The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

SMS OAP won first place in their district competition.  It was my first time to see the contest and thus see other school’s performances.  There were a couple of good ones but SMS clearly stood out.  Lots of individual honors in addition to the play winning first.  Well done troupe!  Thanks a TON Cindy Couch for the incredible work you do with our drama dept.

The Bad

Tech let one get away this weekend against OSU.  The defense played well in the first half but couldn’t get off the field in the second.  We still cannot decide who our QB is.  It’s not a lost season since the expectations were about where this team is, but it could have been better.

The Ugly

Two words.  Dallas Cowboys. 

“Potts” Old is New Again

What a wicked season.  Some have said a trained monkey could succeed in Mike Leach’s offense.  I’m wondering when the box score will show how the trained monkey did.

Tech went to their third string QB, I mean their third starting QB, and then after two QB fumbles directly led to the only points the other team had at halftime reverted to their first string QB, I mean their second string QB….no wait….I mean their….well….the one that started the season as the starter, who didn’t exactly set the world on fire but was in there for the win 42-21 against KU.

KU and Tech play, two of the most highly rated offenses in NCAA Div I, so we naturally have a defensive struggle for most of the game.  KU scored once on defense and their D gift wrapped another TD for their team right before half.  Tech’s D gift wrapped one TD for their team, and scored one directly to put their team up by two TDs in the 4th quarter, after having entered the 4th quarter trailing by one TD.

Wait.  I’m getting dizzy.  Let me slow down a little and come back in a minute.

 

Ok.  I’m better now.  In that 4th quarter, the team had three turnovers, and they’d only fumbled three times all season.  This resulted in the QB getting benched, so Tech brought in…wait…no…that was KU that benched their QB that was the starter at the beginning of the season.  This season.   And last season.  And the season before that.

Wait.  I’m getting dizzy again.

 

OK, I’m better now.  The run defense really kicked in at this point.  The “D” had one of the best rush defenses in the league, and had held the opponent to -32 yards rushing in the first half, so in the 4th quarter they clamped down and allowed only….103 yards….and 3 TDs rushing.  Tech’s defensive coordinator became furious at seeing this until realizing it was the Kansas D that gave this up, and 123 yards and 4 TDs rushing on the day, all to one back Baron Batch.

Wait.  That freakin’ dizziness again.

 

All right.  The vaunted Tech “O” gained only about 350 yards, but Tech got 42 points.  The vaunted Kansas “O” only got 250 yards, but Kansas got 21 points.  Each team’s “D” can be said to have given them 14 points apiece, so it was Tech Offense 28, Kansas Offense 7. 

Mike Leach is to be congratulated on the rushing and rushing TDs in the 4th quarter because he’d called….passing plays on most of them.  Taylor Potts, the “QB that shall be no more”, audibled into most of the 103 4th quarter rushing yards.  Clearly he’s not over this concussion thing or he’d know Tech cannot run the ball.

I’m feeling a little like I have a concussion myself.  Good thing Tech doesn’t play for another two weeks, because I don’t think my bruised brain can take this again for a while.

Tech QB Position “Devolves” into Chaos

Well, so much for last week resolving anything for Tech QBs.  Poor Potts, he’s getting hammered by fans for things not entirely of his doing.  I guess that’s bigtime college football for you; a little distasteful for me but then again I’m repeatedly reminded by people I’m around that I sometimes don’t “get it” when it comes to sports.  You know, the religion.

Funny thing to me is Doege is getting some love from those same fans for coming into the A&M game and…doing pretty much what Potts did.  Not the picks I guess, but I’d figure maybe one of those picks was flat out Potts’ fault.  Doege didn’t create more points, more opportunities, throw for more yards, complete more passes–I’m not sure what he did that warrants him be applauded while Potts is reviled.  Hmmm.

Not that I have anything against Doege.  If he does indeed get the start against KU I hope he has a career day and Tech blows the doors off the Jayhawk Jalopy.  But unless Doege can play DEFENSE, I’m not sure it’ll help this weekend. 

Then in a few weeks Sticks returns, and we can do this all over again….

Tech QB Position “Resolves” Itself, For Now

I was going to be interested to see how Mike Leach dealt with Tech’s QB starting position after Taylor Potts recovered enough to be cleared to play, given how much spark and energy Sticks brought to the table.  Those are both good and bad situations.  You definitely want to have the depth to be able to put in a sub without causing the team to tank, and yet you (or at least I) don’t want to see a starter lose their job because of a short term injury.

Well, as it turns out, it took care of itself for now.  Potts was cleared to play again this week, and ironically Sticks is out 2-3 weeks with an injury of his own.  Decision made for Mike Leach on this one.  If Potts plays well, my thinking is the starting job is his for the rest of the year with the explanation that he was the starter to begin with and only sat out will injured.  If Potts does NOT play well, the whole thing comes back around to be dealt with again prior to the trip to Okie State.

