How good will the Texas Tech defense be this season?

[ca$hmoney]

Their offense seems like they may be even more potent that in the past with an experienced QB, agruably the best WR in college football and an huge offensive line.

Can their defense do enough to take the pressure off their offense?

I see they play Nevada in Week 2. With the way Vegas has jacked up the totals the past season or two, I assume the total will be set at 70-73, maybe more. The over seems like an easy way to start the season with a winner. I know they'll score 42+ but can they hold Nevada to under 28?

 

[BigOrange+]

Probably give up 40+ per game to the good teams as always. If they ever did get a defense, they could kill some teams.

 

[sdf]

TTech gives the other team a lot of possessions so they will undoubtedly score a lot of points too. TTech will just outscore most teams

 

[GoSooners]

Texas Tech will be better this year on defense..Possibly much better..The only thing that I'm not 100% sure about is how good of an x's and o's man their DC Ruffin McNeil is...This season will tell the tale.. But this defense changed radically for the better when he took over the duties in midseaon last year. This much I do know: They have a couple outstanding 4 star recruits on the defensive line. They'll have the 3rd best D-Line in the Big 12 behind Texas and OU..And they have a very solid set of linebackers..The only question mark is with their DB's..They don't have great size and experience, but it is a pretty deep unit that will probably get a fair amount of rotation. I think it's going to be much harder to run on this team this season..And the biggest problem Tech has had in the last few years is being able to get to the QB..It really hurt them in their losses to Mizzou and Texas last year..I look for a turnaround this season. This team is so deep it isn't funny..They're right up their close to OU and Texas with quality players in rotation..61 lettermen return with only 13 lost..This is going to be a very good team with very few weaknesses..The only OVER so far that I plan on playing this preseason is Texas Tech over 9 wins..This team could win 11 games this year..The only potential losses I see are at Kansas and Kansas State..But they can afford to lose to one of these two teams and still win 10 games..And I'm marking OU down as a loss..Although by the way Tech has played OU in Norman the last couple times, this isn't a sure thing either..I think Tech beats Texas at home this season..Keep in mind TT went 9-4 last season with the youngest defense in the Big 12..They have 18 starters returning including all of the lettermen I mentioned above..This team has nowhere to go but up.

 

[OTK]

To be honest I think this team is a little overrated headed into the season. Until they prove they can play some defense, or even run the ball consistently I'm not trusting them with my money to beat top teams.

 

[GoSooners]

To be honest I think this team is a little overrated headed into the season. Until they prove they can play some defense, or even run the ball consistently I'm not trusting them with my money to beat top teams.

They've already beat a top team vs Oklahoma last year..TT started 3 sophomores on the D-Line alone last season. And 8 starters on last year's team were either freshman or sophomore..Yet they still managed 9 wins with a similar type of schedule..I was a little worried about the TT RB situation after the Spring, but now that a now healthy Baron Batch has joined the fray it should push Aaron Crawford even more..He averaged 4 yards per carry last season while adjusting to the TT offense when he was installed into the lineup during the season..I'm hearing Baron Batch is a damn good RB when he's healthy though..So that could turn into a good battle, or else Leach will just use both players in rotation. This team is built for the long haul..Except for the QB position, they can afford to accumulate a few injuries over the season and still not miss a beat..I think the telling game will be their first big road test against Kansas State..If they handle them in Manahattan I think TT will prove to be very tough the rest of the year..My money is on Leach having a big season this year and possibly getting another job offer at a bigger school..Just because this team plays a different brand of football where running the ball isn't really on their agenda, it doesn't mean they can't compete with the elite..Like I said before, the only real question I have about TT on defense is their DC McNeil..I don't know a whole lot about him..But I do know TT's defensive stats improved a bunch after he took over at midseason..And this unit got some rave reviews in the Spring..QB Harrell said this is by far TT's best defense since he's been there..And he's a senior.

 

[CoachCB]

Sooners, nice post. I was curious about TT's defense.

It's funny how people refuse to think a defense can get better. Starting 3 sophmores can be painful...but the following years reaps the rewards. I saw a young UF defense last year take some lumps and I'm expecting a much better year out of them this year. I was uncertain about TT's depth and talent. Thanks for the post....

