Odds and Ends
Quiet Days: There's not much news out there, other than what I've found below, so make sure and check out Saturday's and Sunday's Daily Diatribe. The team has today off as they are trying to simulate a game week this week, just to get used to the routine. I was pretty busy this weekend and starting either today or tomorrow, I've got positional depth charts for us to cuss and discuss and well as finishing up my game previews this week so we can get on our game schedule next week.
Texas Tech Football
Okafor Continues to Work at Right Guard: LAJ's Don Williams features RG Mickey Okafor, who is making the switch from tackle to guard, and is expected to start in two weeks, all as a redshirt freshman. Here's Okafor on he feels thus far and that he knows he needs to keep his rear-end down:
"I think I’m getting comfortable,’’ said the 6-foot-7, 319-pound sophomore from Houston Westbury. "There’s still a few things I need to work on, as in hips movement. Just the run game is the only thing that’s bothering me right now, but I’m getting better at it, and as I continue to work on it I think I’ll be fine.’’
Snip
"It’s a big issue,’’ he said. "You’ve got to drop that butt. You’re going against 300-pound DTs that can move. I never had a problem getting bull-rushed from the outside, but inside it’s a lot more bull rushing, so I’ve been working on (flexibility) before practice.
And here's offensive line coach Matt Moore on some of his coaching philosophy about the type of player he wants at Texas Tech:
"Four of the five guys I have right now can all play tackle,’’ Moore said, "and that’s what you want in this offense. You want to get five tackles across the board, where all the guys are 6-6, 6-7, 6-8, good feet and the whole deal.’’
Okafor is going to be very interesting to watch, especially early. I can certainly see teams keying on Okafor's inexperience and how he handles that will be a key for Texas Tech.
Moore and Olson Still Leading: LAJ's Don Williams notebook has a couple of interesting updates. First, LaRon Moore looks like he's leading the way at right cornerback:
"I’ll put it this way,’’ McNeill said. "I’ve been really impressed with LaRon’s maturity and how he’s grown over the past year. He’s really been very consistent and very physical at corner. He’s playing to the potential we thought he had when we signed him, this spring and this fall. He had a great summer with Bennie (Wylie, the team’s strength and conditioning coach), and it’s carried over into fall camp.’’
. . . also of note, Chris Olson is still leading Terry McDaniel for the left tackle spot:
"Right now, I’d say Olson’s ahead,’’ Moore said this weekend. "But Terry’s so gifted and so talented, once he starts doing all the little things right that Olson does, Olson’s going to have a hard time holding him off.
. . . and defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill stated that he will not redshirt DT Pearlie Graves, CB D.J. Johnson, S Terrance Bullitt and S Will Ford (this is fairly significant news and something that probably deserves a little more attention) . . .
Potts = Best First Year QB: The AP's Betsy Blaney talks with Mike Leach, who believes that QB Taylor Potts is going to be the first year quarterback hes had:
"As far as having new guys going in, I feel better about this year than I have most of them in the past," Leach said. "He’s talented, and he’s learned and developed very quickly."
And Leach thinks of John Wayne when he thinks of Potts:
"He had that whole John Wayne quality," Leach said. "The ultimate dust and tumbleweeds coming from Abilene, quiet kind of guy. Even now he kind of is."
Scouting the Enemy: This really isn't scouting the enemy since Texas Tech doesn't have an SEC opponent on the schedule, but Team Speed Kills has the SB Nation 2009 SEC preview for your Monday viewing pleasure . . .