Last Week’s Game
Seth: Well, I’ve officially watched half of the game and thought it was this team’s best performance of the year, but they may have also played one of the worse teams of the year. Kansas does not look like a competent football team. For Texas Tech though, they looked dominant without a dominant passing game and the game that I always think about is that TAMU game where Leach just ran the heck out of the ball because that’s what the Aggies were giving the Red Raiders that day. The combination of Stockton, Nisby and King is pretty danged good. Pretty ganged good. And the defense continues to make plays, those splash plays that end up turning into something else. Tipped passes, tackles for losses, etc. They make a pretty big difference in the end.
Travis: I was very impressed with the first half, particularly the first quarter when Tech came out with their hair on fire and built a commanding lead. Things went flat about halfway through the 2nd quarter and into the third, but then picked up again. Their knack for getting turnovers is probably what I’m most excited about, that could really make a difference later in the season during some tighter games.
Suburban Gangsters
Travis: So on Tuesday night I dreamed that you, me, Fitsum and Cash were on a road trip to the east coast when we stopped at a trailer park in Anderson County (I don’t even know if that’s a real county) to take a leak. Before we could get back on the road we got swept up in a tornado.
Naturally, we pulled out a surf board and the four of us surfed in the sky away from the tornado (I think the wind helped keep us airborne). We videoed it all on my phone (it was 11 minutes and 12 seconds long and you scratched the hell out of my phone’s surface with your class ring).
We showed the video to my dad but he was unimpressed.
I’d like you to psychoanalyze this please.
Seth: First of all, Youssouf is going to be pissed that he’s not on the trip. Whatever Fitsum does, he’s got to do as well.
As to the dream, clearly, it’s a yearning for there to be a family pow-wow of sorts. It’s time our kids meet each other and my kids will learn about KISS and your kids will learn about Legos, all of the imaginary world’s in Fitsum’s big brain and Youssouf will dazzle you with his athletic feats of strength, which include lifting people up to let them know how strong he is or scaling a 9 foot door jam because anything else is a waste of his time.
I’m trying to decipher the significance of the video, but the only thing I can think of is that in 2011 and 2012, Seth Doege was the quarterback and maybe you’re yearning for some consistency at that position. I also don’t wear a class ring, which means that I may have been an imposter in your dream. I am curious who was at the lead on the surfboard.
What am I missing? Oh, your dad not being impressed isn’t a surprise, he’s not impressed with anything.
The surfing part totally aligns with my and my family’s recent trip to California to see my sister, just north of San Diego in a small surfing community called Encinitas. We flew in early Saturday morning, and hit Legoland first thing, which made Fitsum’s dreams come true, then went for a hike on Sunday at Torrey Pines State Park and then the boys boogie boarded in the afternoon in wet-suits and they just had the best time with their cousins. Their laughs were pure joy. On Monday, we left my sister’s place and went to the San Diego Zoo and from there we went to the airport to head home. It was an action packed weekend, but the boys had never seen the ocean (Fitsum had seen the ocean, but he was so young, only 2, that he didn’t remember it) and that was like a brand new toy for them.
Travis: That seems to be a pretty good breakdown of the dream. I tend to agree with almost all of it, especially the part about my dad never being satisfied with anything at all. What do I have to do to impress that guy? I mean it’s two grown men and their sons surfing on a tornado and he’s all like, “meh.”
The surfboard was pretty big so we could all fit on it and rotate from front to back. It got a little tricky when Cash was in charge because he likes to wreck, but we made it through.
This Week’s Game
Seth: Texas Tech has struggled in Morgantown for what seems like way too many years, what’s going to be the keys for Texas Tech on Saturday (I’m just glad that WVU fans won’t have all day to drink before the game)?
Travis: I got a chance to watch WVU/TCU last Saturday and was impressed with their offense, particularly Grier and his two big receivers. Grier is a good QB but he tends to get a little aggressive on some of his throws and may not always be the most accurate. I think it’ll be critical for Tech to turn him over a couple of times and shut down some possessions. This’ll probably be a high scoring game, so the more times Tech can keep them off the board the better. What do you see as key to victory?
Seth: I’ve watched zero play of West Virginia thus far, but from what I can tell, they’ve got a darn near elite offense, a much more well-rounded offense than last year, so we get one more opportunity for the defense to step up their game. The other interesting note is that the normally really great WVU defense has been marginal at best, at least according to the statistics. Texas Tech always had issues running the ball against WVU and this year, they appear to be susceptible to not being able to stop much of anything. Texas Tech has been very good, especially for Texas Tech standards, but at least top third in the country, at stopping the run. Maybe that plays into Grier forcing a bit more if the running game isn’t there.
The Best Thing Ever
Seth: This week’s best thing ever is something Fitsum said while boogie boarding in California.
Fitsum: Isn’t it great for the ocean to give you the best gift in the world?
Me: What’s that?
Fits: A wave to ride a boogie board.
We just switch up wave with tornado and we’ve flipping come full circle.
What’s your best thing this week?
Travis: Mine is a bit personal, but important. My best friend growing up always dreamed of being a police officer and he finally accomplished that goal a few years ago in Lubbock. I texted him on Monday night to check and see how he was doing after the shooting on the Tech campus. He said he’s fine, just sad. So beyond all th bullshit and politics surrounding guns and cops and the NFL, I just want to say something positive about my friend. He’s a damn good man and a damn good cop.
Seth: Huzzah to your friend. The world has never had too many good people.
Random Top Five
Travis: Alright, now onto random top five. What are your top 5 go-to karaoke songs? Mine:
1. Sweet Caroline
2. Karma Chameleon
3. New York New York
4. Don’t Stop Believin
5. More Than a Feelin
Seth:
1. Humpty Dance
2. Piano Man
3. Bohemian Rhapsody
4. Just a Friend
5. Ring of Fire
Travis: OH BABY YOUUUUUUUUUUU….
Game Predictions
Seth: Predictions for this week’s game. Personally, I think West Virginia is just slightly better, but I tend to think that this game could roll either way. I don’t think it’s a blowout on either side and I’d pick West Virginia 38-36 or something like that. I still think that Texas Tech’s defense is better than West Virginia’s, but I think WVU’s running game is going to be really tough to handle.
Travis: I’m almost exactly where you are, this game could go either way. So I’m saying Tech wins by a hundred.