchell, fresh off his state championship with the Katy Tigers. Mitchell has already thrown for 8 TDs in his 2 games, but Rice and Texas State would probably lose to last year’s Katy team, no offense to Mitchell. While I haven’t seen Mitchell play for SMU, I did watch him lead the Tigers to a dismantling of Pflugerville High School in December. He is a smart QB who has the ability to make plays with his arm, but not his feet. Don’t worry, Justin Willis is still on the team, just not playing much.

Bo Levi’s favorite targets through 2 games have been WRs Aldrick Robinson and Emmanuel Sanders. Robinson ranks 5th in the NCAA with 15 receptions for 263 yards and 4 TDs, while Sanders is right behind him with 16 catches, 259 yards and 4 TDs. Nobody else stands out on the recieving end for the Mustangs.

The running game shouldn’t threaten the Raiders, with only 72 yards on the season. DeMyron Martin looks to add to his 67 career yards against Tech in 2 games.

Expect the Raiders to have a big day offensively. SMU is ranked 109th in total defense with 465.5 yards per game and 112th in scoring with 46 points allowed per game. Rice torched them for 56 points, including 6 passing TDs by Chase Clement, while Texas State manged 36 points and 5 passing TDs. I predict Graham Harrell will wake up Sunday with a season total of TDs outnumbering his INTs (he is 3-3 right now).

That’s all for now, sports fans.

Ok, so I have missed almost 2 full weeks of talking about college football, so here we go…
Texas Tech is off to their assumed 2-0 start. While neither win was what the fans expected, they were both wins. Lets leave it at that. I can’t really comment on the games since I was at a wedding during the Eastern Washington game and was only able to listen to the harsh radio broadcast of the Nevada game.

The EWU game went as I guessed it would, a 49-24 TTU victory. Tech pulled out to an early lead and finished strong. They struggled in the second quarter, but Eastern Washington isn’t a true pushover FCS team. Last week, they were a bad throw away from forcing overtime in Boulder against Colorado, dropping their FCS ranking to 17th (they started the season at #7). In the game, Graham Harrell threw for 2 TDs and 536 yards, top in the NCAA that week, while Eric Morris and Detron Lewis each had 9 catches from 163 and 164 yards, respectively. Michael Crabtree fought through double teams to nab 9 passes for 73 yards, including a 4 yard TD reception from Harrell.

The running game looked solid on paper, with the top 3 backs (Shannon Woods, Baron Batch and Aaron Crawford) combining for 21 carries, 88 yards and 4 TDs. Overall, the running game finished with 103 total yards and 5 TDs, after Harrell provided a 1 yard plunge in the first quarter.

As for the defense, the Raiders’ biggest question mark coming into the season, they did decent, for them. While they did allow 341 yards through the air, they managed to hold the Aggies to only 23 yards on the ground on 22 carries. Color them improved. They started off the game in grand fashion with Brian Duncan collecting his first career interception on the game’s first play from scrimmage. The rest of the defense would later add two more picks and amass 3 total sacks.

The special teams had their worst game in a long time. Donnie Carona, playing in his first collegiate game missed a FG, had a FG blocked and also had a extra point blocked. Alex Trlica was dearly missed.

Last week, Tech paid a visit to Reno, Nevada to take on the Nevada Wolfpack. Everyone expected a shootout between Mike Leach’s air attack and Chris Ault’s pistol offense. Instead, they got a Tech offense that had trouble throwing and catching the ball and a Nevada offense that couldn’t find the end zone. While Tech managed 35 points, they held their opponent to only 19, including 4 field goals. I see that as a victory for the defense.

Graham Harrell had his worst game against an opponent not named Missouri or Colorado since he played TCU in 2006. Harrell’s passes were either too erratic or dropped. Harrell set a career low for pass completions in a start, going 19-46. He also broke a 16-game streak of 300+ yard passing games, dating back to November 18 , 2006, with only 297 yards through the air. On the bright side, he did collect his first win of a bad game!

Michael Crabtree was Michael Crabtree. His 7 receptions netted 158 yards and 1 TD, an 82 yard bomb from Harrell. Crabtree caught the pass with a good 10 yards on the closest defender. It was his 12th game of 100+ receiving yards in only 15 career games. The next closest receivers were Tramain Swindall and Detron Lewis, who each added 3 receptions.

The running game continued on a steady pace, accruing 124 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries. Baron Batch led the way with 47 yards, while Shannon Woods added 45 and 2 TDs. Eric Morris added a 12 yard TD run, giving the Red Raiders 8 rushing TDs to 3 passing TDs on the season.

