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Texas Tech Football Preview 2020 - Part 2 + Houston Baptist Game Preview · Talkin' Tech

0:39
SPEAKER_01: Welcome in, everybody, to the Talk and Tech Podcast.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: My name is Steven Rodriguez, my co-host Tristan McGonagall.
0:45
SPEAKER_01: Tristan, how are you doing on this lovely Labor Day weekend?
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Hey, you know, I'm just enjoying my day off, talking a little tech, drinking a little beer, soaking it up.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: How about you, man?
0:55
SPEAKER_00: How are you doing today?
0:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm doing just about the same, man.
0:58
SPEAKER_01: Got a good uh cerveza in my hand, and uh we are hopefully gonna have a good time recording this podcast.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: No doubt.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: We got a lot to talk about today, so we better get to it.
1:07
SPEAKER_01: No doubt.
1:08
SPEAKER_01: Wanted to start off right now, uh a quick shout-out to Brock McWerder for sending this uh article over to me over Facebook.
1:16
SPEAKER_01: Uh but uh it looks like Coach Marlene Stalings is planning on suing Texas Tech.
1:22
SPEAKER_01: Um not great if you are the Red Raiders, but uh you could kind of see this coming.
1:29
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, fired in uh early August on allegations of physical and verbal abuse to the women's basketball team.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, just a tough situation all around, man.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: No, absolutely, but uh this this seems pretty standard.
1:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the the the coach probably felt like she got uh slided, so obviously she's trying to get uh a little back what she can.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: Um obviously we don't like seeing that, but uh it's just kind of the name of the coaching law game, you know.
1:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I mean she's claiming that uh the Texas Tech Athletic Department knew everything, knew of all the uh player complaints and everything.
2:08
SPEAKER_01: And when the USA Today article came out, that's when they fired her.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: And it wasn't necessarily because of the complaints from the players.
2:16
SPEAKER_01: Uh hopefully that's not true.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: But uh you have to you have to look at just the amount of players that transferred out of her program with she was only here for two years and 12 players transferred out.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there had to be something going on in that program that was just cancerous to the players.
2:39
SPEAKER_00: Without question, uh I hope that this is all just allegedly um I it would be it would stink to see if uh Kirby didn't hop on it uh sooner than he should have.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: Um I'm glad that we've we've done our best in repairing what's been done by getting our great new coach out of Gerlic.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, but hopefully we could just wrap this up, put it behind us.
2:58
SPEAKER_00: No one wants to see a lawsuit like this carry on.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: So hope uh we get in, get it done, and hopefully uh our athletic department comes out on the other side better than we were.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no doubt.
3:08
SPEAKER_01: I I trust our athletic department to make every right move.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: So uh we hope uh we hope the best for this coming situation.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: No doubt, no doubt.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then uh on some on some happier news, wanted to give a uh shout out to the Red Raiders in the NFL for 2020.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh 15 guys made the 53-man rosters uh for their teams, which is awesome.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: You know, you love to see more Red Raiders in the NFL, uh guys like Broderick Washington making the Ravens roster, Dakota Allen made it on the Jags roster.
3:40
SPEAKER_01: Love to see that because he he was going through a few teams uh to start his career.
3:44
SPEAKER_01: So happy to see him uh make the Jags roster.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, Jordan Brooks, you know, made a first-round pick, he's gonna he's gonna make it.
3:53
SPEAKER_01: But uh Brandon Jackson joining him on the Seahawks.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: Um you love to see Jakeem still on the Dolphins roster.
4:00
SPEAKER_01: Uh hopefully he can uh have an injury-free season and uh make it out clean with Miami and have a good year.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: Uh LaRaven Clark still kicking butt over there in Indianapolis.
4:10
SPEAKER_01: Kiki Kuti with the Texans, another another guy who's got to uh get healthy and hopefully he'll have a great year.
4:17
SPEAKER_01: Uh Danny Amendola, of course, with the Lions.
4:20
SPEAKER_01: Uh Cody Davis, Patriots, Carrie Hyder Jr.
4:23
SPEAKER_01: with the 49ers.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh he's on his he's on his um he's been on a few teams now, but uh uh making it in with the 49ers roster.