---

 

[robinr1]

They've already beat a top team vs Oklahoma last year..TT started 3 sophomores on the D-Line alone last season. And 8 starters on last year's team were either freshman or sophomore..Yet they still managed 9 wins with a similar type of schedule..I was a little worried about the TT RB situation after the Spring, but now that a now healthy Baron Batch has joined the fray it should push Aaron Crawford even more..He averaged 4 yards per carry last season while adjusting to the TT offense when he was installed into the lineup during the season..I'm hearing Baron Batch is a damn good RB when he's healthy though..So that could turn into a good battle, or else Leach will just use both players in rotation. This team is built for the long haul..Except for the QB position, they can afford to accumulate a few injuries over the season and still not miss a beat..I think the telling game will be their first big road test against Kansas State..If they handle them in Manahattan I think TT will prove to be very tough the rest of the year..My money is on Leach having a big season this year and possibly getting another job offer at a bigger school..Just because this team plays a different brand of football where running the ball isn't really on their agenda, it doesn't mean they can't compete with the elite..Like I said before, the only real question I have about TT on defense is their DC McNeil..I don't know a whole lot about him..But I do know TT's defensive stats improved a bunch after he took over at midseason..And this unit got some rave reviews in the Spring..QB Harrell said this is by far TT's best defense since he's been there..And he's a senior.

hey sooners. always read you posts and respect you opinion.

a couple points to address in your post.

remember as far as the bet is concerned they only got to 8 wins last year, bowl wins dont count. and as far as the ou win..we both know its a different story and ou wins without the fluke qb going down bs.


read this post before u make that bet please.


http://www.majorwager.com/forums/mess-hall/169447-cff-totals-play-might-worth-look.html

for u to win that bet they must at least go 2-2 vs 4 teams..when its plainly obvious 3 are better, and 2 are head and shoulders better.

tech is no better than 60/40 to beat am in college station. lose that game u have zero chance for a win.

no better then 70/30 to beat k state in the road.

dont be fooled by all this national media hype.

its still same old tech who cant play d, cant run the ball. and cant convert a 3rd and one runing the ball vs a good defense its their life depended on it.

the best case scenerio i can posibbly see is they somehow beat am, k state, osu , neb, and u might get a push.

figuring they are nothing more than a s very small fav in all those games that in itself is a very tall order.


gl either way.

 

[GoSooners]

hey sooners. always read you posts and respect you opinion.

a couple points to address in your post.

remember as far as the bet is concerned they only got to 8 wins last year, bowl wins dont count. and as far as the ou win..we both know its a different story and ou wins without the fluke qb going down bs.


read this post before u make that bet please.


http://www.majorwager.com/forums/mess-hall/169447-cff-totals-play-might-worth-look.html

for u to win that bet they must at least go 2-2 vs 4 teams..when its plainly obvious 3 are better, and 2 are head and shoulders better.

tech is no better than 60/40 to beat am in college station. lose that game u have zero chance for a win.

no better then 70/30 to beat k state in the road.

dont be fooled by all this national media hype.

its still same old tech who cant play d, cant run the ball. and cant convert a 3rd and one runing the ball vs a good defense its their life depended on it.

the best case scenerio i can posibbly see is they somehow beat am, k state, osu , neb, and u might get a push.

figuring they are nothing more than a s very small fav in all those games that in itself is a very tall order.


gl either way.

robinr...I disagree with just about everything in that link..For one thing, I totally disagree that OU and Texas are head and shoulders above TT...Especially Texas...OU is better..TT and Texas are just about on an even playing ground this year..TT has the much better skill players of the two..The O-Lines are very comparable..Texas D-Line is a little better..Otherwise it's close...But Texas has to play TT in Lubbock this year..And I guarantee you they're going to get the Red Raiders full attention in that game..I think this is going to be a loss for the Horns. I'm actually more concerned about TT losing the following week to OSU after TT giving their all against Texas...If there is a game that will make or break my over 9 wins it's that one..I think TT will take at least one of two on the road against the two Kansas teams..TT has better personnel than both of those teams this season, so it wouldn't surprise me if they won both games..And if your a Big 12 fan you know there isn't a team that TT enjoys beating more than the Texas A&M..And they've pretty owned the Aggies the last few years..But I don't totally disagree with you here since the Aggies will have a new coaching philosophy for this game. My take here is TT will win a very close game with A&M, but possibly lose to Kansas the next week in their second road game in a row. I think the big thing here is the notion that TT will still not be able to play defense. This is where we'll just have to see..I'm still a little in the dark about how good of a coach their DC McNeil is. But a small improvement by this unit will get them to 9 wins..A big improvement will get them to 11 wins. As for their running game, I think you'll fiond that Baron Batch will be a load to tackle in the open field catching those short passes..But he also has a very good backup with Aaron Crawford. And one of the best O-Lines in the country blocking for a veteran QB and probable Heisman candidate. I just don't see the weaknesses on this team as other people do...I still think they're the third best team in the Big 12 behind OU and Mizzou..But we won't know for sure until the season starts. The Big 12 could be so strong this year that we may not get any team in the conference over 9 wins. Any kind of preseason total bets you make are HUGE gambles...So the money i put down on any preseason forecast is usually pretty small for me..I'm much more of a week to week or in-game bettor more than I am trying to pick what a team is going to do 2 months in the future. All I feel right now is TT plays 12 games, and at least 10 of the teams they play aren't as good. I think the big question will be how focused Leach can get this team to finally win a South title...This year is Leach's best opportunity..This is the best team that he's ever had..Even better in my opinion than the team than won 9 games in 2005.

