Leading Off
I didn’t realize this, but I think a handful of coaches were in Midland yesterday and Midland Reporter-Telegram’s Oscar LeRoy was there to report with football head coach Kliff Kingsbury, baseball head coach Tim Tadlock, and women’s basketball coach Marlene Stollings. There’s quotes from all three there and I won’t focus on Kingsbury, but Kingsbury continues to say that he doesn’t need a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, he just needs a guy that will protect the football and execute the offense. I think we’re going to see someting significantly different than in year’s past and color me intrigued.
Tadlock was asked about Grant Little, coming out on fire early, coming back to earth and then battling back to be hitting .252 thus far in Single-A. Ever the talkative type, when asked about losing guys like Little, Tadlock said, “We feel good about where we are.”
Stollings talked about the rebuilding process and sometimes I forget that the Lady Raiders only won 7 games last year, but Stollings never wants that to happen again:
“It’s time for the program to get back on a national stage and we think people are very hungry,” she said. “We want to get there as quickly as possible. I’ve been fortunate at previous programs to turn things around fairly quick, but I also want to be realistic. We won seven games last year and that’s not something that we want to ever see again. It’s very important to know that we’re building something, and building takes time.”
Texas Tech Baseball
Who wants to go to Frisco in Early March?
The Frisco Classic announces 2019 game schedule. Kicks off Friday, March 1 with @SHSU_Baseball vs @HailStateBB at 3pm and @TTU_Baseball vs @Husker_Baseball to follow at 7pm. See more at https://t.co/TW0KeVbHtA pic.twitter.com/8hWrXeBpCx
— Frisco Classic (@FriscoClassic) August 20, 2018
Texas Tech Football
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CBS Sports has their Big 12 preview and they’ve done things a little differently, by taking a look at the what some of their experts have as overrated teams, underrated teams, and then predict the order of finish. The consensus is that Texas Tech finishes anywhere between 6th and 9th. Of all things, Jerry Palm (of NCAA basketball fame) thinks that Texas Tech is overrated, which I find surprising, while Tom Fornelli and Ben Kercheval think that Texas Tech is underrated:
Texas Tech: In 2016, Texas Tech allowed 44 points per game against Big 12 opponents. Last season, that number dropped significantly to 34 points per game. That was a big step forward, and in 2018 the Raiders will have 10 returning starters on defense. In a Big 12 that’s wide open after Oklahoma, this is a team that I believe will catch a few people by surprise. — Tom Fornelli (also Ben Kercheval)
If you’re feeling down after going through a full offseason of no love, that same Ben Kercheval writes that Texas Tech is the Big 12 team to watch in 2018.
AP’s Stephen Hawkins writes about linebacker Dakota Allen’s second chance at Texas Tech:
When Gibbs asked one day if he would be interested in returning, Allen still didn’t think it was possible. But Gibbs talked to coach Kliff Kingsbury, who spoke with athletic director Kirby Hocutt, helping set up his second chance at Texas Tech.
“Dakota is a special kid, a special young man. And I got to know Dakota before he left us,” Hocutt said. “I know he’s learned his lesson, and the way that he’s represented us since he’s been back has been just terrific. And he’s a leader, on the field and off the field now for us, and I’m proud of that young man.”