4:31
SPEAKER_01: Terrence Steele, undrafted rookie, going to going to your Dallas Cowboys, which is cool to see, not not uh not staying away too far from Lubbock.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: Um and then of course, you know, this guy named Patrick Mahomes.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: I guess he made the roster too with Kansas.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: That one's a shock.
4:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a shock, man.
4:48
SPEAKER_01: I really really would have thought Matt Moore was going to take that position, but uh I guess I guess we'll see Pat Mahomes again.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Holy cow, what a list, though.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: Geez, that's uh that that helps with recruiting.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: And uh there's one thing that I like to see on uh NFL Sundays, and that's Red Raiders.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: So I always like to pull for our guys no matter what team they're on.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: So that's that's great news.
5:08
SPEAKER_00: What a great list to kick off this episode with.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: A little happy news to follow up, that bummer you started with.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: Um, so heck yeah, let's go.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: I'm ready for the NFL to start kicking it off this Thursday with our boy, actually.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
5:19
SPEAKER_01: And we missed a few too.
5:20
SPEAKER_01: Cam Batson on the Titans and uh Antoine Wesley going on IR with the Ravens, uh Sam uh Gwoven, I believe.
5:28
SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, and then so we got some coaches too.
5:30
SPEAKER_01: You know, we got Cliff over there at uh at Arizona.
5:33
SPEAKER_01: We still wish him the best.
5:35
SPEAKER_01: Um doubt.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: And uh Anthony Lynn over with the Chargers, um Wes Welker, 49ers receiving coach.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure we're missing a few more coaches, but uh love to see, love to see those guys.
5:46
SPEAKER_00: Without question, it all starts Thursday night with our boy Patrick Mahomes against the Texans.
5:50
SPEAKER_00: So little Patty versus Kiki there.
5:53
SPEAKER_00: Hey, but uh I'm sure they'll be happy to see each other.
5:56
SPEAKER_01: Oh, for sure, for sure.
5:57
SPEAKER_01: Every every Red Raider alumni is probably happy to see each other when they're done and meeting each other on the NFL on the NFL field.
6:04
SPEAKER_01: So wanted to give a quick shout-out to that before we get into our uh defensive preview for the 2020 season.
6:10
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, part one was uh was last week, and now we are hitting part two with the defense.
6:16
SPEAKER_01: And hopefully we're gonna see an improved roster.
6:19
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, if there's one thing we're always looking for, an improvement on a Texas Tech football team, it's the defense.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's kind of been the name of the game since as long as I can remember.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they have a lot to prove this season, Steven.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: It's last season was not a great look.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh it it really couldn't have been that much worse in a lot of aspects.
6:41
SPEAKER_00: So we're really looking for some improvement this season.
6:43
SPEAKER_00: And uh are you do you think you see some spots that are gonna glow this season?
6:48
SPEAKER_01: I think the linebacker position is very strong, um, especially with the addition of Colin Schooler out of Arizona.
6:55
SPEAKER_01: It looks like he's already gonna be uh first game starter, which is uh you know unbelievable for a guy who's only been in the program for 10 days.
7:03
SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, I think the linebacker position is gonna be uh the one to look out for.
7:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm a little concerned about the D-line.
7:10
SPEAKER_01: Uh we we lost uh a huge part of that defensive line with Broderick Washington, so uh we're gonna have to get some guys making up for his workload.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: But uh I a good start.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: We have 10 of our 13 top leading tacklers returning, which is nice.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: Those those three that aren't returning, of course, are Jordan Brooks, Douglas Coleman, and Broderick Washington, which were uh three of the top guys.
7:34
SPEAKER_01: So uh we're gonna have to make up for some some ground with with losing those dudes.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: Let's go ahead and rip the band-aid off.
7:39
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's go ahead and talk about what went down last season.
7:42
SPEAKER_00: Last season we were 127th in total defense.
7:45
SPEAKER_01: Yikes.
7:46
SPEAKER_00: Uh it's that's second to last, I believe.
7:48
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: Uh so uh we allowed 30.3 points per game.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, that's that's obviously you you can't win football games like that, and it showed last season, it's been showing this whole decade.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: So uh it's we were 128th in pass, D.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: Uh, we allowed 307 passing yards a game.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: Um not great.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: We allowed 480.3 per game in total.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, and uh okay, last band-aid to rip off.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: Uh out of the eight of the 10p5 teams we played, uh, we allowed 30 points each of those eight out of 10.
