PREVIEW: OKLAHOMA STATE

GAME INFO

LOCATION: LUBBOCK, TX

VENUE: JONES AT&T STADIUM

TIME: 7:00 PM CST

WATCH: FOX, FoxSportsGO

LISTEN: TTSN, TuneIn

TEXAS TECH

RECORD: 3-0 (0-0)

LAST RESULT: W 27-24 AT HOUSTON

OKLAHOMA STATE

2017 RECORD: 3-1 (0-1)

2016 RECORD: 10-3 (7-2)

LAST RESULT: L 38-20 VS TCU

SERIES INFO

LAST MEETING: 11-12-16

LAST RESULT: L 45-44

SERIES RECORD: TTU LEADS 21-20-3

CURRENT STREAK: OSU 8

SPREAD

OSU -9.5

The Red Raiders open up conference play against the #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys under the lights on Saturday September 30th. This will be the 45th meeting between the Cowboys and Red Raiders. Oklahoma State currently holds an 8 game winning streak going back to 2009.

Oklahoma State looks to bounce back after a 44-31 loss to TCU at home last week. The Cowboys will likely have to win out if they still want a chance to realize there playoff ambitions. This is the 12th season for head coach Mike Gundy. Gundy has a record of 107-51 with his alma mater.

WHAT TO WATCH

OFFENSE

The offensive line will need to play clean. Texas Tech racked up 12+ penalties last week, most of those being false starts. While Tech has clear advantage over the Cowboy defense, they can't afford to shoot themselves in the foot. The offensive was heavily penalized against Eastern Washington. However they really cleaned it up against Arizona State so we know they are more than capable dispite being a fairly young unit.

Oklahoma State has a porous run defense so this will be a good opportunity to run a more balanced offense and control the game. Last week Oklahoma State gave up 238 rushing yards to the Horned Frogs so if all goes well, expect Stockton and King to have another big day. In a game between two of the best passing teams in the country, in may come down to whoever can run the ball more effectively.

Defense.

This will be a tough test for the defense as Oklahoma State will bring one of the best offenses Tech will face all year. The Red Raiders will need to put the pressure on Mason Rudolf with the pass rush. Oklahoma State's offensive line is suffering from the injury bug and Rudolf was turnover prone when on the run. If Tech can take advantage and bring consistent pressure then the Red Raiders will have a chance to force more turnovers against the Cowboys.

It will also be important to stop the run and make the Cowboys one dimensional. Oklahoma State has been inconsistent in running the ball and so this provides another opportunity for the defensive front seven to show what they can do.

FINAL NOTE.

Last week Texas Tech missed two field goals with Clayton Hatfield still sidelined with an injury. Kingsbury said there was a plan originally for Bardon to handle the long kicks and Ewton to manage the short field goals. It was clear this plan didn't work and I think we can expect Bardon to handle all kicking duties at least until Hatfield makes it back.

PREDICTION

TEXAS TECH 45 OKLAHOMA STATE 42

BIG 12 PREDICTIONS: WEEK 5

TEXAS @ IOWA STATE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

JACK TRICE STADIUM

AMES IOWA

SPREAD: TEXAS -6.5

This is an interesting matchup. Texas played well against #4 USC but couldn't hold on in overtime. Iowa State is much improved from last year particularly on offense. Jack Trice will be hopping Thursday night which will make for a tough road game for the Horns. Texas is more than capable of winning on the road but I think they still have too many issues to work out offensively.

PREDICTION: ISU 45 UT 44

----------------------

BAYLOR @ KANSAS STATE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

BILL SNYDER FAMILY STADIUM

MANHATTAN KANSAS

SPREAD: K-STATE -16.5

Baylor played a great game against Oklahoma last week and seems to have figured some things out both offensively and defensively. Kansas State had a disappointing loss at Vanderbilt two weeks ago but have since had a week off. The Bears will have to go on the road and giving Bill Snyder an extra week to prepare will be like trying to put out a wildfire with a watering can.

