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Texas Tech Football Preview 2020 - Part 1 · Talkin' Tech

• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome in, everybody, to the Talk and Tech Podcast.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: Today is August 31st, 2020.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: My name is Steven Rodriguez, my co-host Tristan McGonagall.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: Tristan, how are you doing today, man?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, I'm doing well, Stephen.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_02: Happy to be here on episode four, talking about Texas Tech football, because I mean it's right around the bend.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_03: And this is part one of our two-part preview podcast going into the Texas Tech football season for 2020.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but we have some news to talk about first.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, Texas Tech gained another linebacker, the uh graduate transfer out of Arizona, Colin Schooler.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_03: He is immediately eligible because he is a grad transfer, which is great news for tech, adding more depth to the linebacker position, which we are already uh, I would say pretty pretty set at, but uh adding another guy as good as this, as good as Schooler, uh does not hurt your team.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_02: No, absolutely not.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: And uh we we really just learned of this guy last night, but apparently he was a monster at Arizona.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, he did beat us after all while on our trip to uh to the Wildcats stadium last season.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: But this this man obviously seems like some people are calling this like the best pickup of the transfers yet.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: And it could be, and this is all due to the Pac-12 canceling their football season.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_03: And we wonder if there's gonna be some other last last minute guys that are gonna transfer their way onto other rosters.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: So was it confirmed that uh his transfer was heavily based on the Pac-12's decision of canceling the season?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it was confirmed, but it was it was it probably had something to do with it, you know.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: I he wasn't gonna play football.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: I I only asked because uh that was you know uh one of the big things people were talking about under the Big Ten and Pac-12 decided to cancel it.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: What does this mean for the players in those conferences?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what are they gonna do?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: Or are they gonna be able to shift over?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because obviously these players want to play.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I I just it's it'd be hard to not to say that there's there might be a big chance that there was a that was a chunk of his decision.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: So but we're happy he made it.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: But I think I think it really plays into his decision because he's coming in so late into the offseason.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we we play our first game here in two weeks.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: So for that to happen and for him to it was an easier decision because he's a grad transfer.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, a lot of these guys don't have that luxury.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, they would need a waiver from the NCAA.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_03: When you're a grad transfer, that waiver's not required.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_03: So um he was immediately eligible to go to tech.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so I think I think it probably had the majority of the influence uh that the Pac-12 got canceled.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: So a couple more uh tidbits from uh Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: We all love Don, he's been around forever.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um the NCAA decided not to count this season against eligibility.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_03: So guys like Schooler and guys like Aaron Eric Monroe from LSU could potentially play two years at Texas Tech this year and next year, and it would only count towards one year of their eligibility.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then you look at guys like uh Chedarius Townsend and Brandon Bouyer Randall could play three years at Texas Tech.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_03: So that's a plus for us over down in Lubbock.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: Man, that's gonna be like Christmas Day for some of these players.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's a whole nother year to prove yourself for your draft stock if that's what you're looking for.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that's great for talent development in general.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_02: So it'll be it's exciting to see some of these players get into our system and then have two years develop in it, even if even if they're a senior.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because you know, it's it's kind of tough to go into this brand new program after you've been somewhere for three years learning that system to have to readjust.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm happy to that they have a cushion if they want it, you know, to to push on.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I hope Wells uh integrates them into the system well, like like Beard does with basketball.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: Uh one of Beard's strengths has been taking in grad transfers and getting them in for a year and them being a huge part of the team right away.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_03: So uh we'll see if if Matt Wells can do that.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_03: He's he's gotten some serious talent though from these transfers, and uh, we should be excited.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_02: That's that makes 18 linebackers on the roster, I just counted.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_02: So wow.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's it's and it's a deep one, you know.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's uh it's definitely one of the shining lights on our our defensive side.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: So we're uh we're very excited about that.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: We'll talk about that next week.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but hey, that's good news for Texas Tech defense and the football in general, of course.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, for sure.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: But part one, we're covering the offense this week.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so going into the season, uh obviously the most important position in football is the quarterback position.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we want to express that it really does seem like a legitimate battle between at least three of these guys on the roster.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um and it seems like Bowman's getting the first team reps.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_03: I I imagine Bowman's going to be the starter for the year, but there was some competition, and uh that that makes me happy to see for for the depth of the of the position, as we've seen.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_03: Bowman doesn't stay the healthiest.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: So uh if he were to go down again, uh we have some guys to back him up in good positions.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh that's that's definitely the position where we want to see some depth in.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we saw last year how it can hurt whenever you don't have uh whenever you have to go all the way down to your third string.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: But this year, I I feel pretty good if you know if if we if it had to come to that.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, obviously that is not ideal, but I would feel a little better about going to the third string this year than I did last year.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um what do you think, Steven?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, what's what's your thoughts?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_03: Well, well, I agree that it's completely ideal, and I think it's ideal because of how good Alan Bowman is.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, we've seen it mostly in 2018.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_03: He only played three games last year.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_03: He was two and one in those games.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_03: Granted, they were against uh pretty pretty shoddy opponents, but in 2018, he was four and two, and one of those losses was the OU loss when he when he got hurt.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: So you think about it, in games that he fully played, he's four and one in 2018 with wins against teams like Houston and Oklahoma State.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: So and he was competitive in the OU game.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: Some people say we may have won that game if Bowman stayed in.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: So uh you look at some of these stat lines from from 2018.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, against Houston, it was 63-49 win.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: He had 605 yards, five touchdowns, and no picks.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that that blows my mind because Houston is no slouch, and they weren't in 2018.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely not.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Houston's one of the best G5s out there, and they prove that ear in, year out.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's and you you proved the point.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, there's there's kind of a split out there in the media.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: Some people think Alan Bowman is an absolute gunslinger, which here in Raider Land, we think so too.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but there's other people that, you know, since he hasn't been able to stay on the field as long as his counterparts on other teams, he hasn't been able to be looked at as much as uh others.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_02: So they kind of knock him down on the Big 12 QB rankings.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, a lot of people are picking him to be our starter.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but at the same time, that could be an advantage.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, people don't really expect us to come out uh out of the gates with a gunslinging quarterback, which is kind of a a naive thing to do for Texas Tech, but he just doesn't get the chatter that most of the other quarterbacks are right now, like uh like Spencer and uh Brock Purdy.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: So I I think I think it's it's kind of a consistence right now that Alan Bowman is leading the pack.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: And after you shout out those stats, that's not a surprise.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um, where do you think the battles lie?
