Fear TT

[RaiderMan]

The 3 best offensive players on the Tech team are:

#25 Baron Batch, RB (Sr.)

#10 Harrison Jeffers, RB (RS_Fr.)

#24 Eric Stephens, RB (Fr.)

Running back is the strength of our team. It just took Leach a couple games to come around to the idea of putting the ball in the hands of RBs as opposed to WRs. Remember that Tech considers short dump passes and screens to be running plays so pure running stats don't accurately describe the contribution of our RBs. Batch started the year slowly but is playing great now. Jeffers would be the starting RB for Texas or OU if this was 1999. Tech has never had a running back as fast, elusive, and explosive as Jeffers. Every time Jeffers touches the ball you will see Tech fans become giddy over what he might do with it. Finally, there is Eric Stephens. When you were kids, did any of you try to catch the greased pig at a rodeo? That's the best way to describe trying to tackle Eric Stephens in the open field. Over the next 2-3 years, Jeffers and Stephens will be a dynamic duo. Anyone who blows off Tech's running game knows little about the 2009 Red Raiders.

You're right. NU sure couldn't handle "Thunder and Lightning" from Clemson last year. NU sure couldn't handle VT's vaunted duo. Sorry, TT's running game does not scare me. Your passing game does to some extent, but you will probably not beat us (with our DL!) running the ball.

Promise me one thing RaiderMan. If TT loses, come back here and take your lumps. Mizzou's trolls left a foul taste in our mouths. If TT wins, I'll be here admitting I was wrong.

No sweat. I can take it. On another site they were analyzing all of Tech's games this year to determine the NU outcome. Here's what finally figured out:

Injuries. That was the story of Tech's games against UH and UT this year. We took 1 DE to the Texas game. The team is getting healthier and the lines are beginning to gel but we only have games against UNM and KSU to show that. So, I'm not sure you can point to any game as "the one" that shows what Tech can do this year. Maybe that will happen this Saturday.

I think that's the best assessment of the situation.

 

[RaiderMan]

There we go. This avatar feels like a comfy huge-jugged shoe.

 

[craigsker]

I'm going to try to put aside the last couple of games (LeKevin Smith fumble/OT interception) and try to believe the Huskers will win this game because they should.

At the risk of sounding redundant because so many people have already mentioned it but this team is battle tested. The Huskers have played and nearly beat #4 ranked Virginia Tech in probably the most hostile stadium (the fans are great) in the ACC and beat Missouri on the road playing in five inches of rain!

Missouri got this defense ready for another pass-happy offense so I think the secondary is ready. Other non-conf games against teams who love to throw have put us almost in a "been there, done that" mode, but the secondary must have their A-game ready against Tech because once they catch the ball they're off and running.

Tech had 7 TDs and over 500 yds passing against KSU. But KSU isn't Nebraska and the Huskers defense is playing very well defensively. I look for them to rattle Sheffield often. Pressure on the QB will result in a few good picks.

Offensively, Roy Helu is averaging 6.1 yds per carry. A balanced offense featuring Mike McNeil, Niles Paul, and Roy Helu will be too much for Tech to defend.

The team is anxious to payback Tech for two frustrating losses and the game is in Lincoln. Hopefully, receivers other than Niles Paul will catch the ball this week since they couldn't catch anything against Mizzou.

The Huskers win in a dogfight.

 

[caveman99]

RaiderMan, I think that keeping your RB's contained is a big key to the game. Good news for us is that this version of the Huskers seems to be really good at tackling.

The numbers of the TT O vs. the Husker D are fun to look at. Texas Tech is 2nd Nationally in Passing O, Total O, and Scoring O. The Huskers are 14th Nationally in Passing D, 13th Nationally in Total D, and 2nd Nationally in Scoring D. Texas Tech is 11th Nationally in Offensive Passing Efficiency, the Huskers are 3rd Nationally in Defensive Passing Efficiency. On the surface, it appears that the Texas Tech O and the Husker D are evenly matched. TT is only 57th in the nation in Redzone scoring %, with a 83% conversion rate. The Husker D is tied for 29th best Redzone Defense, allowing teams to score 75% of the time. Not to mention that the Huskers have only allowed 8 RZ trips by opponents thus far. Huskers are strong where it matters, passing efficiency D and more importantly preventing scores (overall and in the RZ). TT will get yards no doubt, but can they score?

