Track & Field
The NCAA West Prelims begin tomorrow! Preview => https://t.co/M144oRUrQQ #WreckEmhttps://t.co/sy1tl3JM0A
— TTU Track & Field/XC (@TTU_TF_XC) May 25, 2016
Baseball
Texas Tech Defeats Kansas State; West Virginia Up Next. Texas Tech defeated Kansas State, 8-5 yesterday afternoon and will play West Virginia. Texas Tech came back from four runs and also hammered out 17 hits against K-State. West Virginia is a dangerous team as they’re trying to make the NCAA Tournament (plus they’re pretty good).
Football
Yards Per Play Allowed. ESPN’s Brandon Chatmon looks at the yards per play allowed for each defense in the Big 12 and Texas Tech checks in at #8:
8. Texas Tech, 6.29: The Red Raiders’ struggles to slow the running game has been a consistent trademark of the defense. Big 12 offenses have averaged 5.24 yards per carry against Tech (putting Tech No. 9 in the Big 12), which faced a Big 12-high 45.64 rushing attempts per game. The first season under David Gibbs didn’t feature immediate improvement, with Tech finishing ninth in yards per play allowed (6.86) and yards per carry (5.99).
Big 12’s Best. ESPN’s Chatmon
also ranks the all-time five best receivers and Michael Crabtree is #1:
1. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech (2007-08): The former Red Raiders receiver dominated games in ways few receivers can match. A two-time Biletnikoff Award winner and consensus All-American, Crabtree had 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns during his time in Lubbock, Texas. He averaged 8.9 receptions and 120.3 receiving yards in 26 career games. Eight years later the image of Crabtree shaking off a Texas defender and willing his way into the end zone remains seared into the memories of Big 12 fans conference-wide.
Final Campus Insiders Final Preview. It seems like we’ve had a few of these, Campus Insiders’ Pete Fuitak takes a final look at Texas Tech and I just haven’t see anyone be as positive about Texas Tech on a national level thus far:
Patrick Mahomes has the experience and talent to push the 5,000-yard passing mark if everything goes according to plan, with a decent enough receiving corps to help make it happen and breakaway speed in the backfield to balance things out just a bit.
The defense will hardly be a rock, but the secondary starts three seniors to go along with a terrific free safety in sophomore Jah’Shawn Johnson, and some reinforcements up front should help a woeful run defense be just a wee bit better.
Walking it Back. Sports On Earth’s David Ubben writes that it is going to be very difficult for Bob Bowlsby to walk back on the comments made earlier this spring, which was that if the Big 12 stands pat, they’ll fall further behind the Big Ten and SEC:
“If we do nothing,” Bowlsby said at the Big 12’s meetings earlier this month, “we will be substantially behind a decade from now.”
The league’s commissioner hasn’t officially endorsed any moves, but after those 13 words, he might as well have. Going back now means ignoring those giant “Warning: Do not back up! SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE” signs.
The Big 12 has several major decisions ahead, and the possible major changes on the horizon look more and more like an all-or-nothing affair.
Baylor Mess.
- Baylor’s Silence On Its Sexual-Assault Scandal Is Deafening And Sadly Legal, via Deadspin
- At Baylor, the real story isn’t hypocrisy. It’s the victims of sexual assault, via Baptist News Global: “Finally, stop worshiping the god of athletic income generation and remember your mission.”