PREDICTION: KSU 28 BU 13

BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 4

Lots of action despite byes for three teams this week. Here's how the Big 12 stands after four weeks.

1. TCU 

The purple frogs shocked the country after taking down the pokes 44-31 in Stillwater.

    

2. OKLAHOMA.

Boomer Sooner is still undefeated, but there was no way they could stay on top after letting Baylor play as close as they did. Barely winning 49-41 against a team that hasn't won since the Obama administration isn't a spanking by anyone's definition.

       

3. OKLAHOMA STATE.

Last week I was debating putting the pokes at #1, but didn't because Oklahoma State hadn't played anyone yet and I didn't want to jump the gun. It turns out I may have been right after the Frogs picked off Mason Rudolph twice and ran for 238 yards against a porous Cowboy defense.

    

4. WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia stays in place after taking care of business on the road against Kansas. Although defense may prove to be a problem for West Virginia later on as the ‘Neers allowed 34 points from a struggling Kansas Offense.

5. TEXAS TECH

The Good Guys ended Houston's 16 game home winning streak while playing in the world's largest sauna. Defense was the star and Tech finished with 5 turnovers against Houston.

6. KANSAS STATE

The Wildcats of the Little Apple were off last week and unfortunately will have to live with the taste of defeat for another week.

7. TEXAS

The Horns were off this week but should be feeling good after taking the #4 Trojans to overtime. Next week should be a good indication of where Texas stands when they travel to Ames to take on Iowa State.

8. IOWA STATE

The Cyclones also had a bye this week. They have a chance at an upset this week when the Longhorns come to town.

9. BAYLOR

I'll give credit where credit is due. Baylor played a surprisingly great game against Oklahoma and therefore the Bears are allowed to move up from last place. They couldn't pull off the upset and so just like Generalissimo Francisco Franco… Baylor is still dead.

10. KANSAS

The Jayhawks did manage to put 34 points on what was one of the best defenses in the Big 12 last year. However they still got blown out at home and that's enough to land them in last place this week.

THREE AND OUT: HOUSTON

The Red Raiders beat Houston on the road and start the season 3-0. Here's the post game three and out.

FIRST DOWN

The defense took a huge step forward this week. As of today, Texas Tech ranks #2 in forced turnovers and #43 in total defense. Take a moment and let that sink in because for the last three seasons Tech has consistently ranked in the bottom three in defense.

The Red Raiders recorded five turnovers against the Cougars in the form of three fumbles and and a pair of interceptions by Jordyn Brooks and Dakota Allen. The defense also managed to hold Houston to 110 rushing yards after being dead last in run defense last year.

SECOND DOWN

Offensively, the Red Raiders had a decent day. Shimonek went 29/45 for 321 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Keke Coutee was the leading receiver with 11 catches for 161 yards and one touchdown.

Despite the pressure from Ed Oliver and the Cougar defensive line, Tech was able to average 6.1 yards per carry for 200 total yards rushing. Stockton led the way with 10 carries for 102 yards and one receiving touchdown. Trè King was right behind with 9 carries for 98 yards. Nisby only had two touches for two yards but one of those was good for a touchdown. Nibsy's limited action was possibly due to a turf toe injury from a couple weeks ago.

THIRD DOWN

The biggest blemish in what was an otherwise solid offensive outing was a drop by Derrick Willies inside the 20 which would have resulted in a touchdown. There was also an interception which bounced off of Willies hands and resulted in a Houston touchdown drive.

Another huge issue was the missed field goals by the freshmen Michael Ewton, who went 1/3. Clayton Hatfield was still out with an injury sustained in fall camp. Ewton was solid with extra points against Eastern Washington but it looked like the heat and the pressure may have gotten to him. With any luck, Hatfield will be back for Oklahoma State. If not, it will be hard to overcome missed field goals if Ewton isn't on his game by Saturday.

