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RB
Taurean Henderson (PHOTO BY: Norvelle Kennedy
/ Texas Tech Athletics) |
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2004
Statistics |
Coach:
Mike Leach
39-25,
5 years |
2004
Record: 8-4 |
|
at
New Mexico |
LOST
24-27 |
TCU |
WON
70-35 |
at
Kansas |
WON
31-30 |
at
Oklahoma |
LOST
13-28 |
NEBRASKA |
WON
70-10 |
TEXAS |
LOST
21-51 |
at
Kansas State |
WON
35-25 |
BAYLOR |
WON
42-17 |
at
Texas A&M |
LOST
25-32 |
OKLAHOMA
STATE |
WON
31-15 |
HOLIDAY
BOWL |
vs.
California |
WON
45-31 |
|
2004 Final Rankings
AP-18, Coaches-17, BCS-22
|
2005
Outlook |
Texas
Tech had one of the bigger bowl wins,
beating (a deflated) fourth-ranked
Cal 45-31 in the Holiday Bowl. That
emotion and accolade will carry over
to this campaign, and rightfully so
- they've earned it. But that is one
small step for Tech, who has to remain
focused on its next quest - to permanently
join the conference's elite, and therefore
the nation's elite. Since 2002, Tech
has gone from 48th to 35th in Rivals.com'
recruiting rankings, so kids are going
to the South Plains, there's no doubt
about it. But in realizing how good
they can perform against a "better"
team, this Tech squad can break out
of the school's usual M.O. (of beating
lesser foes, but also almost always
losing to better ones) and begin to
compete annually for the elusive Big
XII crown.
So
what would be a proper encore? Goals
should always be kept in perspective,
and this squad isn't ready to try
surging ahead - overblown expectations
would lead to regressive disappointments.
Playing in what is arguably considered
the most difficult division in college
football (Big 12 South), Tech's realistic
goal should be to notch a win against
one of the big three on their schedule,
either Oklahoma or Texas A&M,
both at home, or Texas on the road.
This is a team that has six wins already
locked up, so 9-2 and second or third
place in their conference half would
be a modest goal and reflect the slow
upswing that represents genuine, solid
progress for a program that hasn't
lost only two since 1976.
When
you just want to see great scoring
efficiency, watch one their many sure-to-be-broadcast
games. But defense is the variable
they need to tune up to make these
above-mentioned steps, so watch to
see if Tech's modest advancements
are enough to impress and/or achieve
against these juggernauts. By the
end, though, you'll likely cringe
when Tech's "close but no cigar"
routine again makes you wonder about
this bride's maid.
Projected
2005 record: 7-4
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DB
Vincent Meeks (PHOTO BY: Norvelle Kennedy
/ Texas Tech Athletics) |
TEXAS
TECH
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 3 |
RB
- 3.5 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 4 |
OL
- 2.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Cody Hodges, 9-5-0, 54 yds., 2 TD
Rushing: Taurean Henderson,
162 att., 840 yds., 16 TD
Receiving: Jarrett Hicks, 76
rec., 1177 yds., 13 TD
Scoring: Taurean Henderson,
18 TD, 108 pts.
Punting: Alex Reyes, 39 punts,
42.2 avg.
Kicking: Alex Trlica, 7-13
FG, 55-55 PAT, 76 pts.
Tackles: Khalid Naziruddin,
83 tot., 53 solo
Sacks: Keyunta Dawson, 6.5
sacks
Interceptions: Vincent Meeks,
2 for 48 yds.; Dwayne Slay, 2 for
33 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Danny Amendola,
8 ret., 18.6 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Danny Amendola,
29 ret., 12.8 avg., 1 TD
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TEXAS
TECH |
|
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OFFENSE
- 5 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 8 |
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KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Sonny Cumbie-QB, Johnnie Mack-RB, Trey
Haverty-WR, Joey Hawkins-WR, Nehemiah
Glover-H, Clay McGuire-BH, Daniel Loper-OT,
Cody Campbell-OG, Dylan Gandy-C |
DEFENSE:
Adell
Duckett-DE, Mike Smith-WLB, Josh Rangel-SS |
|
|
2005
OFFENSE |
Quarterback
Head coach Mike Leach has said firmly that
he will not name the starter til the first
week in fall practice, but Cody Hodges should
become Tech's third consecutive senior first-time
starter (Cumbie in '04 and Symons in '03).