“Sticks” Sticks

Holy moly.  I thought there for a second we were going to have a repeat of the Nebraska homecoming beatdown of four years ago.

Had we not settled for one field goal and had our new QB throw a pick six, it actually would have been worse than that prior beatdown.

Tech’s defeat of KState 66-14 was near complete domination.  Either KState’s team is completely overrated in every possible category, or Tech played incredible ball.  I think it’s the former, although I will say Sheffield looks like the real deal.  The mobility he brings to the game is helpful, and in this offense which makes teams like KState play that 4-2-5 defense, if you get past the rushing linemen you have acres to run free in.

It’s a surprise to me that Potts has the reputation of the cannon arm, and yet since Sheffield has been playing Tech has gone to a vertical passing game much more frequently, with results that are crushing the opposing DBs.  I hope Potts recovers and does well, but I cannot see any way you remove Sheffield at this point.

Hub City Hubbub

Much wailing and knashing of teeth in the Hub City and beyond regarding the loss to Houston by the Red Raiders this weekend.  As is somewhat typical after a tough loss, the masses are overreacting to the loss to a certain degree.  This too shall pass.

However, count me amongst the group that is somewhat confused by some of the decisions made Saturday night.  I know Coach Leach describes balance in his offense as getting all the playmakers the ball a “balanced” amount of the time and attacking the various parts of the field a “balanced” amount of the time, but I like to exploit an opponent’s weakness to the max and it was clear the run defense for the Cougars was their weakness.  I know my wife got tired for hearing me grumble “Run the ball.  Run the BALL.  RUN THE BALL.”

Going for it on 4th and missing is just something we have to accept with Leach as coach – he’s going to gamble on putting the game away there.  Comes with the pirate coach and all that.  The annoying habit of calling time outs at weird times, the same.  Every once in a while it’s okay to “go by the book” though guys, you know?

Ah well, hindsight being what it is makes for great Monday morning QBs, and I guess I’m just another one.  I do hear some rumblings of discontent from *within* the program however, which is not exciting.  This team may have to show it has the leadership to overcome a disappointing loss like this quickly, or there will be more to come in conference play.  It may be a good thing that we get a woeful UNM team followed by a lackluster KSU team both at home before we hit the more difficult part of the schedule.  That may be just the tonic this squad needs to get over this hump and focused again.

Leach’s Parking Spot

Now this is just funny.  Nice the way they worked the natural cracks in the asphalt into the “design”….

Mike Leach's Parking Spot

Jones Stadium Expansion

I am really getting jazzed about this.  I remember having some of the same feelings about the West Side Building (WSB) going up, and although I don’t like SITTING up there it is a thing of beauty.  I’m a little like that guy in the Miller commercial I guess – I want to be in the stands with the people that came to watch the game, not the social hobnobs.

Now the East Side Building (ESB) is going up and all those extra seats on the north end are coming in day by day.  This is exciting stuff.  I hope my freshman son will appreciate how much his university’s stadium is about to improve.

Now if we could just get the cost of those freshman class books under $500…man alive! Take care of ‘em kid, ‘cuz you’re selling ‘em back!

Methinks The Cubs Are Toast

Well dang, they’re six games out of the division and five games out of the wild card with 45 games to go.  They play lots of their last games against teams with losing records…like the Padres…against whom they’ve just dropped two in a row.

Nah, I don’t see it happening.  Will be thrilled if it does, but it just doesn’t look good.

Shallowater football opener is less than two weeks out, and Tech the week after that.  I’m not sayin’…I’m just sayin’….

The Great Contract Extension Fiasco

I have avoided writing up anything about these contract extension negotiations between Tech and Mike Leach prior to now because I just could not believe adults would wind up actually being where they now find themselves.  They appear to have strutted and stuck their respective chests out, dared, double dared and triple dog dared their way into a corner.  (Yes, as with Flick’s antagonist, I do think some protocol has been broken in how quickly this escalated to triple dog dares). 

Only a few days ago I did not think we’d be where we are now, which is to say there appears to be a very real possibility Mike Leach will be fired shortly.  After one of the best seasons Tech has ever had and all the positive PR, now this.  Incredible.

There are rumors and theories abounding on the net, so I won’t add much to all that.  The internet is a great place for meaningless noise.  Let me just add this little bit of extra meaningless noise.  If Leach is fired, I have to believe at some period afterwards we will all be told things we might not now know, or might only have previously heard as other rumors, as to why this really happened.  There would just have to be more to this than has been disclosed in the FOI material that has been obtained.  I think it’s very clear Myers and Leach don’t like each other at all.  Somewhere in there is something deeper, something Tech will have decided it’s just not going to put up with anymore.

Don’t have any idea what, and that may be complete poppycock, but from where I sit all these other “contract issues” they’re arguing back and forth about would take one good afternoon of serious negotiating to clear up – so there must be more to it.

What a soap opera.  I don’t like my school being in the news this way.