AND OUT

Penalties were also a huge issue particularly from the offensive line. False starts were rampant in Houston and I think the heat and humidity may have been a factor for a unit that played a very clean game against Arizona State last week. Defensively, penalties were cleaned up after being an issue last week.

On a final note. Vaughnte Dorsey is back in Lubbock after being treated for a concussion in Houston. Kingsbury said on Sunday that Dorsey “feels great” and they will see “where it goes from here”. 

PREVIEW: HOUSTON

GAME INFO:

LOCATION: HOUSTON TX

VENUE: TDECU STADIUM

TIME: 11:00 AM CST

WATCH: ABC/ESPN2, WatchESPN

LISTEN: TTSN, TUNEIN

TEXAS TECH

RECORD: 2-0

LAST RESULT: W 52-45 VS ARIZONA STATE

HOUSTON

2017 RECORD: 2-0

2016 RECORD: 9-4

LAST RESULT: W 38-3 VS RICE

SERIES INFO

LAST MEETING: NOVEMBER 27 2010

LAST RESULT: W 35-20

SERIES RECORD: UH LEADS 18-11-1

The Red Raiders travel to Southeast Texas to take on the Houston Cougars on Saturday, September 23rd at TDECU Stadium. This will be the 31st meeting between the former Southwest Conference Foes.

This is the first season for head coach Major Applewhite, who took over for Tom Herman after two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cougars.

Houston comes into the matchup 2-0 after a 38-3 shellacking of the Rice Owls. Quarterback Kyle Allen went 31/33 for 309 yards and two touchdowns last week. Senior Linell Bonner was the leading receiver with 10 receptions for 132 yards.

WHAT TO WATCH

OFFENSE:

This will be a good test for Shimonek and company. The Houston defense comes into this matchup with a S&P+ ranking of #20. Last week the Cougars had a defensive efficiency rating of 99.6 against Rice. There's also Ed Oliver, who finished last season with 47 tackles; nearly half of those were tackles for a loss.

The key will be to continue to play smart and efficient football. With the pass rush that we can expect from Oliver, it will be important not only for the offensive line to play well, but also for Shimonek to get the ball away quickly and therefore, there will be less opportunities for long passes down the field. If Tech can be consistent with the run and the short passing game however, they should be able to create opportunities for some big plays.

One thing I did notice when watching Houston vs Arizona a couple weeks ago, was that a lot of players not named Oliver had some issues wrapping up and tackling. If this is the case then this will be a great opportunity for receivers to make plays in the open field. 

DEFENSE:

Houston runs an offense that it a little reminiscent of the early Mike Leach offenses at Tech, meaning they run a lot of screens and short crossing routes. The key will be for the defense to make sure tackles on first contact so the short passes don't break out into big plays. Kyle Allen is solid at quarterback and I wouldn't expect him to make many mistakes. If the defense can put pressure on Allen and force him to throw before he's ready, then they should be able to force a couple of turnovers.

Houston has had a subaverage running game so far this year and so it will be another chance for the front seven to prove it can stop the run. Last week the Cougars finished with only 130 yards against Rice. If all goes well, Tech has a chance to hold another opponent below 100 yards rushing on Saturday.

FINAL NOTE

I was impressed with how improved the offensive line was at reducing penalties. Last week I counted two or three penalties against the offense which is a huge improvement from the 10+ against Eastern Washington. Penalties were a big factor in most of the losses last year and if Tech can continue to play smart disciplined football and if the defense can reduce the unnecessary penalties from last week, the Red Raiders should come out with a win on Saturday.

PREDICTION

TEXAS TECH 42 HOUSTON 32

BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS: WEEK THREE

Here's how the Big 12 stands after three.