"I would say it's Hodges," now-outsider
(with inside info) Cumbie said. "He's
done a good job waiting, as the last two
of us have. He's looking pretty good right
now." Hodges will be going up against
a pair of pro-style RS freshmen in Graham
Harrell and Phil Daugherty, who both can
move well, too. "I think [Hodges] is
the most experienced, obviously," Leach
said. At Tech, any QB is a product of the
system. Sure, you need talent, but in fact,
Hodges is even more mobile than Cumbie ever
was, which gives the Red Raiders yet another
wrinkle. The versatile unit is stacked to
the hilt, so let's see if they can give
enough reps to everyone so they all stick
around.
Receiver
Someone said that when it comes to Tech's
receivers this campaign, the depth chart
could change on a weekly basis. Make that
on a practice-by-practice basis. The Red
Raiders lose two of their three leaders
here, and Cory Fuller (baseball) could be
drafted in June. Leach isn't worried though,
for there's talent here, and Leach will
be anxious to plug in names to the five-receiver
set so he can get a pecking order and role
players. 6'4" Jarrett Hicks (first
team NC.net all-American) is an automatic
as initial field-stretcher and go-to scorer.
In the alphabet soup that Texas Tech uses
to identify receivers (X, Z, H and Big H,
with Y serving as a tight end), big man
David Schaefer takes over the Big H spot.
Others in the mix are solid possession receivers.
Marquis Johnson and Anthony Jenkins are
gifted young talents waiting to prove why
they each received four-star ratings - speed
and size together is the clue. There is
little behind the two-deep guys, so an injury
rash would show. No matter who's in there,
Tech receivers are still going to again
catch more than 400 balls, so pick a name
out of their WR bin and you won't wait long
til his number is soon called.
Running
Back
Taurean Henderson, one of the most underrated
backs in the Big 12, is also one of the
most under-used. The offense "is what
it is", and the mid-sized Henderson
is lucky if he rushes the ball 13-14 times
a game. But he makes the most of the spread
formations/field, averaging more than five
yards a carry while also being a terrific
pair of hands. The most exciting and athletic
(cleared 7' in the high jump), however,
is sophomore Taurance Rawls. The strongest
TB on the team, too, Rawls isn't afraid
to run between the tackles and pick up the
tough yards. Depth here isn't quite as promising,
but does exist, which makes this single-back
unit strong, with fresh legs to keep Tech's
type-B dimension modest (31% of total plays
are runs), yet effective (rates of 3.8 per
carry, 70 running first-downs, and 23 ground
TDs will continue).
Tight
End
Promising five-star QB Robert Johnson, once
an all-state (GA) receiver, is moving to
inside (Y) slot, or tight end. He will challenge
RS freshman L.A. Reed, who appears to have
the inside track to start, but has size
issues comparatively. Watch for role-playing,
with Johnson a sure sign that they won't
often run it. Unrelated Rylan Reed becomes
the 6-7, 280-pounder antithesis for whenever
pushing size is needed. And don't forget
that one-time starter Bristol Olomua, academically
ineligible for spring practice, should work
his size-speed back into the mix as a proven
target and a solid blocker. And don't be
fooled by any two-TE sets to think it will
be a run
Offensive Line
Three of the five starters have moved on.
"Sixth" starter Bryan Kegans will
man the LG spot and team with LT Glenn January
to keep the heat off of Hodges' blind side.
Brandon Jones will step in at center, but
that's iffy right now. RT E.J. Whitley could
slide over to play center, forcing Jones
out and popping Gabe Hall into a starting
role at tackle. Manny Ramirez is back to
start at RG. There are no softies here,
to be sure. The smallest guy is 290 pounds
and they're all quintessential Texas Tech
lineman -- beefy, but with great footwork
and technique in order to perform as stand-up
blockers as Tech utilizes the shotgun.
OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
With Boise going to a more balanced attack,
this is now the No.1 passing offense (total,
23rd for efficiency) in the country, both
in quantity and philosophy. In the great
pass-to-run ratio, Tech throws the ball
more than 2/3 of the time. There's no surprise
here. The Red Raiders spread four and five
receivers at a time and dare foes to cover
them. The problem for most defenses is that
Tech is so efficient at mixing up the spread
offense that defensive backs don't know
whether to give a cushion (and risk letting
those 6- 7- and 8-yarders turn into 20 with
YAC), or come up and play bump-and-run against
such big, quick bodies, and then risk getting
burned long. There are the tricks, or as
most teams like to call them, running plays.