As far as getting pressure on the TT QB, this is tough task with the 3 yard passes your team is famous for. That is what makes the fact that Texas Tech is 78th in the Nation in Sacks allowed so alarming. Conversely, NU is 34th in the nation in sacks made.

Winning the Turn Over Battle I think definitely would seal the deal for the Huskers. TT is 97th in turn overs lost and 99th in TO Margin. Conversely, NU is 8th Nationally in turn overs lost and 15th Nationally in TO Margin. HUGE advantage for NU.

A hidden factor that I don't think TT fans are paying attention to, is the ability of Suh to bat down passes. Just so you have point of reference on this, Suh ranks 6th NATIONALLY in passes defended. He has 7 pass break ups and 1 INT, ONLY 2 PLAYERS NATIONALLY have more pass break ups than Suh. Not to mention that batting down passes is something our staff really teaches their D-Linemen to do, we see them get hands up all the time. I know you mentioned that the TT QB's are tall, Potts is listed at 6'5" and Sheffield is listed at 6'4", but the RB's are not (Batch is 5'11" and Jeffers is just 5'9" tall) and thus the passes have to have a downward trajectory on them. Suh is 6'4" tall and can jump, if you saw the MU game you know that already, and the rest of the D-Linemen are all over 6'3" with the vast majority 6'4" or taller.

 

[clone]

Your talking about a 15th ranked team, on a roll, at home that just shut down a spread offense versus an unranked team with 4 wins against K State, New Mexico, Rice and North Dakota. North Dakota gave up 38 to Tech but gave up 65 to Stephen F Austin and 31 to Stony Brook. Rice gave up 55 to Tech, is 0-6 and gave up 63 to Navy. New Mexico is also 0-6, gave up 48 to Tech and has not held anyone below 37 except New Mexico State. K State..... nuff said after losing to Lousiana - Lafayette. Tech scored 28 in it's loss to Houston, a team that gave up 58 to a 2-4 UTEP team. All of this frenzy over the fact Tech scored 66 on a K State squad. Tech enters the game with a qb in his 2nd start facing probably the best defense in the Big 12. Tech is somewhat turnover prone also. The only thing that scares me is the ball bounces weird. Other than that this should be a pretty easy win.

gimme a break. :dumdum

not the old, tired, worthless argument of so and so beat so and so by X amount who beat whathisname who beat... blah blah blah.

those comparisons mean absolutely nothing.

the only matchup that means squat as regards TT and NU is the game this saturday.

dedhoarse dedhoarse

 

[knapplc]

gimme a break.

not the old, tired, worthless argument of so and so beat so and so by X amount who beat whathisname who beat... blah blah blah.

those comparisons mean absolutely nothing.

the only matchup that means squat as regards TT and NU is the game this saturday.

Pretending each game exists in a vacuum is naive. Game to game things are not the same, but there are similarities. Finding those similarities and knowing how to examine them for possible strengths and weaknesses is what differentiates good coaches from bad coaches.

As fans, we should be cautious about drawing conclusions from these comparisons. But they can point us in a direction on how things could go.

 

[BlackShirt1340]

Tech will lose - just like they do every time they run up against a team with even a decent defense. Leach's offense is a friggin' joke. Any self respecting football school would run him out of town on a rail.

Impressive and thoughtful analysis. You must be the #1 ANALyst on this board.

Good lord Raider man.......

That avatar is amazing! :thumbs :w00t

 

[rbox]

The only problem, I see, comparing statistics is the offense has been much more productive with Steven in as QB. Yes, much of this can be attributed to the quality of the opponents and their respective defense, but as most Red Raider fans can attest, the performances by Steven have been superb.

It's difficult to explain yet easy to quantify the difference between Steven and Potts. Steven utilizes many facets of the offense that seemed gone while Taylor was starting such as the shovel pass and deep ball. Steven's mobility is a welcomed surprise and should come in use against your talented defensive line.