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: What do you think the pecking order is right now?
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_03: I think the pecking order, you got to put Bowman one.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's I think it's a real battle for two with with Maverick McIver and uh Henry Columbi, who is the Utah State transfer.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, it seems like he's getting some some buzz going into the year coming in, and he's immediately he got a waiver, so he's uh he's immediately eligible to play next year.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um McGi uh Wells has kind of talked about McIver and said he needs to see more consistency from him, which is a normal thing for a young quarterback, uh, especially a guy who hasn't played a down of college football yet.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I think right now I'd probably put Columbi number two, and then I would put McGyver number three.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, we're not around the practices, so we don't know you know what the real pecking order is.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: But uh if if I were to go into the year and uh from the stuff I've read, I'd probably put uh Columbia number two.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, awesome.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I think a good point to make with uh Columbi, the new quarterback that just transferred him in, is he's already used to the system, so we can assume.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's a huge advantage being a transfer quarterback, especially whenever you're a junior.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, even yeah, they get another year back, um, but in normal circumstances he would have been a two-year.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_02: But that's I think that's a that's that's probably a good call.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um obviously, you know, like you said, we're not around the facilities to know, but it having quarterback battles is a good thing.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: It just shows that they're competing.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: We got an uh do you feel better about the quarterback room this year than we did last year?
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think last year was a lot of uh unknown.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think we thought we thought Bowman was the guy and that's it.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_03: And then McIver started making uh some headlines and people started talking about him, and then he got hurt before the season even started.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_03: So uh it's nice, and and then Jed Duffy was Jed Duffy.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I guess there was always a little bit of uh of hype around him because he was he was so good in high school.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_03: But um I think I think I feel better about this quarterback class than last year, um, for sure.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I that's this is obviously the most prolific position at Texas Tech, uh, besides maybe the wide receiver.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm hoping that Alan Bowman or whoever becomes the number one quarterback can kind of reclaim that mantle of being a feared offensive unit, not just in the Big 12, but in the entire uh nation.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we were always a uh offensive powerhouse for a long time.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: Not that we not that we've slowed down that much.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just ready to see a a leader and then some like true identity at quarterback that we probably haven't really seen since Patrick Mahomes.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I I hope Alan Bowman's the man uh or whoever can step up and be that.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but right now it's it's definitely seen seamen like uh Bowman is it.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I it seems right now his only downfall is uh is uh durability.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, durability, uh uh his his uh run game.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he can he can scramble okay, uh, but his he's not a running quarterback, he's a drawback, uh, you know, pass in the pocket type of guy, which is which is great, you know.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he can throw for a ton of yards and he's got a great arm, but uh uh that's that's a downfall for him is is the run game.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see if that improves.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_03: And obviously more running means more hits taken.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: So uh we don't want to see that for for Allen.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh huh.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you brought uh the that part up because I think what a lot of Texas Tech fans uh can realize, feel a little better about last season compared to this season is uh Jet Duffy's a completely different quarterback than Alan Bowman.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously they went into the season planning the offense around Alan Bowman.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: So it they definitely had to bust out a new book for Jet Duffy, which obviously isn't the easiest thing to do in the middle of a season.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: So, and and I think it's safe to say that Alan Bowman's a more talented quarterback in general.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_02: So I hope Red Raider fans can find solace in expecting a better quarterback flow in the offense.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't mean to cut you off.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: No, you're good.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_03: I I just had a couple more things about uh Columbi.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_03: He didn't start at Utah State, and some people are a little concerned about that.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: They're like, oh, okay, well, you know, who's this guy who's coming in who's a backup, and now he's a grad transfer, he's never started or whatever.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: But uh he had Jordan Love there last year.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_03: And Jordan Love, uh first round pick uh to the Packers this year, much to Aaron Rodgers' uh dismay.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_03: But uh he learned from from Jordan Love and to have that kind of leadership in the locker room, having a guy who was a top quarterback in all of college football last year, um you know, it's a great guy to learn from.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_03: And so I think uh I think we shouldn't we shouldn't quite put that as a downfall for Colombi not starting because Jordan Love was one of the best college quarterbacks there was.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: Great point.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he it's it's not like he left to go against easier competition.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: He left Utah State to go to a prolific quarterback school of Texas Tech.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_02: So he's he's hungry for the competition, obviously.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think he's just got chasing playtime.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: So uh it's good to see him wanting that and obviously come going to back to one of his old coaches, uh Matt Wells.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: So Matt Wells knows him well as a young man and a player.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I hope this is obviously a good marriage, and I I have faith that it is.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and Wells and Yost as well.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Yost was right by Matt Wells' side at Utah State, so he's gonna be the guy he's talking to uh the majority of the time.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: So uh the Aggies can score.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: So it's good.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: This is great to just keep feeding into our already well-known offensive scheme.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: So no doubt, no doubt.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_03: So uh kind of uh shifting our focus to the running back position, uh, I think it's a clear number one, Sir Roderick Thompson is the is the top guy in that running back room.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh 2019, 160, 160 carries, 765 yards, 12 touchdowns with like 39 receptions.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he he made his way to be the top running back last year as a I believe he was a red shirt freshman last year.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: I could be wrong.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: He could have been a sophomore, but still a young, a young dude coming in and really taking that number one role uh for the Red Raider running backs.