Henderson & Co. enjoy great success
lining up tight in the shotgun and then
taking a delayed, inside handoff or a direct
snap. Even the most disciplined defenses
have trouble staying home on that play when
all Tech basically does is pass. Newly named
co-offensive coordinators Sonny Dykes and
Dana Holgorsen will work with Hodges to
minimize mistakes, and self-inflicted errors
are seemingly the only way this offense
will be stopped.
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WR
Jarrett Hicks (PHOTO BY: Cris Duncan
/ Cris Duncan Photography)
|
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TEXAS
TECH 2005 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Cody
Hodges-Jr (6-1, 211) |
Graham
Harrell-Fr (6-2, 190) |
RB |
Taurean
Henderson-Sr (5-10, 205) |
Shannon
Woods-Fr (5-10, 193) |
HB |
Danny
Amendola-So (5-11, 174) |
Eric
Morris-Fr (5-8, 170) |
WR |
Jarrett
Hicks-Jr (6-4, 209) |
Brandon
Douglas-Jr (6-0, 190) |
WR |
Cody
Fuller-Sr (6-0, 199) |
Joel
Filani-Jr (6-3, 214) |
WR |
L.A.
Reed-Fr (6-2, 189) |
Bristol
Olomua-Sr (6-6, 236) |
OT |
Glenn
January-Jr (6-7, 296) |
Daniel
Christian-Sr (6-5, 306) |
OG |
Bryan
Kegans-Sr (6-5, 290) |
Josh
Morris-So (6-3, 287) |
C |
Brandon
Jones-Jr (6-4, 290) |
Josh
Aleman-Fr (6-3, 285) |
OG |
Manuel
Ramirez-Jr (6-4, 333) |
Ben
Griffin-So (6-4, 303) |
OT |
E.J.
Whitley-Sr (6-6, 293) |
Gabe
Hall-Jr (6-4, 287) |
K |
Alex
Trlica-So (5-11, 175) |
Keith
Toogood-Jr (6-2, 195) |
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2005
DEFENSE |
Defensive
Line
This has been a marginal, yet steadily improving
unit, and we see no reason why it won't
continue that improvement. DE Seth Nitschmann
was a complement to Adell Duckett for so
long that people sometimes forget that Nitschmann
actually had the better technique. A sure
upgrade is Keyunta Dawson (4.6-sec 40 speed),
who takes over at rush end with his amazing
penetration (of his 26 tackles, 9 were TFLs
and 6.5 were sacks). The interior linemen,
Chris Hudler and Ken Scott, have underachieved,
so we feel eager DT Deke Baker should start.
Moreover, this unit gets a huge boost from
one of the nation's most sought-after high
school linemen, McKinner Dixon. Dixon operates
in a Jevon Kearse-type mode - he is just
as quick, strong and, well, freaky. Dixon
represents the new guard here - fast, light,
and swarming; the days of big and logy are
gone here as ranking 77th in rush defense
will cause wholesale changes like this,
and it will only help.
Linebacker
This is the key area of concern. Strong
side 'backer John Saldi is not participating
in spring drills in order to let a bad back
further heal. If he can't go, Sylvester
Brinkley (4.6-sec 40) effectively steps
in. Fletcher Session will fill the void
left on the weakside, and his numbers suggest
he could be even better than predecessor
Smith. At MLB, Brock Stratton is a two-year
starter and anchors the unit. This ex-state
wrestling champ (75-0), with his (modest,
but) effective nose for the ball, will display
his 4.5-second 40 speed as he seemingly
affects every play. Depth is thin here,
so conversions from their stockpile of fleet
DEs and DBs is a likelihood.
Defensive
Back
Maybe one of the most underrated units in
all of college football returns three of
its four starters. Tech is blessed with
two lock-down, hard-hitting corners in Antonio
Huffman and Khalid Naziruddin. And if they
wanted to move one to safety -- doubtful,
but always a possibility to get the best
bodies out there -- RS freshman Darcel McBath
is just as good. FS Vincent Meeks is a converted-RB
whose adapted well; his 10 pass breakups
led this D. Chad Johnson covers deep plays
well, so he will effectively keep the play
in front of him. The prototypical size-speed
seen here goes three-deep, so the ability
for a nickel or dime package to shuffle
DBs and LBs, effectively blurring the roles
of each/all, will help the corps and keep
this secondary from being spread to thin.