There have only been seldom times where a team has been able to dominate the Tech offense regardless of who is running it. Great examples would be TCU and Alabama. TCU was one of Graham's first starts and Alabama's speed, similar to Ole Miss on offense, was overwhelming for the talent we had available.

Times have changed and that is not to say that Nebraska isn't capable of shutting us down. However, we are extremely deep on offense outside of our offensive line. Skill positions are not a concern. If our offensive line can provide protection and in the event of a breakdown, Steven can use his mobility, I have no doubt our offense can be productive regardless of the skill and talent you posses within your secondary. I don't care what coverage you have out there, if there is time for our qb to scan the field he will find a receiver more often than not.

Beyond our offensive line play, I see the biggest issue for Tech on our defensive line. Can our defense put pressure on your QB. Can our line stop/slow your run. Can our bend-but-not-break defensive philosophy hold up or will Lee tear our soft coverage apart 5 yards at a time?

I personally see this game being much more high scoring than it seems most expect on this message board. I think Tech will get it's points but I also see Steven struggling against a talented defense. Those struggles, most likely resulting in turnovers, will lead to direct points for your Huskers. I'm hoping we can end our two-game streak of pick 6's, but I know there will be some turnovers.

This should be a very interesting game and I'm looking forward to how our offensive line, qb, and defense respond to a quality opponent on the road after finally having a very complete game against Kansas State.

Good luck Husker fans and I hope to enjoy an injury free hard fought game for both teams.

 

[knapplc]

I think Tech will score against us, and I expect them to score more than anyone else this year. We just need to play fundamental football on both sides of the ball and we'll survive.

 

[RaiderMan]

Tech will lose - just like they do every time they run up against a team with even a decent defense. Leach's offense is a friggin' joke. Any self respecting football school would run him out of town on a rail.

Impressive and thoughtful analysis. You must be the #1 ANALyst on this board.

Good lord Raider man.......

That avatar is amazing! :thumbs :w00t

It's a beaut! I asked the creator to send me a full size version so I can post it here. :lol:

 

[clone]

gimme a break.

not the old, tired, worthless argument of so and so beat so and so by X amount who beat whathisname who beat... blah blah blah.

those comparisons mean absolutely nothing.

the only matchup that means squat as regards TT and NU is the game this saturday.

Pretending each game exists in a vacuum is naive. Game to game things are not the same, but there are similarities. Finding those similarities and knowing how to examine them for possible strengths and weaknesses is what differentiates good coaches from bad coaches.

As fans, we should be cautious about drawing conclusions from these comparisons. But they can point us in a direction on how things could go.

:WTH games do not exist in a vacuum, I never said nor implied they did.

but the "degrees of separation" nonsense as applied to football games wilts in the light of reason.

especially to the extent of points scored and the like.

the only VALID comparison is done on the field,

the rest..

while entertaining, vacuum or not, has no significance.

 

[knapplc]

gimme a break.

not the old, tired, worthless argument of so and so beat so and so by X amount who beat whathisname who beat... blah blah blah.

those comparisons mean absolutely nothing.

the only matchup that means squat as regards TT and NU is the game this saturday.

Pretending each game exists in a vacuum is naive. Game to game things are not the same, but there are similarities. Finding those similarities and knowing how to examine them for possible strengths and weaknesses is what differentiates good coaches from bad coaches.

As fans, we should be cautious about drawing conclusions from these comparisons. But they can point us in a direction on how things could go.

games do not exist in a vacuum, I never said nor implied they did.

but the "degrees of separation" nonsense as applied to football games wilts in the light of reason.

especially to the extent of points scored and the like.

the only VALID comparison is done on the field,

the rest..

while entertaining, vacuum or not, has no significance.

You did imply games exist in a vacuum, twice now, whether you intended to or not. Unless in your very vague way of writing you're NOT saying that games played against other opponents are meaningless, which is what it sounds like when you say that "the only VALID comparison is done on the field." Perhaps you should better explain what you mean by that line.