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. TCU
4. West Virginia
5. Texas Tech
6. Kansas State
7. Texas
8. Iowa State
9. Kansas
10. Baylor

I struggled with the top two because I feel like Oklahoma State might be much better than I thought. I gave Oklahoma the benefit of the doubt however because they took down Ohio State in Columbus and Oklahoma State just hasn't played anyone worthwhile yet.

Texas Tech jumped up over Kansas State for the simple reason that Tech won their game and K State didn't. Call me a homer, but both opponents were of about equal caliber and the Wildcats just couldn't get it done.

The bottom four stay the same. Texas played a much better game against USC than anyone expected, but just like with Kansas State, the Longhorns couldn't get it done and therefore stay at seven.

In case you couldn't hear me gut laughing on Saturday, Baylor is still last after losing to Duke 34 to 20.

WHY TECH WILL GO 10-2 THIS YEAR (BASED ON SCIENTIFIC DATA)

Texas Tech defeated Arizona State last Saturday by a score of 52-45 (a seven point victory). Last season the Red Raiders dropped the same game by a score of 55-68 (a 13 point loss). If you compare the two results, Texas Tech was able to improve its (we'll call it the improvement margin) by 20 points.

Let's say that Tech shows that kind of improvement in every game this season. How would the 2017 Red Raiders fair.

For the purposes of this experiment we will say that Tech's “improvement margin” will improve by 20 points every home game and 15 every road game as compared to last year. For Baylor we will split the difference at 12 points.

To be clear, I'm not saying that Tech will score 20 more points per game than last season. What I am doing is using last years results and the improvement in the final score of the Arizona State game to calculate how Tech might have fared if they show that level of improvement in every game (whether that's from the offense scoring more points or the defense holding the other team to less]

*I'll just stick with the Big 12 games since Tech did not play Houston last year.

1. OKLAHOMA STATE

The Red Raiders get Orange Texas Tech at home this year. Last year the Fighting Gundies got the best of Tech 45 to 44 (-1). Texas Tech will get the pokes at home so based on our formula, the Red Raiders should win by 19 at home this year.

2. AT KANSAS

Tech won 55-19 (+31) at home last year. Being on the road this year will give Tech just 15 points instead of 20, meaning Tech would win this one by 51 points.

3. AT WEST VIRGINIA

Last years 48-17 (-31) loss at home to the Mountaineers was a tough one. It doesn't get much easier on the road this year either. After adding the 15 points to the final score margin, Tech still drops this one by 16. Ouch.

4. IOWA STATE

This was definitely the low point of last season. The Cyclones destroyed Tech 66-10 (-51). Even after adding 20 points, it's still a blowout and Tech hypothetically loses by 36.

5. AT OKLAHOMA

Here's where it really starts to get interesting. Last year Texas Tech lost a thriller at home to the Sooners 66-59 (-7). Even though Tech has to go on the road this time, our improvement margin has Tech winning by 8 points on the road.

6. KANSAS STATE

Another close loss. Bill Snyder's Wildcats won 44-38 (-6) last year. This year Tech will get the Cats at home and after adjusting the improvement margin, the Red Raiders come out on top by 14 points.

7. BAYLOR (NEUTRAL SITE)

One of the few highlights last season was dismantling Baylor 54-35 (+19) in the season finale. Our neutral site improvement margin adds 12 points to suggest that Tech will win this one by 31. Based on how Baylor is playing I would say that's pretty conservative.

8. TCU

Tech also notched a win on the road against TCU 27-24 (+3) since Tech gets TCU at home we can 20 points to give us a 23 point victory over the Frogs. (Which would be freaking awesome)

9. AT TEXAS

Last year Tech lost at home 45-37 (-8). This year we go to Austin so after adding 15, our formula predicts Tech to upset the Horns at DKR by 7 points.

Based on that experiment, Texas Tech should finish 7-2 in the Big 12. Assuming we beat Houston that would mean that Tech would finish the regular season 10-2.

