No News Today
There's absolutely nothing going on today and I should have had something ready for today, but I didn't so much as even check my email since Friday. Just been busy doing stuff around the house. Make sure and check out Saturday's morning football notes where Edward Britton is on a little thin ice and my special teams pants are still flying around the room.
Oh, and the Real Mike Leach is now following Double-T Nation on Twitter. Don't forget how the Captain feels about trading computer schemes:
Big 12 Quarterbacks
7. Texas Tech
The situation: Starter - Taylor Potts (r-Jr.). Backups - Seth Dodge (r-Fr.) or Stefan Loucks (So.)The justification: Mike Leach has raved about Potts, who is a commanding 6'5". Leach has a good track record of finding a quarterback replacement ASAP and Potts appears to be the latest Lubbock gun slinger. Until we see what can do when he steps on the field, he'll stay at No. 6. Tom Dienhart, of Rivals.com, said Dodge has an "it" factor, so it's safe to assume he's the new heir-apparent? If Potts is as good as promised, expect monster numbers -- you know, the standard -- and Texas Tech to not skip much of a beat on offense, which is obviously critical for the Red Raiders.
I don't know that you can argue with the top 4 spots: Bradford, McCoy, Robinson and Griffin. These guys are right now the unquestioned top 4 guys in the conference, but there's probably plenty of discussion about where Potts should be after that, behind Kansas' Todd Reesing and TAMU's Jerrod Johnson.
Where would you rank Potts? See the poll at the bottom of the page and leave your comments below.
Potts = Under-the-Radar
Taylor PottsTexas Tech QB: The heir apparent to record-setting quarterback Graham Harrell in coach Mike Leach’s "Air Raid" offense, Potts (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) has all the physical tools. He’ll be a junior next fall and would be Tech’s starter "if we were to play today," Leach said earlier this week.
In two seasons as Harrell’s backup, Potts has thrown 85 passes. He has completed 55 of them (64.7 pct.), covering 669 yards, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. That makes him the most proven quarterback on Tech’s roster and the clear leader in a spring competition that also includes Steven Sheffield, Stefan Loucks and Seth Doege.
Texas Tech 1, Texas 8
| Date | Start Time | Texas Tech Starting Pitcher |
Texas Starting Pitcher |
Result |
| 3/27/2009 | 6:00 p.m. | Miles Morgan (L, 1-4) | Chance Ruffin (W, 4-2) | 5-9 |
| 3/28/2009 | 2:00 p.m. | AJ Ramos (W, 3-1) | Brandon Workman (L, 3-2) | 4-2 |
| 3/29/2009 | 1:00 p.m. | Nate Karns (L, 1-3) | Austin Dicharry (W, 2-0) | 1-8 |
Outfield:
LF - Michael Reed (Jr.); CF - Taylor Ashby (Jr.); RF - Garrett Totten (Fr.)
Infield:
3RD - Justin Berry (Fr.); SS - Joey Kenworthy (Jr.); 2ND - Willie Rueda (Sr.); 1ST - Chris Richburg (Sr.)
C - Jeremy Mayo (Fr.)
DH - Scott LeJeune (Fr.) or Nich Hanslik (Fr.)
*Click on the score for boxscore. Official Series Press Release (pdf).
Nate Karns had a rough go at it as the starter, but I'm not sure it would have mattered much as the offense only managed 1 run on 10 hits (recap). Karns (1.2 IP; 4 H; 4 ER; 2 BB; 2 SO) struggled from the outset, allowing 2 runs in both innings that he pitched. The bullpen was spotty and not too consistent, although Cory Large (3.2 IP; 0 H; 0 ER; 0 BB; 2 SO) was very good in the last 3.2 innings of work. The top of the order managed a bunch of hits, but was just unable to convert those hits into runs Willie Rueda (2-4), Joey Kenworthy (2-3), Chris Richburg (2-4) and Scott LeJeune (2-3) all managed two hits, but it was Jeremy Mayo (1-3; 1 RBI; 1 HR) that managed the only RBI off a home run, his 5th of the year.
The Red Raiders continue their road trip, with a two game series against New Mexico starting tomorrow and Wednesday, while the Aggies will come to Lubbock for the weekend series.
And as rough of a year as it's been thus far, the Red Raiders are tied with Texas at 4-5 in conference play at 7th. I believe the top 8 teams make the Big 12 Tournament, and that needs to be the goal this year. Make the tournament, and we'll go from there.