clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Texas Tech Thursday Morning Notes - The "It's Not Mine" Edition

By Seth C

DTN News:

The Iowa State and Texas Tech preview should go up sometime tonight.

Texas Tech Football:

DMN's Bill Nichols has an excellent feature on defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill. Nichols traces Coach McNeill's coaching life and the stops along the way. Brian Duncan on McNeill's enthusiasm during practice:

"He is soaking wet as soon as practice is over," linebacker Brian Duncan said. "He's out there running. He's in our face. That intensity is on a high level. It's something we really needed. He's going to expect you to be aggressive on every play or you're not going to be on the field."

Nicholls ends the article with a quote from Coach McNeill on his philosophy in coaching that deserves to be relayed:

"Can we trust each other, are we committed to the same cause, and do we care about each other?" he said. "If we can trust a player, then we can put him in the game because we know he'll do his job. If he's committed to the cause, he'll do whatever we ask. And if he cares, then he'll do it with no hesitation."

I couldn't be happier that Coach McNeill is on board and I keep thinking that if Coach Leach permanently hands over the keys to McNeill that he's going to recruit and coach his rear off. One other note, the photograph in Nichols' article has Coach McNeill receiving a Gatorade shower. I really can't ever recall seeing a defensive line coach ever get a Gatorade shower for winning a big game, the thought being that these players care about McNeill and have for quite a while.

According to the LAJ, Kellen Tillman's attorney, Dan Hurley, said that the marijuana found in Tillman's car did not belong to Tillman. Per the LAJ:

Hurley said Tillman, a starting linebacker on the Texas Tech football team, has passed two urine tests since his arrest.

Tillman believes a friend who used his car stashed the drug in the upper part of car's console and that the accident probably knocked the marijuana loose, Hurley said.

I guess we'll let this all play out in court, but I still think that Leach is doing the right thing by suspending Tillman indefinitely, or at least until the matter is cleared up. If nothing else, this serves a strong reminder to the players that you are different and you will be treated differently. You cannot afford to associate with folks who will get you in trouble. It's not fair, but it's true.

Coach Leach on the Tillman incident:

"We've just got to see what happens and get to the bottom of it," he said. "We've got a season to play and games to coach. He's just going to have to figure it out."

LAJ's Jeff Walker has a feature on ISU wide receiver Todd Blythe.

Big 12 and College Football:

FWST's Jimmy Burch's Big 12 Insider and he's picking Texas Tech to win big on Saturday . . . the Chron's Joe Duarte's Big 12 Notebook discusses the resurgence of the Big 12 North . . .

More From Viva The Matadors