The Countdown

Good Morning Red Raider Nation,

First off, I want to thank God for another day. I have a mentality that “NO day is promised”, so I try to give a 110% effort in everything I do.  I don’t know how late I am on this, but I finally have a depth chart to look at, even though thanks to Double T, I pretty much knew who was where. (Texas Tech depth chart) Anyway, I read an article by SportsdayDFW Sports that predicted TTU finishing 6-6. Either Mike Heika has high hopes for other teams, or he's really down on Tech. I see a team with a great offense, and massive depth (on offense). There are some issues that need to cleaned up, but overall, I see Tech (as of right now) winning 8+ games. Note: I will not speak on the defense until I do some more evaluations. 

CONFERENCE PREVIEW/ EVALUATIONS

I am not going to be as detailed as true bloggers about each team, but I will do a summary of each and how I think TTU will fair against each squad.

IOWA STATE

Simply put: If we lose to Iowa State again, even if the score is 3-0, I expect to be playing for a new coaching staff the following year. After that downfall last year, I hope our Raiders will come out swinging.  This also comes after a bye week, so the Raiders will be completely fresh and have two weeks to evaluate these guys! ITS IOWA STATE!

OKLAHOMA

Personally I don’t know how solid Laundry Jones is. He fell apart last year and didn’t seem to really find his rhythm as the leader and QB of this team. I expect this game to be a complete blood battle. Overall, because Tuberville has stressed the importance of “winning at home”, I expect this game to be a close win or lose.  The defense ALL AROUND will be tested this game. They have a solid running game and I expect Laundry will be better. (Oklahoma wins by 14)

WEST VIRGINIA 

I have a best friend that loves this team more than life itself. I think WV will have a shaky first year in this league. Though overall, they are a solid football team. They have great system in place and a solid offense. I haven’t heard much about their defense, but that’s my fault.  Their coaching staff will have them ready, but I think they cruised for too long in the Big East. Dan Holgorsen, previous Texas Tech coach, and new defensive coordinator, Joe DeForest have their work cut out for them. Their defensive will have the most proving to do. I am pretty sure they recruited players that are best suited for the 3-3-5, so now a switch in defense calls for a quick adjustment in players and philosophy.

"There are more snaps [per game in the Big 12], so you're going to play more people," said Holgorsen. "West Virginia hasn't really played freshmen, but we're going to need to. ... We're going to need more bodies. ...  (Holgorsen)

For now that’s where I stop. I feel like I am writing a college paper, and that bothers me.

Progression 

I worked out with my trainer this morning and together we worked on conditioning and explosion. I also got a lesson in foot work. My trainer exposed one my flaws today in my footwork, and now it’s a matter of muscle memory. (Being able to cut off both feet). It’s a minor setback, if you want to call it that. I have two weeks, so I am not too concerned.

At the end of the day, I have to stay hungry!

If you don’t know Cody Davis, the guy I look up to, then here is a preview.