Texas Tech insider
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By CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star
Here's a look at Texas Tech heading into the Husker's weekend match in Lubbock, Texas.
Texas Tech averages
Points
Offense: 48.2
Defense: 18.4
Yards
Offense: 583.4
Defense: 336.0
Rush
Offense: 144.4
Defense: 102.6
Pass
Offense: 439.0
Defense: 233.4
Time
Offense: 29:49
Defense: 30:00
Base formations
Offense: No-huddle, one-back, four-wide spread
Defense: 4-3
KEEP AN EYE ON ’EM
Michael Crabtree
WR/So./6-3/214 pounds
This guy might be the next coming of Randy Moss. He’s that good. Don’t be fooled about the numbers being down a bit from his Biletnikoff Award-winning season.
Shannon Woods
RB/Sr./5-11/194 pounds
Generally, running backs in Mike Leach’s system are regarded about as highly as tight ends (which aren’t used). But Woods is effective with his legs and hands.
Daniel Charbonnet
SS/Sr./5-11/203 pounds
The season he’s having — four interceptions, four breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery — helps Tech be capable of winning more than offensive shootouts.
Quarterbacks (4 balls)
Graham Harrell just became Tech’s career passing leader with 12,709 yards, and if he keeps up his current season pace of 405.4 yards a game, will finish No. 2 all-time in NCAA history. He grabbed the school mark from Kliff Kingsbury despite having 261 fewer attempts. The worst news for Nebraska is Harrell knows the Red Raiders’ system like Chase Daniel does Missouri’s. He’s been instrumental in Tech scoring 30 points in 21 of its past 23 games, and that number is huge to the Red Raiders. Under coach Mike Leach, they’re 60-11 when scoring at least 30 points and 10-26 when held to fewer.
Running backs (3 balls)
Shannon Woods has played like someone trying to get back in Leach’s good graces after being so deep in the doghouse last spring that he wasn’t even on the depth chart. Considering he had 1,498 rushing and receiving yards in 2006, he must have done something pretty crazy. This year, he’s averaged 5.7 yards per carry while rushing for half of Tech’s 14 TDs. He has just nine receptions, but for a team-high 16.2-yard average. Barron Batch has returned from a year-and-a-half absence caused by numerous surgeries to become an effective No. 2 punch. He’s averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. He and Woods have a combined average of 198.5 yards from scrimmage.
Receivers (4 balls)
Consensus All-American Michael Crabtree looks so smooth running routes and picking up yards after catching the ball you’d think he really wasn’t exerting himself. He and Harrell have hooked up for 30 TD passes and with two more will become the Big 12’s top scoring pass-catch tandem. Crabtree has scored in every game this season and his per-game receiving average of 112.8 yards are No. 3 nationally. Just so you think this isn’t a one-man show, Detron Lewis had a nine-catch, 163-yard effort in his first start and he’s averaging nearly 80 yards a game. Another inside receiver who gets lost is 5-foot-8 Eric Morris, one catch behind Lewis with 26. And Lyle Leong, making just his second start last week, had more TD catches (3) than he had total receptions (2) entering the game.
Offensive line (4 balls)
A couple stats tell how good this group, completely intact from last year, is: It’s given up one sack in 262 pass attempts, and only two quarterback hurries. Even more impressive is Tech’s per-game rushing average is 36.9 yards higher than any of Leach’s previous eight teams. Another 49 yards and the Red Raiders will be at their total from last year, when they ranked last out of 119 teams. Take note of left guard Louis Vasquez, a preseason All-American, and NU defensive ends need to beware of left tackle Rylan Reed. The 6-7, 314-pound cancer survivor and former minor-league pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization has bench-pressed 625 pounds. In last year’s Gator Bowl, he held Virginia’s Chris Long, the nation’s sack leader, to none.
Defensive line (3 balls)
All four returning starters have stepped it up under Ruffin McNeill, who took over the defense five games into last season. Opponents are averaging 74.4 fewer rushing yards than last year’s team allowed. Backup end McKinner Dixon, a freshman All-American in 2005 who then went to a junior college for two years before returning, and starter Brandon Williams rank Nos. 2-3 in the Big 12 with five and four sacks, respectively. Last week, Dixon got the first one allowed by Kansas State. He also leads the D-linemen with 17 tackles, while the 6-5 Williams has three tipped passes and two forced fumbles. Inside are Rajon Henley and Colby Whitlock, a freshman All-American last year.
Linebackers (2 balls)
Brian Duncan has moved from the strong side back to his middle spot and leads the Red Raiders with 40 tackles, the sixth-best total in the Big 12. He began the year by getting an interception on Tech’s first defensive play. Duncan, along with weak-side starter Marlon Williams, also has two breakups. Williams was second in tackles last season. New strong-side starter Bront Bird, who’s 6-3, has a 14-tackle game and ranks No. 5 on the team with 25.
Defensive backs (2 balls)
Thanks to the first-year starter Daniel Charbonnet, Tech is tied for third nationally with 10 interceptions (its season total last year). His four picks are tied for the national lead. Cornerback Jamar Wall was a preseason all-league pick, notable since Tech has had only one all-Big 12 secondary player (Dwayne Slay in 2005). He and free safety Darcel McBath combined for seven interceptions and 14 breakups last year. Wall has a team-high seven breakups. The Red Raiders are currently No. 3 in the Big 12 in pass-efficiency defense, which helps explain why they’re No. 3 nationally at defending third downs (opponents are just 14-for-66). Look for NU to test first-year starting cornerback Brent Nickerson.
Special teams (2 balls)
Morris ranks fourth in the league, averaging 13.4 yards on punt returns, and got Tech’s first TD on one by going 86 yards against Nevada. Tech also is No. 4 in the Big 12 in kickoff coverage, with opponents’ average starting spot being the 24-yard line, and the punt coverage has been even better, with two blocks and an average return of less than 4 yards. Field goals have been an adventure with freshman Donnie Carona, who is just 2-for-6.
SCOUTING REPORT
Kansas State got a short field in Manhattan last Saturday after Tech failed to convert an early fourth down, and turned it into a touchdown to pull into a 14-14 tie. But Mike Leach’s team then turned on the afterburners, scoring 24 straight points en route to leaving the Wildcats and coach Ron Prince winded with a 58-28 loss.
“Their offensive line and defensive line were terrific. We were outphysicaled for a bulk of the game. I thought their playmakers on offense were fantastic,” Prince said.
“One of the things that makes them a very good team is that their offensive line is so big and so massive that you can’t really bull-rush them into (Harrell’s) lap. And when you do, he’ll have the poise to throw it to certain spots that he’s been throwing it to for a long time. He knows the routes inside and out and his guys go get the ball and make him look really good in those moments when the pocket is compromised. They do a very good job of getting the ball out quickly to beat the blitz. They’re very confirmed in throwing the football. Because of that, a lot of runs open up, but they’re very committed to throwing the football.
“The number of times they throw it, the parts of the field they throw it to, they never get discouraged in throwing the football … and when they need to run it they get very good looks and they are very big and very physical.
“… They were able to extend their lead and that took us out of how we wanted to play. When you’re down by two scores, play-action passes and those sort of things don’t really have the same kind of effectiveness.
“… Surprising as it sounds, the effort of our players was extraordinary. We had guys really play hard until the end. The reality is with a team that precise in what they are doing, with the quality players they have, being a step away is like a mile away.“
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