What exactly is in store for this season? Shooting for 8 wins is looking good.
I’m going through changes. I’m going through changes. - Black Sabbath
Where: Lubbock, TX
When: 6 PM
TV: online only
Weather: 92, clear
Line: n/a
Well I’m pretty sure Ozzy wasn’t signing about the Big 12 conference when he wrote that song, but wow, another year another changing of the lineup and where this merrygoround will stop, lord only knows. Red Raiders fans are hoping that we end up somewhere good whether that’s in what hybrid SWC/Big 12 conference comes out, of maybe Tuberville has some really good connections left in the SEC but that’s probably not going to happen. Guess we can only sit back and like the other non-powerhouse schools (aka OU and UT) wait to see what our fate is.
But at least we have football starting this weekend. In fact as I’m writing this there are games a plenty going on and its great to be back focused on what will actually happen on the field and not in Deloss Dodd’s office or a conference room in Bristol, CT.
So what do we have for the Red Raiders this year? A couple of key changes in personnel, coaches and strategy that’s what. Let’s tackle a few.
4-2-5
Nope that’s not Aggies trying to count, it’s the new defensive scheme that Chad Glasgow is brining to the Hub City from TCU. The guy spent 10 years helping turned the Horned Frogs into one of the best defenses nationally and Tech is hoping that some of that will transfer out west and result in some improvement from a defense that ranked somewhere north of 110 in the FBS schools. If tradition holds, he’s going to look at speed, speed and more speed and put people on the field that will flat out fly to the ball. Interesting that part of what drove this large shift nationally to the 4-2-5 is the success of Tech’s offense during the Leach years that spread the ball from sideline to sideline and turned the Big 12 offensive mindset from 3 yards and a cloud of dust to AIR RAID type offenses.
DOEGE
If you’re going to have to start over at quarterback, well I guess its nice to have a Junior who has been with the program three years backing up a few pretty decent quarterbacks. Biggest concern here is that he really hasn’t done anything since his sophomore year in high school, that’s right high school. Due to blowing out his knees in his junior and senior season. So really the last time he played was against powerhouse 4A programs like Hereford and Dumas (not UT and OU).
11 RETURNING STARTERS
Now it is easy to be disappointed with last season, but 8 wins is still 8 wins. And now Tech only has 11 returners across the board. That might be mixed blessing, but still it gets pretty damn scary when that’s all you got. The good news is that most of these returners are across the O-line which is key. Defense is light on returners but after ranking 114th and helping your coach lose his job, that’s a-ok.
Texas State
The Bobcats are starting a transition year as an independent before jumping into the WAC next year. God help us if this is a preview on future conference matchups for Tech. Good ole Coach Fran is making a return to Lubbock as the new Head Coach of Texas State (wondering if Cindy Crawford is their kicker like in Necessary Roughness). Really not too concerned about Coach Fran and his team. He has yet to name a starting QB, he’s just installed a spread offense and what do you know, they are also changing to the 4-2-5 defense.
I’m not going to really look into this much further because if we hear any of the Bobcats names enough, then things have gone downhill fast.
PREDICTION
Tech 57
Texas St 20
FUN WITH NUMBERS
60 – Average points Tech has put up against FCS schools since 2005
950 – Number of games Tech will have played after Saturday in its 87th year
0 – Number of cans of beer you can have the next time you float the Guadalupe near Texas St campus
GUNS UP!
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