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: So he's he's on the Doe Campbell Award watch list.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's just a guy who's who's he's big and he's got uh he's got some uh sweet feet, like they call him.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: So man, I I think uh people in Raiderland are really excited about this guy and for good reason.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: And the good news is this this guy's only a sophomore.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: You know, he's he's he's just now getting started.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_02: So we're hoping to see even more out of him this year after a great freshman year season.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um I a lot of people are thinking that he's gonna be the under-the-radar guy in the conference.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: And uh again, that's a good thing, kind of like our quarterback position.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_02: I think in general, our team is gonna be an underrated uh kind of team in general.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so kind of flying under that radar, but it's it's great to see a clear favorite at a position.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_02: And and this guy, I think, has earned it.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I I think that we can see a good running balance in this offense with him.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I mean the the Big 12 has a lot of good running backs going into this year, talking about Chuba Hubbard, talking about Puka Williams at Kansas, talking about Kennedy Brooks at OU.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: Texas always has a good couple running backs.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: So um, you know, it's it's good, and for him to be even mentioned in the same in the same conversation as those guys is is a good sign for Sir Rodrick.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I really think he can he can take that leading back role and and run with it this year.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: No, no pun intended.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: What do you think about uh this new Alabama transfer, uh Janarius Townsend?
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he he's he looks good.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_03: He's coming from Bama.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: He he had he's one of the fastest guys on the roster.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh obviously he's switching from the wide receiver position to running back, uh, which could be good for the uh run pass option if we want to maneuver to that throughout the game.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_03: Um and he and he was he was recruited by Nick Saban.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, how bad can he really be?
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: But uh he's got two years of eligibility, possibly three.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and I I think he's a good guy to put in that backfield uh for some depth.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_02: 100%.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: Uh excited to see how a and he's also more of a veteran, he's a junior, so he's got some uh some time under his belt over at Alabama to at least learn.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm hoping he kind of takes that Saban knowledge and brings it over to the Lubbock.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So uh excited to see where where we use him in this offense.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: I think we can get creative with his abilities.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_03: Uh love his speed and uh love his hands.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: So uh that could be great.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: We also we also should mention uh Taj Brooks, who's a true freshman out of Maynard, Texas.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's a he's a true freshman, so we'll see how that goes.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_03: But uh he's getting some hype.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: He he might he might get some playtime uh as that as that third back in case there's some some injuries, or maybe he has a couple snaps throughout the game.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and and maybe he'll make an impact right away.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you know, whenever whenever you're recruiting kids, you you expect him to start producing immediately.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: So um I'm excited to see how uh he comes out and competes uh with the other guys.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I and I only mention his name because uh, of course, to to John Henry transferred to Houston this past year, who was who was a big part of our running game last year.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: Uh kind of fell uh in the in the rotation once Sir Roderick uh took off.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: But um, you know, that's another running back that we've that we lost.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: So so hopefully Brooks and uh Chedarius Townsend can make up for some of that production.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: I guess it's one of these positions that we're a little in the unknown zone uh besides Siroderick.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: But I think we're still in a good spot.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, even though there's some question marks, I think uh we're in good shape with the running back.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think uh so far our offensive weapons are looking good at tech.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_03: And so uh we hope uh we hope to have a guy like uh like some of our good running backs in the past, DeAndre Washington and and some of those type of guys, but uh we'll see we'll see what Sir Roger can do and how he lives up to uh to the hype this year.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: So um kind of maneuvering, we'll we'll we'll kind of talk about the wide receivers now.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_03: Um and we we can't start off the conversation uh without talking about TJ Vasher.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: He is the guy everybody talks about at tech right now.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh obviously had a disappointing 2019 uh with only 42 receptions, uh 515 yards, and only six touchdowns.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_03: We were expecting a whole lot more from him last year.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: He was suspended for a couple games in 2019, a couple conference games that we could have used him in.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um and he and he's had some academic issues uh obviously at the start of this offseason.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_03: He really just got back to practice, I believe, a a week ago.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: So uh we'll see how TJ ends up.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: But he's got all the he's got all the uh all the traits that you want in a great in a great wide receiver.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_02: And this this senior is the living highlight reel that we come to expect, you know.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously last year wasn't what we wanted entirely, but I I'm really hoping he has a big bounce back season for his senior year, hopefully build up that draft stock.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: Because I mean this guy is built to be, like you said, to be the ideal um wide receiver.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: And I swear every time you and I talk about him, you say he's got hands of glue.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_02: And that's just it's the truth.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_02: We just I just hope he kind of bounces back, maybe a little more time in this system.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_02: He he gains some some confidence and some some reps to make sure that he's ready for the games.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: But um I think we all I think we're still expecting big things out of him.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think the the expectations have lowered at all for him.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I guess we could all just cross our fingers hoping that he comes back big to uh finish out his his tenure.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I mean he's he's on the senior bowl watch list, so he's he's getting hype, not just from tech fans.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: But um yeah, I think I think the main thing you gotta look out for him is is where his head's at and and how he can how he can not not get suspended, play all the games, and and hopefully he gets it done in the classroom as well.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_03: So uh the second wide receiver I want to talk about, and and might be the most important wide receiver for us this year, is Eric Ezukama.