UTEP Game Recap

Texas Tech 45
UTEP 31

Well I might be the only one that says this...but the score made this game look a lot closer than it really was. UTEP took advantage of a few turnovers in the 1st quarter and the Tech defense decided to wait until almost halftime to show up at Jones. That being said...the offense looked great again...poor Rice is about to take a severe beating this week!!! Now onto the grades...

Quarterbacks (A) - Graham Harrell was the only one to play in this one and he put out another outstanding performance. He set a record for completions at 48 and had another 400+ yd performance and minimized his mistakes (75% completion). He did throw 1 INT but it seemed like 1) he was trying to throw it to a spot that only Crabtree (if anybody at all) could reach it. It's debateable as to whether or not MC even saw the pass so I'll let this one go as an unusual circumstance once the game was all but over.

Running Backs (C+) - For future reference...the C+ grade will mean average. You did nothing to hurt the team but nothing that stood out and made a difference in the game. That's what we saw from Shannon Woods and Kobey Lewis on Saturday. 5 yds/carry is nice but there wasn't a single explosive run. Woods had 5 catches for 10 yards but 1 of those catches was for 9 yards.

Wide Receivers (A) - Overall, we saw improvement from this group vs last week. There were amazing catches (L.A. Reed going Superman for 29 yards), outsanding performances (Crabtree with 15 catches and constantly making guys miss), and guys (Amendola, Morris, and Britton) getting the tough yards across the middle to keep moving the chains.

Offensive Line (B+) - Another solid performance and for the most part they kept Graham free from punishment. While it would be hard to duplicate last week's performance in terms of pass protection, it was another admirable job by this inexperienced group. They still have room to improve in the running game though. They need to do a better job of holding their blocks longer to give the backs a better opportunity to get to the 2nd level.

Defensive Line (D+) - F in the first half...C in the 2nd half. UTEP put up just shy of 300 yards IN THE FIRST HALF!!! Vittatoe was able to find receivers and scramble at will with no pressure from the front four. These games are supposed to be prepare the team for Big 12 play but this game was a huge step backwards for this group. They started stunting some in the 2nd half and I felt this change helped slow down UTEP in the 2nd. It worked for now...but it's not going to surprise a good Big 12 OL.

Linebackers (C-) - Their play was definitely below average...but as I've said beore I don't think it's entirely because of their lack of ability. No they aren't the fastest guys out there but they do a good job of tackling once they make contact. However, SOMETHING needs to be done to create pressure on the QB. I know I'm probably beating a dead horse because the Def Coord (Setencich) isn't going to start calling a lot of blitzes but geez...1 blitz per drive would be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Ok...enough of that rant for this game. Tillman and Paul Williams made some stand out plays when needed.

Defensive Backs (C+) - Their above average play and hard hitting throughout most of the game offsets the coverage breakdowns and poor tackling that plagued them in the first half. There is no excuse at all for a 5 yd hitch route to go for a TD (1st Quarter) or for 35+ yd gains (3rd Quarter) when you have a defender in the area of the pass. The TD was the result of the DB giving too much cushion (see Setencich mini-rant) and the other long pass was because McBath couldn't quite break up a pass on a dive. Other than that though, McBath and Garcia had solid (not great) games and did a good job of minimizing the damage in the 2nd half.

Special Teams (A) - Another solid game for Alex Trlica, including a 45 yd FG that could've cleared much more than that. E-Mo had a nice punt return and L.A. Reed was again a stud on special teams with a nice kick return and consistently being the 1st one down on punts/kickoffs.

Overall Grade...B-

Misc Thoughts
- Great crowd and great weather. Attendance was 52,403...just a few hundred people short of the opening game record of 52,991 vs USC in 1979.

- Seeing the students surrounding the Double T in the north endzone was an awesome sight.

- Great to see the Western L.L. recognized at halftime. They received autographed Mike Leach footballs and a great response from the crowd.

- I voiced displeasure with last week's unis but I really liked the black top/white pant combo. It certainly wasn't a traditional look but I thought it looked great. Definitely ok with seeing them wear that again.

Pics from the UTEP game

Haven't had time to do any writing yet...here's a few pics from the game that I took (click on the image to enlarge) as well as a rainbow that I saw on the way back to Dallas on Sunday (yes the photo of the rainbow above the shot of Crabtree was intentional!)