Obviously there is nothing really to back up this hypothesis. The point however, is that most of our loses last year were by less that 10 points. Just the slightest improvement could mean the difference between 5-7 and 8-4. If Tech can continue to improve overall, then they may very well turn a few of those losses into wins.

THREE AND OUT: ARIZONA STATE

FIRST DOWN

Offensively Tech played lights out football in the first half but struggled in the second. Shimonek went 37/50 for 543 yards and six touchdowns. Keke Coutee led in receiving with 186 yards and one touchdown while Dylan Cantrell two candidates for play of the year and helped win the game with a leaping touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The running game was effective but underutilized. Stockton played with much better than in previous seasons and Nisby averaged 5 yards per carry. The biggest blemish was a fumble at the goal line by Nisby while trying to reach the ball over; which caused Kingsbury to lose trust in him and kept him on the bench for most of the game.

SECOND DOWN

It's easy to have a sour taste after watching that second half. It seemed like the Red Raiders had no answer for Manny Wilkins after he got going. I don't agree with the consensus that we have the same old defense as last year. It might be surprising to know that Texas Tech held Arizona State to just 168 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Last year the Sun Devils put 351 yards on the Red Raiders and Ballage scored 8 touchdowns.

Apart from one drive that was riddled with penalties the defense played pretty solid the first half. They made tackles on first contact and stopped running plays up the middle. By the second half it was clear they were out of fast and the string of three and outs by the offense didn't help. Even still the defense came up with a crucial stop at the end to seal the win for Tech. It's easy to feel like the sky is falling on the defense again. I can say, at least today, it's not.

THIRD DOWN

One of the things that was talked about leading up to the game was how much special teams played into the loss last year. Aside from a bad opening kick off, Tech dominated the special teams game. Nearly all kickoffs resulted in touchbacks and Tech even recorded a blocked punt. Clayton Hatfield returned from an injury and was 5/5 on extra points and Barron made a 39 yard field goal.

AND OUT

Kingsbury cities some poor play calls that were made due to “over thinking”. The most specific example was a fourth and one situation, where a sweep run by Stockton was called instead of simply running Nisby up the middle. As frustrating as it was however it was encouraging to hear Kingsbury address this issue in the press conference and I think we can expect issues like this to be resolved quickly. Kingsbury is agreed upon to be the best offensive mind in the country after all.

PREVIEW: ARIZONA STATE

TEXAS TECH

RECORD: 1-0

LAST RESULT: W 56-7 VS EASTERN WASHINGTON

ARIZONA STATE

2017 RECORD: 1-1

2016 RECORD: 5-7

LAST RESULT: L 68-55

LAST MEETING: 9-10-2017

SERIES RECORD: ASU Leads 2-1

GAME INFO

LOCATION: Lubbock, Tx

Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium

TIME: 7:00 PM CST

WATCH: FSN, FoxSportsGO!

LISTEN: TTSN, TUNIN

The Red Raiders face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils under the lights on Saturday September 16 2017. Texas Tech comes off an early bye week after winning their season opener against Eastern Washington 56-7.

This is the fourth meeting between the two former Border Conference members and the first time the Sun Devils will make the trip to Lubbock.

Arizona State comes in 1-1 after a disappointing 30-20 loss to San Diego State last week in Tempe. Quarterback Manny Wilkins had a good game, going 20 for 33, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The biggest issue was the running game as the Sun Devils only recorded 44 rushing yards. Poor offensive line play was the main culprit as the Aztecs recorded five sacks against the Sun Devils.

Defensively, Arizona State struggled against the run; allowing 279 rushing yards. The Sun Devils were effective in the pass rush, recording four sacks and 10 tfls.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

OFFENSE:

Tech should be familiar with the Sun Devil defense as first year defensive coordinator spent the last six seasons with the Baylor Bears.