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_03: He's a red shirt sophomore.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: He had he had a great 2019 campaign, 42 receptions, 664 yards, and four touchdowns.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um and he was kind of he was splitting downs with RJ Turner, who is now gone.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: So that really gives him a lot of uh a lot of way to just take off and have a great year.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's really expected to make a big impact in 2020.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's not like in in these sorts of offenses that there can only be one star wide receiver.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm really hoping this guy lifts off and uh continues on the path he's going because uh we definitely have had our fair share of excellent wide receivers in the past.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: And as he's developed as a as the player, I'm sure he's gained a bit uh a bit of wider ability to compete in this league as a top-notch wide receiver, especially whenever uh we're talking about connecting with our uh quarterbacks.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like uh I'm hoping uh Alan Bowman can find a real rhythm with these dudes.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: And and another important thing about this guy is he he didn't start taking off until conference play.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he didn't play a lot at the beginning of the year, and then he broke his way into the lineup and played some big games for tech.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_03: So he he actually put together the best season statistically by a freshman wide receiver in the past decade for Texas Tech.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_03: Very cool.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: So we got a computer on our hands too that says a lot about who he is.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, says a lot about, and we've had some pretty good receivers here at tech in the last decade.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_03: So no question about it.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: For him to be the best statistically freshman, uh is is a great sign for this guy.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: And then the final guy I wanted to just just touch on is this this true freshman out of Midland.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_03: He's a four star.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's he's got kind of a crazy name, but I I I think it's pronounced Loick Fungi.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um he's six foot four.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_03: Wells has said a lot of good stuff about him during camp.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and he's and he's a four star.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Receiver and he's a local guy out of Midland.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: So uh you love to see that.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: What's so great about this season is you're really starting to see the well-staffed recruit their players.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we're we're fine, we're getting to see what kind of product he's bringing to Lubbock.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: And looks like this guy is what we're gonna get.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, a four-star.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you always like hearing that whenever we're talking about a Texas Tech Sports.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_02: So that's that's excellent.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: And especially at the wide receiver position where we can use the best weapons we can to really take advantage of our awesome quarterbacks and offensive schemes.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to see how this kid does too.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_03: And and for Wells, his recruiting has just been so much better than what we saw out of Kingsbury.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, and he's getting he's getting local guys, which if you're Texas Tech, you need to dominate your area.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_03: You need to dominate West Texas.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_03: And to get all these transfers out of Midland, get all these guys out of Lubbock, get these guys, you know, get these guys to stay is is something you need to do as the head coach of Texas Tech.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_03: So I like what Matt Wells has done so far.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: That's an excellent point.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Uh you whenever Matt Wells came in, he expected to build a wall around, you know, around West Texas.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's Texas Tech zone.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember whenever during the Cliffs tenure, whenever you and I were uh uh watching West Texas guys go uh elsewhere, we're like, uh how can we let guys on our own backyard?
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_02: You know, this is this is Red Raider Land, and we're just letting these guys walk off to other programs.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: Whenever it should be a much easier sell to come to this offensive power on the plains here in Lubbock, you know, play for the hometown.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_02: And he obviously I'm preaching to the choir.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_02: So this is great news.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: This is a great change of pace, and this this recruiting has been pretty impressive so far.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I did want to obviously the wide receiver core is not made up of three dudes.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_03: We have a lot of guys that could break in to their star role, uh, or or just uh just a productive role for Texas Tech.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_03: We a few names, Kashawn Carter, you got Dalton Rigdon, who who had a pretty good campaign last season.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think McLean Mannix is back.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um Sterling Galvin.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_03: You can talk about guys like uh Xavier White, Miller Royals, you know, Cam Cantrell, Dylan's little brother.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe he could live up to the uh Cantrell name and the legacy at Texas Tech.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_03: He's only a red shirt freshman, so I'm not expecting, you know, crazy, crazy snap counts or whatever for him.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_03: But uh we just have we have a lot of young guys that could potentially break out, which is which is good news.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's it's kind of nice having these uh some of these mystery boxes because like like Sterling Golden for uh a good example is he was hurt these past two seasons.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: He didn't even he hasn't been able to play a single snap.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: So and he was a pretty highly touted uh wide receiver coming out of the gates uh in high school.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to see guys like him and as well as the other the other young men that you were mentioning uh see, you know, like you said, see if they can develop a role on the team and become the next uh hot star.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: We uh we do a great job of our our receiving court at tech, so I'm not I'm not too worried about the youth.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_03: But um what I am a little worried about is the uh the tight ends.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we just don't have the guy that has really made uh uh the impact at tech at least that that uh during Matt Wells' year last year.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we had Dante Thompson, who uh took the majority of the tight end snaps, uh had a had a great year really last year at that position.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but we didn't really have another tight end that uh at least receiving wise um that that had the numbers to to stand out.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: So I think the number one guy at the tight end position is gonna be Travis Koontz.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: He's a uh senior, he's six foot five, and he's a uh I read a potential big play guy.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: He had a couple receptions last year and they were all big plays.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_03: So I mean 20, 30 plus yards, which is good.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_03: So uh hopefully he can get in there and then uh make some more of those this season.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: Man, this is just weird talking about tight ends, isn't it?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_02: I mean when was the last time tight ends were actually discussion during a Texas Tech broadcast?