 

[robinr1]

robinr...I disagree with just about everything in that link..For one thing, I totally disagree that OU and Texas are head and shoulders above TT...Especially Texas...OU is better..TT and Texas are just about on an even playing ground this year..TT has the much better skill players of the two..The O-Lines are very comparable..Texas D-Line is a little better..Otherwise it's close...But Texas has to play TT in Lubbock this year..And I guarantee you they're going to get the Red Raiders full attention in that game..I think this is going to be a loss for the Horns. I'm actually more concerned about TT losing the following week to OSU after TT giving their all against Texas...If there is a game that will make or break my over 9 wins it's that one..I think TT will take at least one of two on the road against the two Kansas teams..TT has better personnel than both of those teams this season, so it wouldn't surprise me if they won both games..And if your a Big 12 fan you know there isn't a team that TT enjoys beating more than the Texas A&M..And they've pretty owned the Aggies the last few years..But I don't totally disagree with you here since the Aggies will have a new coaching philosophy for this game. My take here is TT will win a very close game with A&M, but possibly lose to Kansas the next week in their second road game in a row. I think the big thing here is the notion that TT will still not be able to play defense. This is where we'll just have to see..I'm still a little in the dark about how good of a coach their DC McNeil is. But a small improvement by this unit will get them to 9 wins..A big improvement will get them to 11 wins. As for their running game, I think you'll fiond that Baron Batch will be a load to tackle in the open field catching those short passes..But he also has a very good backup with Aaron Crawford. And one of the best O-Lines in the country blocking for a veteran QB and probable Heisman candidate. I just don't see the weaknesses on this team as other people do...I still think they're the third best team in the Big 12 behind OU and Mizzou..But we won't know for sure until the season starts. The Big 12 could be so strong this year that we may not get any team in the conference over 9 wins. Any kind of preseason total bets you make are HUGE gambles...So the money i put down on any preseason forecast is usually pretty small for me..I'm much more of a week to week or in-game bettor more than I am trying to pick what a team is going to do 2 months in the future. All I feel right now is TT plays 12 games, and at least 10 of the teams they play aren't as good. I think the big question will be how focused Leach can get this team to finally win a South title...This year is Leach's best opportunity..This is the best team that he's ever had..Even better in my opinion than the team than won 9 games in 2005.

fair enough.....i dont think anyone could rationally think techs offensive and defensive lines compare to texas...but who knows.

and as far as texas and techs talent being on the same level,
texas recuits top 5 clasees blue chippers. tech is lucky to get. leftovers.

i just hope youre not basing winning the bet on winning as a home underdog vs texas.

ill be the first to admit they steal a game vs texas or ou every 4 or 5 years.

if it happens next year its conceivable they could get to 9 and push.

good teams figure out techs gimmicky offense and destroy them in the second half.

until tech learns to run the ball and stop the run, they cannot be mentioned in the same breathe as texas and ou.

this might be the year, who knows.

either way gl.

 

[GoSooners]

fair enough.....i dont think anyone could rationally think techs offensive and defensive lines compare to texas...but who knows.

and as far as texas and techs talent being on the same level,
texas recuits top 5 clasees blue chippers. tech is lucky to get. leftovers.

i just hope youre not basing winning the bet on winning as a home underdog vs texas.

ill be the first to admit they steal a game vs texas or ou every 4 or 5 years.

if it happens next year its conceivable they could get to 9 and push.

good teams figure out techs gimmicky offense and destroy them in the second half.

until tech learns to run the ball and stop the run, they cannot be mentioned in the same breathe as texas and ou.

this might be the year, who knows.

either way gl.

With the exception of maybe Nebraska, I doubt any team in this league will ever have as many high level recruits as OU and Texas...But having high level recruits and having high level recruits with the experience needed to win this conference are two different things...Texas lost most all of their proven skill players this year..So they'll be pretty raw...But the Horns have a defensive line that rivals just about any team in the country..So I'll give that one to the Horns..But not by much because Leach has finally been able to recruit some 4 star players for this unit..And that probably rivals Texas..The two O-Lines are very comparable in talent for this season..Texas has a few more overall question marks..Much of their success will depend on DC Muschamps new defense..So Texas is a little bit of a mystery this year..I pretty much agree with the grades the Blue Ribbon Yearbook gave to these teams. Which is pretty even.

Texas:

offense A-
defense B+

Texas Tech:

offense A
defense B

 

[cneums]

They need BOB KNIGHT as defensive coordinator

:madassholAfter defensive gives up first 40 points of game!