Double-T Nation News:
Week 1 of the BlogPoll was released and Texas Tech slid down one spot to #13. I really don't think most voters blinked at Texas Tech's 25 point win over EWU, while we're sitting here wringing our hands over what ended up being a blow-out. They'll only pay attention if you lose or if you shut someone out.
DTN's Top Five:
- A warm welcome to new SB Nation blog UW Dawg Pound.
- Ex-Jayhawks Darrell Arthur and Mario Chamlers are thrown out of NBA rookie transition program for having marijuana and girls in their room.
- ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin on who's hot and who's not in the Big 12.
- Big 12 Sports Wendell Barnhouse's Mid-Week Rundown.
- NSFW, but really funny, BHGP on South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback, Chris Smelley.
Texas Tech Football:
An excellent article by DMN's Brandon George on senior tackle Rylan Reed and his well-chronicled battle with cancer, his minor league baseball career, and his father dying in a car accident in 2004. You should go read the whole thing, this is worth your time, but I did like this quote from Reed on his broke ankle during the Gator Bowl:
"I was like, 'Come on. A broken ankle, is that all you got?' " Rylan said, smiling. "One of my mottos in life is a setback is a setup for a good comeback. And Lord knows, I've had my setbacks. Coming here to Tech was part of my comeback. There were some people doubting if I was going to come back from the broken ankle, and I was like, 'That's fine.' I've always had the odds against me. And I've done well that way."
In the DMN College Blog, George also talked with some guys who were in the White Sox farm system, Brandon McCarthy and Josh Rupe, and know Reed and thought this quote from McCarthy was good:
"He looked like you took shoulder pads off him and put him on the mound, he's going to go throw. He had good stuff. Without a doubt, if injuries don't set him back, he's in the big leagues and probably pretty successful with his natural stuff. He would intimidate the hell out of you. He was not a small, small lad at all. When you're in rookie ball and you have a bunch of guys who are 18 years old and underdeveloped and everybody is still skin and bones and then you have that guy out there who is pushing 260, 270 and he has muscles coming out of muscles, that was kind of a sight."
FWST's Jimmy Burch writes that Texas Tech has much room to improve:
What he left unsaid in a week when Tech was jumped by No. 11 Wisconsin in the Associated Press rankings is that daily reminders about the Red Raiders’ ragged play actually could benefit his team Saturday at Nevada (1-0). On multiple occasions after losses during his nine seasons in Lubbock, Leach has berated players for being adversely influenced by public praise and becoming overconfident.That does not sound like it will be an issue against Nevada, with quarterback Graham Harrell calling for improved focus after a "sloppy" debut to a season that includes legitimate Big 12 title hopes.
"We have to get better and improve," Harrell said at Monday’s news conference. "If we do, we have a chance to be really good."
That is the good thing, there is room to improve on this team, offensively, defensively and from the mental aspect of the game.
All of the articles from the LAJ this morning focus on Nevada, including a focus on the pistol offense and the offensive impact its had for Nevada. Here's Nevada head coach Chris Ault on the offense:
"The idea of it is to get our quarterback more involved in the offense, whether it’s play-action, boots, options, things like that," said Ault, who added that the Pistol is a conglomeration of the Wing-T, shotgun and spread. "And we try to get the ball to our back in a deeper area. It’s been a lot fun to play with and create different opportunities for our players. … Each year, we’ve added different components just like Tech has done. We continue to grow with it."
Meanwhile, the LAJ's Adam Zuvanich is perterbed that Nevada players only do interviews for "national" media outlets. I think I'd be a little ticked too.
Finally, for those of you wanting to follow Lubbock high school athletics, Brandon George, who normally writes about the Texas Tech baseball team and the LAJ are teaming up for a new Lubbock-centric show and website, Lonestar Varsity. Congrats Mr. George, this is well-deserved.
ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin runs down the numbers as to whether or not the new rules meant quicker games, and for the most part it did, except in Lubbock, where the Texas Tech v. EWU matchup was a svelte 3 hours and 40 minutes. You can forget about speeding up our game NCAA!