Arizona State has been good in the pass rush so this will be another test for the offensive line and how well they can protect Shimonek. On the other hand, the Sun Devils have struggled against the run so, if all goes well, expect Nisby and Stockton to have another productive day. The secondary has been ok. They allowed over 300 yards passing from New Mexico State but also recorded two interceptions. As long as Shimonek can continue to be smart with the football it should be another productive day for the offense overall.

DEFENSE:

Red Raider fans can't help but shudder when the name Kalen Ballage is mentioned. The junior scored an FBS record 8 touchdowns against Tech in Tempe last year. Kingsbury said in a press conference that Arizona State took advantage of Tech's inexperienced linebacker corps last year and Tech just had no answer to Arizona State's running attack.

This time look for the linebackers, led by Dakota Allen and Jordyn Brooks, to be much better prepared both mentally and physically. In order for the defense to be successful, they will need to stop the run first and foremost. It will also be important for them to take advantage of ASU’s weak offensive line and keep. pressure on Manny Wilkins. The secondary will need to make tackles in open space and force some turnovers. If they can do these things effectively, then we should have a much better result than what we had in Tempe a season ago.

FINAL NOTE

One other thing that Kingsbury mentioned that was overlooked last year was how dominant Arizona State was on special teams last year. Texas Tech had no kickoff returns last year and started almost all of their drives inside the 25 yard line. Arizona State meanwhile, due to poor punting, started nearly all of those drives on or outside the 25 yard line throughout the majority of the game. If the Eastern Washington game is any indication, Texas Tech seems to have solved its special teams problems with Dominic Panzzolo taking over as punter. After shaking his first punt out of bounds, Panzzolo was able to down each subsequent punt inside the Eagles 10 yard line. With Panzzolo taking over punting duties, Michael Bardon has been able to focus solely on kickoffs which appear to have improved as well. Even with preseason all Big 12 kicker Clayton Hatfield out with an injury, Michael Ewton was 8 for 8 in extra points last week. While it would have been nice to see him try a couple of longer field goals, at least we know we have a solid option at kicker who can constantly hit extra points; something Hatfield struggled with last season.

PREDICTION:

TEXAS TECH 45 ARIZONA STATE 28

BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS WEEK 2

Here's how the Big 12 teams stand after two weeks:

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Texas Christian University
4. Kansas State
5. West Virginia
6. Texas Tech
7. Texas
8. Iowa State
9. Kansas
10. Baylor

Oklahoma leads after the second week of play.

As much as I hate to admit it, I think Oklahoma is the real deal this year. Ohio State just had no answer to them last week.

Oklahoma State and TCU might as well be tied for second. Neither team has really faced anyone worthwhile (while TCU’s road win over Arkansas was impressive, Arkansas is still a bottom tier SEC team) This week will provide Oklahoma State with at least a little bit of a challenge facing Pittsburgh on the road and we will see if the fighting Gundies can take care of business again.

Kansas State, West Virginia, and Texas Tech could look very different next week. Kansas State gets the edge over West Virginia simply because of they have a better record at 2-0. West Virginia gets the benefit of the doubt over Tech since the Red Raiders have only played one game so far against a FCS opponent. This week will be a good test for both Kansas State, who plays Vanderbilt on the road; and Texas Tech who gets Arizona State at home.

The bottom four were pretty straightforward.

Texas played bad all around against Maryland but managed to take care of business against SDSU (Despite some huge issues offensively).

Iowa State couldn't maintain a seven point lead with less than two minutes left. I had thoughts that maybe Kansas might become bowl eligible this year but after last week they seem to be the same Jayhawks that we all know and love. And of course Baylor followed up a loss to an online college (Liberty University) by losing to UTSA at home.

Next week should be very telling and this list may look completely different come Sunday. Stay tuned.

BASKETBALL: CHRIS BEARD PRESS RECAP

Texas Tech Men's Basketball head coach Chris Beard spoke to the media yesterday. Here are some of the points that were covered.

UNSELFISH CULTURE.