This area rated 13th (for pass efficiency
defense) in all of I-A, allowing only 13
aerial scores, so improving on such will
happen partially through reputation as clubs
will again run it until forced to throw
- an eventuality that didn't really happen
last year (foes successfully ran - at a
rate of 4.3 yards per try - 56%). But with
improvements in speed up front, this unit
will be tested much more, and be ready for
it.
DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Only three starters, one off each unit,
are gone. That's a great place to start,
and there will be only marginal tinkering
with the 4-3. The Red Raiders are an aggressive
bunch who will take chances with their front
four and linebackers because the secondary
is so good. Tech's pass defense was the
only consistent bright spot, and the DBs
helped lead the team to a respectable 46th-ranking
(total defense). One might take a quick
look at how the rush defense was 77th and
judge 2005's bunch accordingly, but that's
20 spots up from the prior effort, a vast
improvement. Third-year coordinator and
LB's coach Lyle Setencich has improved Ds
at all of his stops, so we look for this
squad to be the charm - his own recruits
and schemes finally come to fruition. Ergo,
a group mentality will fly to the ball and
make Tech's run-stopping even better. In
its three conference losses (Longhorns,
Sooners and Aggies), Tech gave up a combined
111 points. That's just not competitive
enough, especially if the Raiders have aspirations
of playing in more than the Holiday Bowl
(though the payout was the ninth-highest
of all the '04 bowls). Scoring allowed will
come down as the line and corners funnel
the play(s) into the middle so that the
safeties and speedy LBs can deliver with
big hits and/or TOs.
|
|
LB
Brock Stratton (PHOTO BY: Norvelle
Kennedy / Texas Tech Athletics)
|
|
|
TEXAS
TECH 2005 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Seth
Nitschmann-Jr (6-4, 257) |
Charles
Glover-Sr (6-4, 268) |
NT |
Chris
Hudler-Jr (6-3, 285) |
Fred
Thrweatt-Sr (6-3, 330) |
DT |
Ken
Scott-Jr (6-3, 315) |
Dek
Bake-Sr (6-6, 260) |
DE |
Keyunta
Dawson-Jr (6-2, 259) |
Brett
Bischofberger-Sr (6-3, 283) |
SLB |
John
Saldi-Sr (6-5, 239) |
Sylvester
Brinkley-Sr (6-3, 234) |
MLB |
Brock
Stratton-Jr (5-11, 231) |
Paul
Williams-So (6-1, 231) |
WLB |
Fletcher
Session-Jr (6-0, 226) |
Chad
Hill-Fr (6-1, 221) |
CB |
Antonio
Huffman-Jr (6-0, 180) |
Darcel
McBath-Fr (6-0, 176) |
CB |
Khalid
Naziruddin-Sr (5-10, 180) |
Chris
Parker-So (5-11, 178) |
SS |
Vincent
Meeks-Sr (6-0, 206) |
Joe
Garcia-So (6-2, 203) |
FS |
Dwayne
Slay-Sr (6-3, 215) |
Greg
Aycock-So (5-9, 201) |
P |
Alex
Reyes-Jr (6-1, 226) |
.. |
|
|
|
2005
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
Alex Trilica was shaky, going 7-of-13 with none
longer than 34 yards. Former-QB Keith Toogood
seems to fulfill his name as he returns after
his 2003 record-setting freshman campaign (90
points). He will likely expand his KO duties and
displace Trilica - his distance and accuracy are
proven assets. Coverage with Toogood's KOs is
a success, so realize his primary function and
see if it is affected by his revisited role. If
KOs suffer, Toogood will go back to just those.
But foes need to pay Toogood respect, for his
keen arm means fakes are a comin'.
Punter
Alex Reyes is among the best of the Big 12 with
a keen 42+ average. Tech's 13th-ranked net punting
unit will continue to be one of I-A's best.
Return Game
Punt return efforts were stellar with sophomore
WR Dan Amendola finishing 22nd in the nation.
Kickoff returns were worse, though, ranking 90th.
KOs are wide open, with Johnson and Jenkins again
coupled here as possible specialists. The wares
are there, so they just have to be selective to
get the most effective, and we will tell you who's
face is in the place once we know the down-low.
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