Texas Tech Friday Morning Notes - We Make Dumb Plays Edition

Double-T Nation News:

Not sure as to the frequency, but we're ramping back up DTN's Top ____. As always, in no particular order and not necessarily sports related.

DTN's Top Five:

1. Part III of Rock M Nation's series on competing with OU and Texas.
2. Nine Big 12 football players received consensus All-American honors this year, including our very own Michael Crabtree, who was a unanimous pick, along with OU's Duke Robinson and Mizzou's Jeremy Maclin. Congrats to all.
3. One of the best and saddest things I've read in a long time, Dallas Observer's Richie Whitt on former Dallas Cowboy Dwayne Goodrich, who killed three Good Samaritans in a hit-and-run accident in 2003.
4. Big Pictures photos of the year - these are always amazing (hat-tip kottke).
5. Malcolm Gladwell's update on teachers and quarterbacks (hat-tip kottke).

DTN Appointments: Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss Preview continues with the defensive line at noon. Also, don't forget that tomorrow at noon the men's basketball team faces New Mexico and the preview and open game day thread will go up in the morning.

Texas Tech Football:

The Houston Chronicle came out with their All-Big 12 selections, lots of Texas Tech mentions.

Somewhat Texas Tech related, BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae and Arizona offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes have Lubbock in common:

The biggest difference simply may be in how they joined up in the first place. Sonny Dykes was going back to Lubbock, Texas, from being an assistant at Kentucky. Meanwhile, the gratitude Robert Anae felt to land at Texas Tech had to run a little deeper -- he had been out of coaching for a year.

Eight years later, just look at them: Still good friends, and getting ready to face off in Saturday's Las Vegas Bowl as offensive coordinators of a couple of schools that know how to light up scoreboards.

The Tortilla Retort opines on Potts vs. Doege.

Neglected Video: Fox34 with Sonny Cumbie being out of a job and All-American mentions . . . Fox34 with Leach and Munger Award mentions, other player award mentions, and Cumbie on Ole Miss . . .

Cotton Bowl:

DMN's Bobbi Roquemore notes that there are 7 Texans on Ole Miss' squad and files another report from practice. Clarion Ledger's David Brandt notes that guard Maurice Miller was at practice today but had to leave early for academic issues.

Texas Tech Basketball:

LAJ's Jeff Walker talks with Junior Knight about the time off hurting Texas Tech, as well as the losses of Okorie and Prince:

"We lost two huge energy guys that actually did some things on defense," Knight said. "We just have not been the same without Okorie and Prince. They haven’t been able to practice, they’re not around the team, they didn’t travel on this trip and we’re just dead in the water right now from a defensive standpoint."

And PK blames mental mistakes:

"We make dumb plays, we cut it to within two and then a guy just throws the ball away and give them a layup," Knight said. "The second half, they just jumped on us early and that was it. … Guys say the right stuff, but they don’t do it physically."

By the 11:58 mark of the second half, UTEP had opened up its lead to 65-52. The next six minutes epitomized the Red Raiders the last two games - Tech scored 16 points in the six-minute span, almost equalling what it had to that point in the second half. The Red Raiders allowed 26 points in that span, however, and the Miners led 91-68 with 5:11 to play.

"It’s one thing if they’ve shown they couldn’t do it, but we’ve had good halves of defense," Knight said. "We’ve even had games where we’ve played good defense, but these last two games, this has been a totally different team than before the break."