Coach Bread touched on trying to instill a culture of unselfishness and positive energy, which he says starts with an appreciation to be Americans, healthy and in school. Beard said he was reminded of how lucky he is to be at the D-1 level after a time in 2000 at Seminole State College, where he was reprimanded for not wearing his Seminole State shirt to a press conference. It had been his only shirt and after doing the same thing yesterday, he was thankful for the equipment closet that had plenty of spares, as Seminole State College couldn't provide such luxuries.

SUMMER

Coach talked about how great it was to have Justin Gray play for the Virgin Islands national team and Davide “Moro” Moretti for his Italian National team. Beard said “It was pretty cool to have two [Red Raiders] representing their countries”. Aside from Moro being away in Italy Beard says they had 100% participation in summer workouts.

FALL WORKOUTS

“Pretty much picked up where we left off” according to Beard. Coach said he is happy with the mix of returners and newcomers. He mentioned he was happy with “Tommy [Hamilton] and Josh [Webster]” who are both Junior College transfers this year. Of the seven freshman Beard said “these guys are making me age more than I'd like to but they're a lot of fun to coach”. He is also happy with the leadership from his returning veterans.

OFF THE COURT.

Beard said they are “continuing to have a lot of victories”. He mentioned season tickets are at an all time high, being just shy of 5,000. He thanked the core of renewing season ticket holders for sticking with Tech basketball through some lean years. He touched on upgrading the schedule which he said he wasn't sure if he was excited about yet but “we’ll see how exciting it is when we're going through it”. He mentioned three events. One will be the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off in Connecticut, where they will play against two “BCS” quality opponents (Boston College being one of them) as well as a chance to play Seton Hall at Maddison Square Garden. The third event (which has me the most excited) is the throwback game against Rice, which will take place at the Old Colosseum. Beard was particularly excited about this one and the chance to pay tribute to some of the great Red Raider teams who called the colosseum home for many years. This works out well because of graduation ceremonies in the United Supermarkets Arena at that time. As part of the festivities there will be an alumni game prior to tip off and Beard says he’s in the process of talking Gerald Meyers into coming in and “throwing his jacket and stomping on the floor” like he used to.

Red Raider Basketball tips off against South Alabama on November 10th at the United Supermarkets Arena.

THREE AND OUT: EASTERN WASHINGTON

FIRST DOWN.

The offense struggled in the first three possessions which all resulted in punts. After that however, it was lights out for Shimonek and company. Shimonek went 26-30 for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns. We also saw snaps from Mclane Carter, who became the second left handed quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in Red Raider history, as well as Jett Duffey who went 2-2 for 16 yards.

SECOND DOWN

Perhaps the most exciting thing to see Offensively was the return of the running game. Desmond Nisby was the leading rusher with 6 carries for 57 yards. We had heard about Nisby being a total beast at running back and at least last Saturday, Nisby lived up to the hype. The last time Tech had a big running back who could just run over people may have been Byron Hanspard. Having that kind of size and strength at running back will really help especially in short yardage situations. Justin Stockton also looked much improved with 8 carries for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kingsbury attributed the improvement to being utilized better and improved offensive line play.

THIRD DOWN

Defensively we saw a much improved unit overall this game. Kingsbury said that the number one priority was to stop the run and they did just that, holding Eastern Washington to just 81 rushing yards total. The defense only recorded one sack but also 7 tackles for a loss against the Eagles. The biggest sign of improvement may have been in overall tackling. Missed tackled were virtually non existent and it was good to see players finally making plays on first contact.

AND OUT

One big improvement overall was in the turnover department. Offensively Tech did not have a single interception (despite one terrible throw by Shimonek that almost resulted in a pick six) from any of the three quarterbacks that played. Dylan Cantrell had 2 fumbles that luckily, were both recovered by the offense. Defensively, Douglas Coleman had one fumble recovery and the defense recorded two interceptions, including a 33 yard pick six by Willie Sykes.