GAME THINGS
	Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-6, 2-6)
	Kansas Jayhawks (0-8, 0-7)
	December 5th @ 11:00 a.m.
	Jones AT&T Stadium – Lubbock, Texas
	Texas Tech -27
	FS2 | FOXSportsGO
	Sunny 59-29.

5 Players to Scheme Around

1. QBs Miles Kendrick (5-10/203, Jr.) and Jalon Daniels (6-0/203, Fr.): I can’t quite figure out who is playing the most, so I’m listing both. Daniels has the most attempts, completes 50% of his passes, 4.7 yards per attempt with 1 touchdown, 4 picks, and throws for about 100 yards a game. Kendrick completes 62% of his passes, has 6 yards per attempt, with 6 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and about 90 passing yards a game. Neither quarterback has huge running stats.

2. WR Kwamie Lassiter, II (6-0/175, Sr.): I’m not going to list a running back because I’m not sure who is really running the ball. Lassiter appears to be the best receiver, 38 catches, averages 11.58 yards a catch and has 2 touchdowns. Appears to be really consistent in terms of production.

3. DL Marcus Harris (6-2/280, Fr.): A freshman lineman who has 21 total tackles, but has an astounding 7.5 tackles for a loss.

4. LB Kyron Johnson (6-1/223, Sr.): Probably the best defender, Johnson has 36 total tackles, averaging 4.5 tackles a game, has 4.5 tackles for a loss, has 3 sacks, and 1 pass broken up, quarterback hurry, and forced fumble.

5. S Kenny Logan, Jr. (6-0/195, So.): Logan may be the best player for the Jayhawks, as he is also returns kicks. Logan has 12 kickoff returns and averages 27.5 yards a return with 1 touchdown. Logan also has 2 interceptions, leads the team with 6.88 tackles a game, has 1 tackle for a loss (which was a sack), 3 passes broken up, 1 quarterback hurry, and 1 forced fumble.

Thoughts Based on Some YouTube Video

This was the last game and had lots of TCU highlights, but Kansas scored a decent amount, so here we go . . . there is absolutely no pressure or coverage on the TCU quarterback, and they only rushed 3, which means there were 8 in coverage and a guy completely wide open in the end zone . . . another wide open touchdown for TCU, basically a wheel route and there’s a Kansas defender that literally just throws his arms up . . . a bad snap that basically goes back to the 1 yard line, a punt, and another touchdown for TCU on the punt return . . . Lassiter makes a huge and pretty touchdown, he’s skinny, but he can run . . . the rush defense for Kansas is something to be desired . . . a third touchdown to a wide open tight end, play-action is a helluva thing . . . the running back draw is nice and that kid looks really quick and smooth for a runner . . . Kendrick throws a nice touchdown and I’d expect to see a lot more of him and Kansas, despite being down by 20+, still seems into the game . . . the Kansas quarterback can find wide open receivers and has a little something, but he also throws a pick-six on a bad throw and then fumbles the ball for a TCU touchdown . . .

Stats

Back with TeamRankings for the stats.

• Kansas currently averages .213 points per play on offense, compared to .41 for Texas Tech. That’s pretty much double the output and the average score margin is -33 for Kansas and -10 for Texas Tech. For additional ineptitude, Kansas averages 3.5 yards a play compared to 5.6 for Texas Tech.
• Defensively, Kansas is giving up .708 points per play compared to .502 for Texas Tech, 6.6 yards allowed for Kansas and 5.7 for Texas Tech.
• Kansas is running the ball about 51% of the time, their quarterback is sacked 14% of the time, is averaging 2.7 yards a rush, and 5.1 yards a pass. Texas Tech is running the ball 43% of the time, is averaging 4.6 yards a rush, and 6.6 yards a pass.
• Defensively, teams are running 57% of the time against Kansas, allow 5.7 yards a rush, and 8.2 yards per attempt. For the Red Raiders, teams are running 56% of the time, allow 4.9 yards a rush, and 7.0 yards per attempt.
• Kansas is converting 23% of third downs, allowing teams to convert 45% of the time and allowing opposing teams to score 97% of the time in the red zone. Texas Tech is converting 35% of third downs, allowing teams to convert 44% third downs, and allowing teams to score 88% in the red zone.

General Thoughts and Prediction On the Game

The last one of the year? Maybe, I suppose there’s still a slight chance for a bowl game, but I honestly don’t keep track of who might be eligible for a bowl game during a pandemic.

It seems difficult to avoid the inevitable, that maybe this game isn’t about this game, but about the rumors of various unnamed boosters wanting Art Briles as the head coach for Texas Tech. I know there are a handful of defenders of Briles out there and I think I’ve made myself clear. That at the very least, he probably looked the other way when Baylor players were allegedly raping women, including an alleged gang rape. If you need to refresh your memory, you can check here Remember, that a Baylor sexual assault survivor alleged that there were 31 players who committed 52 acts of rapes from 2011 through 2014. The Baylor regents agreed that there were 19 football players accused of sexual assault and 4 gang rapes. We sort of scream and raise hell when we learned about Jett Duffey, unfortunately after he finished playing, and I was happy to see him go. With Briles, even if it’s a number less than 4 gang rapes and 19 players accused of sexual assault, it’s ridiculously disturbing. It is disturbing that a coach could not know that this was happening and/or just look away for so long.

I’ve said it before, but this blog would not cover football and I would tell the staff the same thing. You would not get that football coverage here. They would be more than welcome to start their own blog or whatever, but my Texas Tech football coverage would cease.

Not that anyone who has any power should give a shit what I think. I earnestly believe that no one who has the power or money to hire Art Briles really cares what I think or do or what this blog does. I am insignificant in that respect so my stance would have zero effect on anyone that matters.

For the record, it is my understanding that Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt is vehemently opposed to hiring Briles. I think these boosters are trying to put together enough money to make the president and chancellor say yes. This is all speculation, but I understand that Hocutt would not pull the trigger on Briles and he would fall on the sword if he was put to the decision to hire Briles. And I’m not at all saying that the president and chancellor are in favor of this move. It’s apparently a booster driven movement and I don’t have any names of the boosters, but apparently they think so little of Texas Tech that they would hire a coach that would look the other way as much as Briles allegedly did.

Again, I’ve been told it’s the boosters. I think if we had any FOIA attorneys who were lurking here and knew how to make those requests if/when it did happen, we’d then maybe have names of the boosters who were willing to do this. I think that would be interesting, a little light could expose a lot.

Lastly, me not wanting to hire Briles is not an acceptance of the performance of Matt Wells. That’s a completely different conversation and as Bill Parcells always used to say, your record is what you say you are. Don’t conflate those two issues. They are independent of each other. The team is slightly improved in a pandemic, but the continued history of in-game decisions and one-score losses are problematic. This was a conversation I intended on having after Saturday.

As for this game, well, I think Texas Tech will win, even without Wells. It would be a disaster if Texas Tech didn’t. I don’t much care about a 27+/- spread and think a 20 point win is fine.