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um man.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: Would it be Jay tomorrow?
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, but he he played more receiver at tech than anything.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he was he had the he had the body to be a tight end, and obviously in the NFL he tried to go the tight end route.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: But uh yeah, yeah, tight ends are an anomaly.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, it's I'm happy to see CS work them in.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's it obviously worked out pretty well last season.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I'm excited to see this Wells and Yost scheme kind of take form.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's kind of hard to judge them off of one year, especially whenever they're having to deal with uh players they weren't expecting to going into the year.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to see them a whole nother year in Lubbock to develop this offensive unit into the juggernaut we expect.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_02: And uh I think Yost has a lot of praise in that sense.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: He's he's definitely a highly touted offensive coordinator.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: I remember where we hired Wells, a lot of people are saying that Yost was the uh true gym in the staff that we nabbed.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_02: So I think it's just obviously something we expect on the high planes here.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but obviously I speak for everybody whenever I say I'm really excited to see how this offensive unit forms up.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_03: No doubt.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: And another thing about tight ends is what you don't think about is the blocking.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, tight ends, they're they're always huge, they're always 6'5, 6'4, big, big dudes that can get out and catch a ball, but also they're they're there for an extra blocker.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_03: And to get that to protect Bowman at all costs is is a is something we need to think about this year.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_03: So um yeah, getting getting these tight ends involved in in the blocking game is gonna be huge as well.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um I just wanted to bring up three other possible tight ends that that could break into a role.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh John Holcomb is 6'4, he's a three-star out of Wellington, true freshman.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so he may not get some snaps this year, but uh, you know, we'll see.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_03: He's a he's a big body and he was a three-star recruit, so uh that's exciting.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and then Simon Gonzalez, who's a fresh uh red shirt freshman, uh, and Jackson Pace, who originally committed to Baylor, changed to Texas Tech.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_03: Gotta love it.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_02: Always like taking from the Bears.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, no doubt.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_03: So um, yeah, we'll see.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see how the tight ends end up at Texas Tech.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_03: Uh this is the second year of Wells's Wells' offense, so we'll see.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_02: Kind of fun on the last note on the tight ends is uh everybody but Travis Koontz is a Texas guy.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_02: So it doesn't matter.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, nice.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I'm sorry, except for Jason Lloyd's from Cali.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: But I just I just really wanted to harp on uh the point you made earlier that that Wells is really trying to reclaim Texas, which is I think is really important.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no doubt.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and we wouldn't be talking about the offense if we weren't talking about the offensive line.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um obviously, Jack Anderson, our boy, the man is a tank, doesn't let a lot of people get by him.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: He's the number one guy looking into the Texas Tech line this season.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_03: Preseason, all Big 12 first team, the only guy from tech on it uh on the offensive side, which is great.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, he's adding to that tattoo sleeve, so he becomes even scarier even with that baby face.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: So he just looks like such a nice dude, you know?
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then he becomes this beast on the field.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and he had to he had to add some tattoo game to to really uh spice it up a little.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_03: And he's got a baby face.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he's just a big, uh huge, massive dude with this baby face.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_03: And when you're and you can't really see it through the helmet, but uh it's nice to see him get a little get a little sleeve action and just show how nasty he is.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_02: And he's really prepping for the NFL.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think a big argument can be made that this this guy is the single best player on the whole team.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_02: So uh he's saying this is this is obviously the crown jewel on the offensive line.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: Uh very excited to see this guy protect Bowman again.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_03: Love to have guys like him on the roster.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I didn't talk about when we talked about um our our optimisms and pessimisms in the first episode, I mentioned the youth of the O-line, and I I didn't realize that most of the starters are are juniors and seniors, which is great.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they're not the young part, the young part is the backups and the guys that are going to come in for a few snaps of the game that haven't really played it yet.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, hopefully, you know, we stay healthy at that end so we don't have to input some of these true freshmen and some of these sophomores.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_03: But um, we do have uh an experienced line, at least in the starters.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: And that that's that's good news.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm I'm glad that we can feel a little better about the offensive line going in because this is obviously a very important position with the kind of quarterback we have, since he's not very mobile and quite durable.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: We need to give him as much time as he he can to sling that rock.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: So uh I I I it obviously Jack is the star, but I'm hoping to see some of these other guys kind of to develop and make also another name as another beast out there in the line.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I mean there's a couple more names you could talk about.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_03: Josh Berder, who's a grad transfer from Wafford.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_03: You know, he was a second team all, I believe, whatever conference they were in, second team all conference guy from Wafford, and he's coming in.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully he'll make an impact right away.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: We got guys like Dawson Deaton, we got guys like Zach Adams and Ty Morrow who have that experience uh that could potentially be a huge part of the team.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously, talk about the offensive line isn't as uh sexy as the the weapons, but these guys are just as important.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm excited to see that they have a I have a leader like Jack and some experience coming back like you you were harping on with the other guys.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: No doubt.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean it's a big impact for for the running backs for Sir Roderick, and depending on his year, you know, he's he's obviously a very uh a very talented guy, but you if if you get a defensive back rushing at you within half a second, you know, getting past your O-line, you I don't care how good a running back you are, you know, you're you're gonna you're gonna falter from it.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_03: So and then yeah, I think I think we gotta we we have to talk about special teams.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_03: We wanted to talk about special teams in the first episode, but for some reason it slipped our mind.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's one of the most impressive parts of this team going into the year.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I I know it's I know it's kickers and punters, and I know we all like to laugh and joke about that, but our kickers and punters are really, really damn good.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: And uh obviously it's like you said, it's not the unit that gets the most credit, but these guys were go playing out of their minds, dude.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: I think this is this might be the best special unit uh in the in the conference.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: You know, Trey Wolf is an absolute stud.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, as is uh as McMcMara, just am I saying McNamara?
