Texas Tech Football:
LAJ's Don Williams focuses on yesterday's scrimmage and says that the defense stole the show. Williams notes that the defense held it's own against the offense, and included 4 interceptions and 2 fumbles, here's senior safety Darcel McBath:
"Not since I've been here," senior safety Darcel McBath said. "I think today, this is probably the most turnovers we've ever gotten in a scrimmage against those guys. It's a testament to just running to the ball. What coach Ruff (McNeill) says is run to the ball, be excited and when the play's on you, make a play."
You've got to love this from Leach:
"They don't hit these little streaks where they're down for eight or 10 plays," Leach said. "You make a play or two, and defensively they come back swinging. You have to earn everything you get. A lot of it starts with the front. Those guys are playing well and establishing the tempo of that defensive group."
Isn't that a huge step for the defense? Those mental lapses where the defense just can't hang physically and it leads to big gains and the defense being on it's heels. Now, it seems like the defense has both the depth and talent to make sure that doesn't happen.
Here's senior defensive end Daniel Howard:
"It's feeding on itself," Howard said. "Coach Ruff, he tells us there's only one way to play. Every day in film, we hear it from our coaches, our position coaches. We're going to be a physical, attacking, aggressive defense, and if you're not he's going to put someone in that is. So you really don't have a choice."
And senior safety Daniel Charbonnet:
"I think it's the highest it's ever been," Charbonnet said. "We have so much talent it's ridiculous, and then we have so much depth behind everybody who's starting. ... We play with a lot more confidence, and when you have a lot more confidence you can play a lot more excited, and that's what happened today."
Who's football-pants are going crazy right now?
In Williams' Red Raiders Football Notebook, he has a wealth of wonderful notes. Everything from Leach demanding better from the second team offensive line . . .
"Some of those second offensive linemen go in there and act like what they do doesn't count," Leach said. "I think they need to get tougher. I think they need to take more pride in what they do, because they're not that far from getting on the field. They don't need to just coast in the meantime if they ever expect to be any good."
. . . to some praise for Adam James, who is starting to make some plays . . .
"He made one catch that was excellent," Leach said. "One catch the ball was thrown behind him. I don't think the quarterback thought he was going to catch it, but he caught it and got upfield a little bit."
. . . to Daniel Howard playing the Joker position . . .
Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill has used Howard, Brandon Williams and, to a lesser extent, McKinner Dixon at the "Joker" spot, a second-level rusher behind a three-man front. The package was put in at midweek.
"That's fun," Howard said. "That's a d-lineman's dream, getting to go back there and come rush with a running start at somebody. That's just part of the coaches putting in packages that apply to the personnel that we have, taking advantage of it."
. . . to Leach on Ed Britton's arrest . . .
"To my knowledge and what I know about it, it's been over for two years," Tech coach Mike Leach said. "How or why it resurfaced, I'm not sure. They'll get to the bottom of it. Unless something surfaces out of it, it's a dead issue."
. . . to reserve linebacker Julius Howard, who is making plays all over the field . . .
"There's a lot of improvement I need, but overall I feel good about the scrimmages and practices," Howard said. "I feel like I'm improving a lot from last year up to now. I feel like I'm healthier and feel like I'm running good."
Snip
"I've been playing about even," Howard said. "I'll start out on weak side, then ease my way into strong side, because I know how to play both real good. So he trusts me playing both of them."
. . . and additional scrimmage notes, which included quarterback Tyler Potts being intercepted 3 times yesterday.
LAJ's Red Raiders Football Fifth Down talks with Player Personnel Director, Antonio Huffman, along with some other practice notes.
Fox34 with your wonderful video highlights from yesterday's scrimmage.
And last but certainly not least, RaiderAde with a practice report from yesterday's scrimmage.