 

[cscott2win]

We are into the season enough that past scores are revealing tendencies. As I stated the ball does bounce funny and od course some teams matchup better against other teams. Head to head is the deciding factor but until then all we have is speculation and recent past performances. I'm just pointing out some of Tech's tendencies for the year as of now but basing the end result as to the fact that the Huskers are playing better ball, are at home, and Tech's qb is in his 2nd start etc, etc. Please reread my original post. Thanks

 

[agibson95]

Folks. Not much is here on the upcoming game. But.... I'd fear TT. They have a great offense (I'd guess substantially better than MU --- and much better than anyone we have faced thus far by a wide margin) and can score in droves. When you throw that often, all it takes is two or three times for a DB (out of 50 passes) to slip or to miss an assignment and its 14-21 points like that. So.... NU's offense will have to score.

I'll predict that it will take 28 points (or a few more) for the NU offense to keep us in the game. Sure, the NU D has looked good --- and are likely good --- but.... they have played weak competition (as compared to TT offense) and had weather help them. Do not be surprised to see TT score at or about 30 points on NU. If we run the ball well and control some clock that number will go down --- but the NU offense must have its best game of the season to win this one (they need not necessarily score as much as they did on some of the pre-conference patsies --- but they must play much better offense as the TT defense is not bad).

Can the NU offense rise to the occasion? they will have to. And the special teams better be top notch too. Otherwise, all the enthusiasm for what is happening at NU will turn south after this game.

I do think we can win. But to do so, NU better play much better than they have all season --- especially on offense, or it will be a long and dreadful game.

So you expect the Tech Offense, minus Crabtree and two NFL linemen, to be better than last season? You expect Tech to score more than 31 points in regulation against this Nebraska defense which is clearly better than a year ago?

You expect this Tech team, which is turning the football over in droves, to not turn the football over against a defense which has shown a propensity for creating turnovers?

You'll have to excuse me if I don't share your fear. Nebraska -7 is the lock of the year. I expect Nebraska to roll the Red Raiders.

Home Crowd

Momentum

Defense

Pass Rush

Suh

Sheffield making first road Start in Lincoln.

Turnovers

All of these factors will help dictate a snowball effect for the Huskers. Look for NU to roll.

Btw, Texas Tech's offense has been good against Rice, K-State and New Mexico. Those three teams are a combined 3-12.

Their offense has been "un-Tech Like" against the only two teams they've faced with a pulse.

Again, you'll have to pardon me if I refuse to "fear" Tech.

NU rolls, there is no doubt in my mind.

I hope you are right. You do have some valid points.

But....

NU's defense, I surmise, is not as improved as much as many think. Perhaps it is... but until we play a good offense we'll not know.

Not so much you --- but others --- have cited that pressure on the QB will be applied by the NU DL. Maybe... but they have a quick release offense and getting pressure is very difficult. A key will be YAC --- we must tackle well... really well. Missed tackles will kill us. They will complete passes... we have to stop them cold once the pass is caught.

Turnovers, as you point out, may be key.

Again, I assert that the NU offense better be scoring this week. Is Lee going to get it done? Hope so.

King... I like your enthusiasm and you may be right.... but a healthy fear of TT is not a misplaced fear. We have not beat them since, when.....?

Since they throw so many times a game, you will have to think on their side someone will get open eventually.

And that our D will get a couple interceptions. Maybe Suh gets 2.

 

[DarthRader]

Reading through most threads on the upcoming game, it seems that most people are pointing to the Tech O vs Neb D as the determining factor of the outcome.

I would venture to say it is the other side of the ball that will have the most impact on this game.

If the Tech D shows up at all and can jam the middle and protect the edges and force the game into Lee's hands, I believe this will be a very close game. Tech did well against UT and UH in the first half, but was unable to answer the halftime adjustments (and 1 magic PB&J) made by both teams. It is hard to compare these teams since neither has a running game at all. However Colby Witlock, Brian Duncan and Richard Jones are pretty stout (granted not the same caliber as Suh and Crick) and should cause some problems. If Neb runs to the weak side Tech WILL Bront Bird has speed and tackling issues.

If Burkhead is unable to go, I am not sure Helu will be able to handle the 30+ carries it will take to wear the Tech D down. If Neb is forced to throw the ball, look for Tech to be really close in the 4th Q. Then it is anyone's game.

All that being said, I don't think the Tech D is up to the task. Neb will control the ball and keep the score low (relative for a Tech game). I will have my prediction posted later in the week.