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, man, have you seen the way that boy can put a ball on the line?
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like, holy cow.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: Both of those dudes.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, Trey Wolf was 20 for 22 on field goals last year.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's and a lot of those were 30, 40 yard kicks.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_03: And as he was a freshman last year.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, for him to come in and just and just kick the shit out of the ball, man, you'd love to see it.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: For sure, man.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's and he's he followed a I mean, uh the kicker before him got some um criticism, but he was playing injured.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: You remember uh Clayton Hatfield?
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_03: Hatfield was good for really good years here.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_02: Um he was he was the kicker right before this, right?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: I believe so, yeah.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: I believe so, yeah.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: So he's he followed up a good kicker, and boy, he did follow him up well.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm really excited to see what Wolf uh continues to do.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but it's not just the kicker, man.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_02: What about that punting game?
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that dude, he's on he's on the watch list for punter of the year, which is you'd love to see it because the punter may be the most underrated part of the football team because you talk about you know, you don't score every time, and I don't care if you have Patrick Mahomes on your team or what, we could score 60 points a game and we still have to punt a lot.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_03: And getting that ball within the 10-yard line, within the five-yard line, putting the other team in uh in a bad position, I mean, that's such a valuable part of your team and your program.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: This this guy was uh out of a football academy in Arizona, so and he was highly talented.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_02: Apparently, he's like the number one punter out of the state coming out of high school, and we saw why his freshman year.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_02: This kid can punt, and like you said, such an underrated position, and it really helps our defense out, you know.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, for a defense unit that struggles uh a lot, it's it's great to at least give them a hand in the sense where they have to the other offense has to really drive some yardage to to score.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, and it seems like Wells likes to do a trick play every once in a while, so we'll see if he actually gets out there and runs or or throws a couple on a on a on a fake punt here this coming year.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_03: But uh also some Montre Wolf, he was 40 for 41 on extra points, and that's just consistency.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that is just consistency, straight up.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, for a guy to come in that's that's 18, 19 years old and to just go.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he missed two field goals and one extra point all year.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it's such a thankless job.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_02: You know, everyone expects you to to make those extra points, but kickers miss those, yeah.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: So, and uh you'll really feel it in the game if they miss.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, while it's it's a thankless job and they get a lot of crud if they miss, this guy didn't do it.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: We never had to worry about it, and that's just just a nice relief to feel whenever you're after a great drive to just pop that uh extra point in and uh get us moving on to the next uh round.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, because if you if you remember, uh I think it was Kingsbury's last year, uh the last time we lost to Oklahoma State.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_03: So that's weird to say because they beat us what eight times in a row before we've we've won these last two.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_03: But the last game Oklahoma State won, they won off of a doink from an extra point.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: We were just going down, we tied the game, or we were gonna tie the game.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_03: All you gotta do is kick the extra point, and they doinked it with a minute and a half left, and we lost to Oklahoma State.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, these guys, it's it's it's really a mental thing with them because a lot of these kickers are talented, and a lot of these kickers can kick extra points like it's nothing.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_03: But when you get the crowd involved, and when you get, you know, just just the heat of the moment going on, uh, you really look for for the mental edge to to hit these field goals and hit these extra points.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_02: So that's a great point.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, this this Trey Wolf has the has some mental fortitude uh fortitude because you know we were playing some close games all year, so you obviously you have to keep your head in the game if you're gonna keep us in there with the extra points and uh field goals, and this kid does it.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I yeah, that's Stephen I have been talking about this special unit for so long, y'all.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_02: I I feel like we talked about them more than uh the offense or defense, maybe.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_03: I can't believe I can't believe we didn't talk about it in the first episode because I was super hyped up for him.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_03: I even told you I was like, I'm talking about special teams, and then it just completely crossed my mind.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, I should mention the returners.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_03: Uh to John Henry, who transferred to Houston, was a big returner last year.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna lose him, so we'll have to fill that role.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, and then Adrian Fry is going into his, I believe, junior year.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_03: He was returning a lot of balls last year.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_03: He's gonna be a main guy defensively.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I think he's switched to full-time cornerback, so I mean he's shadowing guys.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think he's gonna be playing a lot of special teams this coming year.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_03: So we're gonna have to find some young guys to get in there and then and uh not mess up on the returns.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh hats off to uh Mark Tomer Tomerdal, Coach Mark Tomerdal.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_02: Am I saying that right?
