Lots of News
There's a ton of news out there today, and I couldn't sleep so I'm up at 4:15 a.m. this morning trying to read everything before I post. I also though it would be a good idea to separate the baseball and football notes. Consider this to be your open thread to discuss all things Texas Tech football, and any news that I missed.
Texas Tech vs. Baylor Moving to Dallas
It's finally official, the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Baylor Bears will move the 2009 and 2010 games to Dallas (also thanks to xwvr for the FanPost). The 2009 game will be played at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium and the 2010 game will be played at the Cotton Bowl. The official press release is linked above, so there's plenty to read about the details there. The LAJ's Josh Hull writes that Lubbock businesses stand to lose millions because of the move:
Randy Jordan, chairman of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, declined to be interviewed but issued a statement on the decision to move the game."We won’t second-guess the decision made by Tech’s athletic director in regards to the Baylor game being moved to Arlington and the importance for the football program," Jordan said in the statement. "However, I’m sure Chamber members and other business community members will regret the monetary loss to their businesses for that weekend."
It's great for me because now I can see a game that I might not have seen because of the drive to Lubbock, yes I am one of the DFW alumni, but I like games in Lubbock. I think the fanbase is very divided on this particular issue and I see both sides of the argument.
Brandon Carter Now at Left Tackle
LAJ's officially reports that Brandon Carter will be at left tackle. We've known about the move for quite a while, but I think this is the first published report. Offensive line coach Matt Moore says that this move isn't absolute:
"It’s something that’s going to be interesting,’’ Moore said. "He knows it’s not set in stone. I can move him back to right guard. He started there for two years, so he’s got no problem going back to right guard, but left tackle will be something a little different to go through spring with. Hopefully, he’ll catch on to it.’’
Brandon Carter is excited about the move:
"This go-round, it’ll be smaller, quicker guys,’’ said the senior from Longview Spring Hill. "They’ll be tall, long-armed guys, but they’ll definitely be a lot quicker and have different moves that I’m not totally used to. I’ve played tackle, but I’ve never played left tackle. But yeah, I’m excited to play against some of the D-ends in the Big 12.’’
Notes and Stuff
LAJ's Don Williams' Red Raiders Notebook has quite a bit of information:
- Confirms that sophomore cornerback Jared Flannel will move to safety and a Texas State transfer, running Andre McCorkle, is moving to defense, perhaps defensive back or linebacker. McCorkle is 6-2/190 so I'd imagine that he has the size to play linebacker (I think 190 is his freshman weight).
- Senior Edward Britton has been demoted and sophomore Rashad Hawk has stepped into his starting role.
- Taylor Potts sounds ready to take charge:
"It’s been a lot more intensity," Potts said. "You know you can’t take a break. When you’re the backup, you think, ‘Aw, if I don’t watch film, it’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?’ It’s a lot different being in this position, having to take responsibility for yourself and pretty much everything."
- Freshman Eric Ward is working behind Jacoby Franks at Michael Crabtree's old X-receiver position.
Reloading
DT's Alex Ybarra looks at the first day of practice and head coach Mike Leach said that the practice was good:
"It was good," Leach said. "I thought we had a pretty good practice, we're excited to put pads on, but I thought it was a good first day."
This is a good overview, so make sure and click on over, with lots of quotes from lots of folks.
Neglected Video
And how about this, the only media outlet with embeddable (I'm not sure if this is a word) video is the Daily Toreador (nice work guys and gals):
Also, KAMC has some video of the first day.
Tech Talk Has Bevy of Coaches Talk Texas Tech
Running backs coach Clay McGuire, secondary coach Brian Mitchell and receivers coach Lincoln Riley were all on Tech Talk on Wednesday. Make sure and give both hours a listen (Hour 1 and Hour 2). I would try and summarize, but there's just a ton of information there, so just give it a listen.
Overview of the Red Raiders
Rivals.com's Olin Buchanan has a nice overview of the Red Raiders, although I think that those of you who frequent DTN, none of this is new information, but it's a good read for the football hungry.