Before cashing in on his 12-yard TD run, Eric Morris gave the Red Raiders a 7-3 lead with an 86-yard punt return for a TD. Tech had not return a punt for a TD since Danny Amendola did so against Kansas State in 2004. Donnie Carona continued to struggle with FGs, letting another attempt get blocked before the teams went in for halftime. To date, he is 0-3 with 2 blocked kicks. Lance Fuller, on the other hand, did manage to block a punt for the Raiders. On the play, he was initially flagged for roughing the punter, but fellow officials informed Tech favorite John Bible that he was retarded, leading to the flag being waived off.

The defense put on an amazing showing of the “bend-but-don’t-break” defense. Nevada crossed into Tech territory 10 times during the game, but the defense held strong 9 times. Nevada was forced to attempt 6 field goals, converting only 4. Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick did manage a 48 yard TD over Jamar Wall, but also fumbled at the goal line and threw an interception to DT Brian Jones after DT Brandon Sesay tipped a pass. Both turnovers were inside the red zone. LB Bront Bird, making his 2nd career start, made 14 tackles, including a sack for a loss of 10 yards when Nevada was on the Tech 4 yard line. DE Brandon Williams sacked Kaepernick on consecutive plays during the Wolfpack’s final drive, giving him 3 on the season.

Overall, Tech did enough to win the game, despite all of Nevada and John Bible’s efforts to keep them from doing so. On the night, Tech was flagged 9 times for 81 yards, including a controversial holding call BEFORE a Nevada punt, giving possession back to the home team. With the victory, Tech improved their record to 2-0, but failed to climb in the polls for the second straight week.

Saturday finds Texas Tech back in Lubbock at 6 pm to battle June Jones and his pass heavy SMU offense. The game will be televised by FSSW.

Here is my TV viewing schedule for week 3…the O/Us weren’t all up

tv-sched-week-3

I finally had time away from school to get the week 2 schedule up

tv-sched-week-2

According to sources that have yet to be published online, McKinner Dixon is………….ELIGIBLE!

No articles found yet, but this news comes from Don Williams, so I trust it like I trust the old man.

Alright folks, it is partially official. Barring a successful appeal, Texas Tech DE McKinner Dixon will be joining DT Broderick Marshall on the couch for the 2008 season. Dixon failed to qualify academically after spending the summer taking classes at Tech.

This is not something that came as a shock to this Red Raider. in 2005, McKinner Dixon came to Texas Tech as a highly touted prospect out of Lufkin, Texas. He made an immediate impact on the season, making 29 tackles, including 6 for loss and 2 sacks. His totals were good enough to get his name on the Freshman All-American list. It seemed Tech would have someone to follow in Aaron Hunt and Adell Duckett’s footsteps…until grades came out. Dixon found himself ineligible for the first time in his career.

Unable to play for Tech, Dixon eventually transferred to Cisco Junior College in Cisco, Texas. After a couple of seasons on the junior college circuit, Dixon re-committed to the Red Raiders. He made it on campus for the spring practices, and continued to go to school during the summer. Everything seemed good until the news broke yesterday about his lack of eligibility.

It surprised me like Michael Jordan’s retirements. It has become almost expected of the young man to not maintain his academic standing. When Dixon announced his intention to return to Lubbock last season, I told myself not to get excited until he stepped out of the locker room and onto the field on August 30th. Some people told me that I was being too cautious while I told myself that I was taking the right frame of mind. Guess who wasn’t surprised with yesterday’s news?

I’m not a huge fan of grade risk recruits. Its a gamble Tech has taken many times, and gotten burned many times. Out of the 4 former recruits who re-committed to Tech last year, only 1, CB Jarrell Routt, is still here. Jocques Crawford decided to switch his verbal to Kansas while Dixon and Marshall both failed to qualify.

The good news is that it seems that Tech’s recruiting has improved to the level that we don’t have to always go with grade risks, and instead can focus on qualified recruits from high school.

Brandon George once again does a great job with a detailed practice report from Wednesday night. His coverage is quickly becoming the best source for practice info on the Red Raiders.

DMN Blog

So her is what the stadium should look like after they finish the renovations to the east side. Looks pretty good to me.

Link

This, in addition to the city’s renovations to the area to the north (Hasting’s area) and McDougal’s Overton Park project should make this side of Lubbock look incredible once everything is finished in the next few years. Mark me as excited.