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: Special teams coach?
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_03: I think so.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: Uh he's he's done an awesome job.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_02: I remember where we hired him, it was there was a lot of praise for that Matt Wells hire.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_02: So uh very proud of the way he's he's formed up that unit.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_02: So especially on one that's often overlooked.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll see how the Texas Tech offense fares in 2020.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, it's never really been an issue in the past, even when we had our third string quarterback, we're still putting up points.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_03: So hopefully we can do a lot of the same uh this coming year.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_03: But I think that does it for part one of our offensive defensive Texas Tech preview going into the year.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_03: Then I think we can maneuver to our mailbag question.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_03: We got another mailbag question.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, it's from Nick, and he says, Hey guys, I've been listening to your podcast.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_03: I want to congratulate you all on a great job putting together the pod uh because the production is great and you two are very entertaining.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: We appreciate that, Nick.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, thank you for the love, Nick.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I appreciate it.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I unfortunately missed the last part of my senior year because of COVID, and I really wish I could have had more time at Texas Tech.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry, man, that really stinks.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_03: Um you know, we we feel for for all y'all that got affected by COVID and missed a um a good portion of your of your college experience.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah, it's not just the athletes, man.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_02: You know, everyone was just talking about the athletes missing their their their chance with uh with the COVID.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_02: But I mean, what about the students too, just regular students?
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's it's uh that stinks, and and a big part of senior year is going to going to job fairs, going and doing all that sort of stuff, getting uh getting some connections made before you go out into the real world.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_03: And uh that really stinks, man.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: So you only do undergrad once, yeah, for sure.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_03: But uh his question, we finally get to the question, is uh uh what is one thing you miss most about Texas Tech?
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Tristan, why don't you go ahead and take that away?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_02: Man, I could say a hundred things and not be done, yeah.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_02: But I think there's there's one thing that I always come back to.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_02: And Steve and I lived off campus for the most part, but we lived uh near campus so we could walk.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: I would always walk to my classes and uh just popping in my earbuds and walking across that beautiful campus in the morning or in the afternoon, uh just put me at this feeling of peace, and just I don't know.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's kind of it's there, it was just it just gave me a great feeling walking around that awesome campus, uh saying that you know, I'm a student here.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_02: This is so cool.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, after a big test, I would be able to walk around the campus and it would calm me down, be like kind of cool my nerves, be like, it's all good.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's and seeing the seeing the Lubbock sky and just taking it all in.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe when it maybe it was a snow day, maybe the campus was covered in snow, uh, you know, kind of breathtaking views there.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_02: It's just I I think I guess what I'm trying to say is I I miss the campus.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_02: I I loved Texas Tech Campus.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and just in the architecture, it's beautiful, the tradition, it's it's it's unmatched.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I uh obviously I could go on and on about the basics, but I I just thought that my unique answer would be I just miss my lone solo walks across campus between glasses with a cup of coffee, just taking it in on a on a crisp fall or spring day, you know.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_03: And you had quite the walk.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, yeah, your walk was a good 25 minutes from our house.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_03: So I did it every day, man.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I walked from there all the way to the Rawls, so it was as pretty much as far as it could be.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I didn't.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_03: I parked uh I parked for a couple hours at a time at the rec, so I didn't get a ticket.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_03: You're the worst.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_03: Hey man, we can all hate on TTU parking for sure.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: I got a boot myself, so I'm there.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody's got a boot once or twice.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_03: But uh I think I think my my thing I miss most is the game days.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_03: I know it's basic, but dude, waking up at 6 a.m.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_03: having having a breakfast beer, having a shower beer, and then going to the going to campus and tailgating, that's uh that's what I miss most because you get all your friends there, everybody's having a good time.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we're all we're we're talking ourselves into possibly winning this game.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we're just all having a great time.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_03: You you you just have everybody there.
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_03: There's a great it's a great game day experience over there at tech, uh, especially you know when we're playing a big game.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, talk about those OU, TCU, UT games were unmatched, and I give my family up there usually once or twice a year for a game, and uh we just had a ball, man.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_02: That was that was my second answer, man.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, is it tailgates or is it my the campus in general?
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, dude, good pick.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh the Saturday mornings were my favorite mornings of all, man.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_02: I just getting up, doing our breakfast beers, getting over there at 60 degrees, you got a light coat on, you're looking good, ready for a tech football game.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_02: You're pounding some beers with your buds.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you weren't looking good, but some of us were not just kidding.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it, but great answer.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_02: And gay, good question, Nick.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um Yeah, we appreciate it, Nick.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_02: I know we Steve and I both miss it dearly, and uh we definitely go back and do it all over without question.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, for sure.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_03: So uh if you want to send us a mailbag question, we can answer it here at the end of pods.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh talk in techpod at gmail.com.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_03: You can shoot shoot a couple questions over to us and uh we'll get to them at the end of the podcast.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_03: So Tristan, why don't you uh why don't you give me your song of the week?
