Decreasing Productivity for the Day: First up, you can watch the entire Texas Tech vs. New Mexico game online. There goes your morning. Up next, you can also watch yesterday's press conference where you can hear the musings of QB Taylor Potts, CB Will Ford, IR Austin Zouzalik and head coach Tommy Tuberville (you can also see Tubs blow out the candles for his birthday cake). This is something I usually transcribe, but it was close to an hour of video. Now you don't have to work for 3/4's of the day. You can also find the official site game preview and the 2-deep, which I don't think has any real change.
Stephens Named Special Teams Player of the Week: Congrats to RB Eric Stephens who was named the special teams player of the week by the Big 12. Congrats!
Press Conference Coverage: I linked to the press conference above and you've got a handful of articles: LAJ's Don Williams with some questions and answers from Tuberville . . . LAJ's Don Williams with quotes from the players and Tuberville on Saturday's game . . . DT's Mike Graham writes that Texas Tech is taking the same approach on Saturday against Texas . . . ESPNDallas' Jeff Caplan with Tuberville on the early season conference game . . . DMN's Mike Graham with five soundbites and Tuberville says that this team hasn't played a complete game . . .
Notes, Notes and More Notes with a Tech Extra on Top: LAJ's Don Williams with a notebook, including the note that both S Franklin Mitchem and RT Chris Olson will be ready to play this weekend, but CB LaRon Moore and OT Beau Carpenter will not be ready to play this week . . . Williams also runs down Tuberville's MVP's for the week, which includes LG Lonnie Edwards, DE Scott Smith, RB Aaron Crawford, RB Andre McCorkle and DE Dartwan Bush. I think this is fairly telling about what Tuberville thinks of Smith:
"Right now, he’s carrying about 257 to 260 pounds," Tuberville said. "He probably needs to weigh about 280. But I tell you, he comes to practice every day and works hard. He’s been a very pleasant surprise in terms of coming from a junior college and grasping what we’re doing. He’s made us much better and gives us a guy that can go in and out and play different positions."
Raiderville: DT's Derek Moy with a current look at the burgeoning Raiderville, while the LAJ's Matthew McGowan reports on Raiderville, including a rumor that basketball head coach Pat Knight will be staying a night, bringing a generator and bringing food.
Ubben and the Heisman: ESPN's David Ubben (yes, I'm linking to him, but there's a reason) must have received quite a bit of hate-mail for his Heisman stance of not voting for any player unless that player is playing for a top 10 program, going back into history and how traditionally, programs that win, have players win the Heisman. I appreciate Ubben's effort, but here's the thing that he doesn't get. We all understand that it's a flawed award and that historically, it does award this honor to the best player for the best team, but that's not the way it has to be. Ubben or anyone else that has a voice doesn't have to conform to what everyone else does. If the best player in the nation isn't on the best team, then there's no requirement that you vote for him. Just because everyone else is running to jump off a cliff doesn't meant that you have to go run and jump off the cliff as well. Be your own person and vote accordingly, but there's nothing that requires you or any Heisman voter to vote for the best player on the best team, despite the history.
Texas Longhorn Links: Two good things from Burnt Orange Nation: In the Trenches - The Metacognition, er Ignition of Garrett Gilbert and We Have Issues: Texas Longhorns Week 2. We can talk about quotes and things, but I'm more interested in reading about what's good and what's bad with the Longhorns. Both posts are excellent, and here's a snipet:
If I was Neal Brown, offensive coordinator of Texas Tech, I would be looking at formations that draw Dravannti Johnson, Christian Scott, Blake Gideon and Chykie Brown to the same side of the field. It might require a TE to do that, and we know that Tech doesn't use one, but trips left would yield possibilities for generating weak coverage on the short routes.
. . . AAS.com's Kirk Bohls' with an interesting thought, which is that the Longhorns have found their identity on offense:
Texas' offense hasn't committed a turnover.
Texas' offense hasn't allowed a sack.
Texas' offense has six rushing touchdowns in two games.
. . . DMN's Kate Hairopoulos writes that Texas faces a big challenge vs. Texas Tech . . .
Big 12 and National Links: Rock M Nation's Bill C. with a look around the Big 12 (this was a very good round-up with links to all of the Big 12 games) . . . SB Nation's Spencer Hall with his weekly The Alphabetical . . . CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd with some quotes from Mike Leach's radio show . . . everyone has their own rankings and I'm not really linking to them, except for this one, from HuskerExtra's Curt McKeever, who dropped this bit about Texas Tech and white helmets all the way back to the year of my birth:
5. Texas Tech (2-0)
LW: def. New Mexico 52-17; TW: Texas, 7 p.m. (ABC)
Wonder if the Red Raiders will come out in all-white uniforms (helmet included) like they did last week? Wonder if first-year coach Tommy Tuberville is aware Tech wore white helmets back in 1974 when they smacked the Longhorns 26-3 in a September home matchup?
. . . Omaha.com's Lee Barfknect with a Big 12 notebook . . . NewsOK with a Big 12 notebook . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich runs down the most exciting moments in college football . . .