Volleyball

Black Defeats Red in Scrimmage. Via the official site the Black team, led by Meghan Stacy, defeated the Red team over the weekend, sort of their last preseason scrimmage before opening the season with the Texas Tech Fall Invitational on Friday, taking on Utah State at 11:00 am.

Soccer

Texas Tech Shuts Out New Mexico. Via the official site, Texas Tech shutout New Mexico, 1-0, with Janine Beckie scoring the only goal, the 44th of her career. Head coach Tom Stone was pleased with the outcome:

“Opening Sunday in college soccer is always a reminder of how hard you have to play to get wins on the second leg,” said head coach Tom Stone. “I thought we started out really well setting a tempo that suited us. UNM derailed us a bit, but we wrestled back and scored a terrific goal. Fortunately our defense stood up and that was all we needed.”

Basketball

Tougher Schedule. LAJ’s Krista Pirtle writes about how Tubby Smith set a tougher schedule to challenge this team, thinking that they are very much ready to take on a tougher schedule in comparison to last year.

Football

AP Top 25 Released. The AP Top 25 Poll was released and there aren’t any mentions of Texas Tech anywhere, but that is a pretty handy link. You can search by week or by voter (on the left). #2 TCU, #4 Baylor and #19 OU are your Big 12 teams represented.

Texas Football on Kingsbury. Texas Football wonders if Kliff Kingsbury will turn his flash into wins:

Maybe the truth is that he’s got the Red Raiders poised for a bigger leap in the coming years, and maybe the contract will allow him the time to pull it off. Maybe it’s about discovering what his brand of football is actually about. But this feels like a big year for his team and his reputation, and judging by the print devoted to the topic, we’re not alone in that sentiment.

I think every year is important to win. That’s a pretty simplistic thought and to think otherwise. , so that’s pretty easy for me, but I don’t know that this is absolutely critical year for Kingsbury, and as mentioned in the article, his contract permits that. I suppose I havent’ written about the contract for some time, but it’s only a big deal if Texas Tech can’t afford the contract and thanks to Tuberville, there’s no need to pay off head coaches that don’t win . . . so, it’s not a problem for me and I don’t think it’s a problem for Texas Tech.

The DT is Back. I always enjoy the first day that the writers for the Daily Toreador are back and today marks the first day that they’re at full strength. DT’s Jeremy Krakosky writesa bout the quarterback battle between Davis Webb and Patrick Mahomes:

“For all I know its head and head. We are competing every day. Me and Davis get extra work in every single day,” Mahomes said. “We are both competing and trying to make each other better. Coach will decide who he thinks is best and whoever gets that opportunity will be able to win games.”

And Krakosky also writes about the defense:

While Gibbs is not predicting the Red Raiders will be one of the top run-stopping teams this season, he said they will be in the right position to limit running backs.

“(Upfront) we’ll be solid. One thing we’ll do is we’ll be sound,” he said. “We’ll look like we are well coached and be sound. Is that good enough? I don’t know, I really don’t. You never know. This college football now, it’s crazy.”

Spike’s Last Win. the LAJ is asking readers to submit their favorite football memory and a reader submitted Spike Dykes final game against Oklahoma, down 28-7 at halftime, E.J. Holub spoke to the team and Kliff Kingsbury rallied the team to a 38-28 victory. Spike was able to walk off the field with his wife Sharon and daughter Bebe, alongside Stony Garland, a former player paralyzed in an automobile accident in front of them, the Amarillo Globe-News caught the moment:

At straight-up 3 p.m., he was carried off on the shoulders of the players who swear by him. Moments later, with the Texas Tech band blaring the school song in front of him, Spike Dykes wore a smile as wide as West Texas.

He flashed the school’s “Guns Up” hand sign for the final time as head coach. His wife, Sharon, was around his left arm, and daughter, Bebe, around his right. Stony Garland, a former player paralyzed in an auto accident, was in a wheelchair in front of them. When Sharon reached over to kiss his cheek, she knocked her husband’s cap askew.

It was a goofy, wonderful fitting moment Saturday for a man whose Tech coaching career has been marked by thrilling highs and maddening lows. This one, written after the Red Raiders’ 38-28 win over Oklahoma, was storybook.

“I don’t guess I’ve ever had a better win,” Dykes said afterward to a crowd of reporters. “Aspermont-Coahoma in 1965 was the biggest, but I believe this one tops it.

“My heart’s heavy, though. You can’t go through this without strong feelings. And there’s a big lump in my throat. It’s sad, but it’s good, you know what I mean.”

/feelings/

Miscellaneous. The Student Section has seven random plays to get you all excited for the season and there’s a certain play from 2008 that’s pretty fun . . . the LAJ has an article on Louis Vasquez in Denver leading a young offensive line . . .