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_02: All right, so my song of the week is I'm gonna try I'm trying to give you a little more upbeat.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_02: I've been giving y'all slow songs.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of I'm gonna give you all a little more of an upbeat, more motivational one.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's called uh The Luckier You Get by American Aquarium.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_02: It's a country rock group out of North Carolina.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_02: Steven, uh, I'm sure you're familiar with that Appalachian zone.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I was there for a little bit.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um they're they're they're such a fun, gritty uh country rock group, and it's just such a great that song's such a great message um saying that you you know the harder you work, the luckier you get.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a great message, you know, to not uh your life always gets better whenever you get it in and get it done and you you give it your best.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: So luck isn't always coincidence, you know.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes you earn your luck.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's that that's the great point of the song.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just a blast to listen to.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's just rock and roll, and it's just up a beat.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I just I wanted to give y'all some some upbeat music that's not exactly full-blown twang country.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's it's a great time.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_02: Y'all should go get a little listen.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_01: The more we get dust for the letter.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_03: Nice, man.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I haven't uh you always pick songs that I seem to have never heard of before, so uh I'll have to check that one out as well.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: But um, my song of the week is uh Take Me Down East.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: Easy by James Henry Jr.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it's opposite of Tristan, it's very slow.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's a nice smooth jam that you can listen to, kind of a kind of a soft rock uh song.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's something that you just when you're it's on my relaxation playlist.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_03: I just have a group of songs that I just put together that when I'm just chilling out, you know, laying laying on the back porch and uh got a glass of whiskey in my hand and we're just all chilling out, uh, listen to some jams, and and when this one comes on, you just love to listen to it.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_03: It's also a great driving song.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, windows down, you're in you're in a back road somewhere, and you're just you're just hanging out listening to this song.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_03: So it is pretty artsy.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh he's he's talking about being a tree for a little bit.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_03: You know, yeah, it's it's it's it the lyrics are are a little a little weird, but uh the song itself is is is honestly it's beautiful.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_02: So and for those of y'all who don't know, Steven is is clearly the most hipster dude you would ever meet.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's me.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_03: You know me.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm moving moving to Austin here in the next couple days.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_03: No, I'm just kidding.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, that's I it sounds like I need to get that a listen.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_02: I I actually have not heard that one before, so I'll be with the phone.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_03: I think you'd like it for sure.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: So take me down easy.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_01: Take me down easy.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_01: Let me land softly back in your arm.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_03: So um, yeah, I think I wanted to end uh end the pod on a shout-out.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um wanted to shout out.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_03: I'm a big Marvel fan, so um obviously uh the world lost a uh a great actor in Chadwick Bozeman this past week.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh he just portrayed a lot of iconic characters.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_03: You talk about Jackie Robinson, you talk about James Brown, and and then of course Black Panther.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_03: Uh just a dude that that kids look up to.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they see his movies, and and uh it was such a shocker to lose a guy like that because you really and nobody had any idea that he was that he uh he was sick with colon cancer.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_03: Um and to see to see that just randomly on Twitter, I think it had I think I saw it at like 9 p.m., like probably 15 minutes after uh the tweet was posted, and uh just listening to interviews and listening to how his fellow actors talked about him, um, and how he did nobody knew uh that he that he was sick.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_03: And for him to go through uh the kind of training going through your body all while going through chemo and all while going through these surgeries, I mean it's something to be it's something to really be uh proud of if you're if you're him and uh just a shout out to to Chadwick Bozeman, he's gonna be missed.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_02: That says a lot about his characters, so that's uh to to be that sick and nobody know.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that shows some real humility and real grit.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_02: So um, and obviously 40, he was only 43, right?
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's way too young to to to die in general, but cancer that young, that's that's terrible.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_02: But um, it seems like had a life well lived, and that's all anyone can ask for.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_03: For sure, for sure.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_03: He's in a better place, and that's what we can get some solace out of.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, man, I think that ends it.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_03: We'll be back next week with uh with talking about some Texas Tech defense.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_03: Hopefully, we'll see an improved improved group.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_02: We'll also be uh previewing the mighty Houston Baptist Huskies, very threatened.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_02: Huskies will cover them after.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, speaking of, we saw their conference opponent central Arkansas grab a dub.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_02: And uh we have some okay memories with Central Arkansas.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_02: The first game Steve and I ever went to as students was at home against Central Arkansas, and that game was way too close.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_03: Way too close.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_03: That was our first ever experience of Texas Tech football disappointment.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_03: But uh yeah, speaking of that game, uh another shout out to my cousin Grant, who uh is the starting kicker for Austin P, who played in the first football game this year.
• 47:52
  SPEAKER_03: So good for him, man.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_02: He he drilled his, so yeah, he made his.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_03: So uh, you know, I don't know about that long call, bro.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_03: Ladies and gentlemen, football is back.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that's gonna end it here on episode four.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_03: You can follow both of us on Twitter.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_03: Tristan is at Tristy Mick.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_03: I am at L underscore S underscore Rodriguez.
• 48:10
  SPEAKER_03: You can follow the pod on Twitter.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_03: We're at talking tech pod, and then shoot us a couple mailbag questions uh again at talkingtechpod at gmail.com.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_03: So uh we appreciate y'all listening and always rec'em tech.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_02: Wreck em tech.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_04: Uh wow, first of all, uh got a lot of respect for Steven and Tristan.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_04: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just want to congratulate Steven and Tristan on another great podcast.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_04: They were everything we thought they would be.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we have a lot of respect for their program.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_04: We have such a high opinion of them.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_04: I want to congratulate them.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_04: I just want to tell Stephen and Tristan thanks for coming out.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_04: The energy uh was really, really good in there today.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we fed off of it.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_04: I think it goes back and forth tremendous.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_04: Uh great job, and um, you know, just just proud of our guys for the way they responded.