UTEP Preview

UTEP (1-0, 0-0) +24
unranked
vs
Texas Tech (1-0, 0-0)
#33 in USA TODAY/Coaches Poll

UTEP Notes

The Miners come to Lubbock looking to continue their winning ways and to get revenge on the Raiders for the heartbreaking 38-35 loss in OT in 2006. Unfortunately for the Miners, gone are Jordan Palmer and Johnny Lee Higgins and they are replaced by QB Trevor Vittatoe (Fr-RS, Euless, TX Trinity HS) and RB Trevor Jackson (Jr-transfer from Oregon). In their season opening 10-6 win vs New Mexico, Vittatoe was 6-21 for 59 yds while Jackson gained 73 yds on the ground, including a 36 yard TD run early in the 4th quarter to provide the final margin of victory for UTEP. While the Miner defense gave up close to 400 yds of offense to New Mexico, they were able to hold them to 40% on 3rd down conversions and the Lobos kicker could only make 2 of 4 FG attempts. This week will be a very big challenge for the Miners as they face the high-octane passing attack of Texas Tech.

Texas Tech Notes

Texas Tech won their season opener on Labor Day in convincing fashion, 49-9 over SMU. Graham Harrell was very efficient in his 3 quarters of play, throwing for 420 yds and 4TD's while rushing for another one. WR Michael Crabtree made a huge impact in his first game as a Red Raider with 12 catches for 106 yds and 3 TD's. Defensively the Raiders looked pretty good defending the pass but mediocore against the run. Staying true to form, they spend most of their time in a base 4-3 defense...and when I say base I really mean BASIC!!! They weren't using a lot of zones and blitzes to confuse SMU and instead preferred to sit back and wait on the run to reach the 2nd level and do their best to "protect the big play." While this worked ok against SMU it will not work in Big 12 play. Unless their is a change in defensive philosophy soon...Tech can expect another 8-4 kind of season where they win the easy ones but aren't able to dominate a good offensive team. That being said...they shouldn't have too much of a problem with UTEP in their home opener this Saturday.

The Miners' "Keys to Victory"

1. Pressure Graham Harrell!!! When he has time to throw, he is very accurate with his passes. SMU was unable to get pressure on him and he picked them apart all game long.

2. Double team Michael Crabtree. Yes he's only played in one game...but it's obvious that he's the biggest threat at wideout that the Raiders have. Force Harrell to check off to Amendola and the crew and you'll be able to prevent the big play. If Crabtree gets the ball in space...look out!

3. Use Jackson to control the clock, move the chains, and keep the Air Raid offense off the field. Establish the tone for the game in the first quarter, and then use motion and play action to open up the passing game. Tech's defense isn't very aggressive, but if you can get the LB's to stay at home on the run then you can find holes in the defense.

The Red Raiders' "Keys to Victory"

1. You're the heavy favorite in this game...so don't get anxious in front of the home crowd. Harrell needs to stay patient in the pocket, go through his pre-snap reads, and continue to execute the offense in an efficient manner.

2. Use the pass to set up the run. When a defense feels overwhelmed by the complexity of the passing game, they will be quick to overlook a good mix of running plays. Get the passing game going early and Woods and Lewis will have plenty of room to run on the UTEP defense.

3. BE AGGRESSIVE ON DEFENSE!!! The Miners have a young QB making only his 2nd start. Blitz him early and often and he will crater. New Mexico didn't blitz that often but exploited Vittatoe's rawness and he won't hesitate run around if he feels pressure and his 1st receiver isn't open. Get used to being aggressive now...and it will pay dividends once Big 12 play starts.

PREDICTION

While last year's game in El Paso was surprisingly close, this one should be out of reach by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Harrell will have another good day throwing and he'll continue to spread it around to multiple receivers all game long as Tech wins in a rout. Count on Harrell for 350+ yds and at least 4 TD's before the backups come in to finish it off in the 4th quarter. The score in this one comes down to how long before Leach calls the dogs off. The score could go as high as 52 or as low as 35 points. I'll be a generous and say that the Tech defense extends their streak of quarters w/o allowing a touchdown to 10 quarters dating back to the 2006 Insight Bowl.

Texas Tech 45

UTEP 6

Six Flags are Flying

We're one game into the 2007 season and 6 flags continue to fly over Raiderland after the Red Raiders blew by the ponies of SMU yesterday...49-9. I'll be back in a bit with a preview of the UTEP game after I finish up some administrative tasks.