8:26
SPEAKER_00: So not a great look for uh the defense, but we're used to that here in Lubbock as of late.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I just want to go ahead and talk about that because I I want to set that base as we go into this this roster review, and it could really only get better.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I know it's it it sounds like I'm copping them out right now, but whenever we're talking about numbers like these, realistically, it could only get better.
8:52
SPEAKER_01: We had we had a couple guys out of position last year.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and we can we can start with the defensive backs.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: Adrian Fry was playing not in his correct position.
9:02
SPEAKER_01: He he got switched over to safety uh last year, and he you could tell he struggled uh trying to trying to play that versus uh cornerback where he really strived um his freshman year.
9:14
SPEAKER_01: He was all Big 12 in 2018 as a cornerback.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: He's going back to that position.
9:18
SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think that's a smart move from Matt Wells, kind of uh you know, cutting his losses uh with last season.
9:25
SPEAKER_01: And he's gonna be the guy to really look out for.
9:27
SPEAKER_01: Um it's it's his rightful position.
9:30
SPEAKER_01: And he he had five interceptions in 2018, uh, but it's safety, he was really a liability, and he didn't pick up on the right defenses and and looked a little lost sometimes.
9:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no doubt.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: Um it's we we definitely need help in the back, too.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: You know, why why would you move one of our best players?
9:47
SPEAKER_00: But uh obviously they know better more about football than we do.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: But I just I hope that uh we we have the right guys to play in the right positions this year.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, and one thing that, you know, a phrase that keeps popping up is we need Big 12 talent on this Big 12 defense.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: Um and a big criticism is that perhaps we haven't exactly been playing players that are Big 12 talent.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: Um, it's it's gotta be a struggle, except for especially for a new coaching staff to recruit defensive guys to Texas Tech because it's we're just a school known for a meme defense, but an awesome offense where we don't even care about that side of the ball, it seems like.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: But it really looks like this year could be a step in the right direction.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I know we say that a lot.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: I know, I know we are always talking about how okay, now we got this.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: This is the year.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: This is the year.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this is the year.
10:34
SPEAKER_00: This defense, this this this this uh D coordinator has got it going on now.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: He's he's got his own boys and all that.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: But I I really do think with all these transfers that are coming in and for getting the guys in the right places, I really think that this is a chance to move the team in the right direction.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I really think this is a Big 12 defense that can maybe surprise some teams this year.
10:54
SPEAKER_00: I think that about that way in our team in general this year.
10:57
SPEAKER_00: But uh, like I said, it can only go up.
10:59
SPEAKER_00: And I really think this this this could be the year where we can turn a corner to at least get to a decent one.
11:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're not asking for lockdown, nobody's gonna pass us.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: We're just asking for something to give us a fighting chance on the W side.
11:12
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think I think it starts with leadership, uh, having those guys that that are vocal leaders as much as on the field.
11:19
SPEAKER_01: Um, we had Jordan Brooks last year, who was fantastic, but we need a guy to fill that role.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: And I think some of these transfers that you're bringing up, you know, Eric Monroe coming in from LSU, he's been a guy who has been active in camp, been a guy who's kind of taking a leadership role.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: He's coming in as a grad transfer.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: So I guess he's got two years technically left because of the NCAA eligibility thing during COVID.
11:41
SPEAKER_01: But uh this would have been his last year, and so he's gonna bring it, he's gonna bring it all in.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: He was part of a championship roster last season with the Tigers.
11:49
SPEAKER_01: He was a former four-star recruit.
11:51
SPEAKER_01: He had some nagging injuries at LSU, and uh, so I think a change of scenery could be kind of a win-win situation for him and for Texas Tech.
11:59
SPEAKER_01: Um but him, you know, we have Zach McPherson over there at slotted at the other cornerback position opposite of Vadrian Fry.
12:07
SPEAKER_01: He had a strong 2019, 51 tackles.
12:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, he's another experienced guy.
12:12
SPEAKER_01: He had some uh some time at Penn State as well before he got over here.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: Um and just, you know, we we we need guys from these winning programs to kind of lead lead the way in practice, on the field, off the field, just everything you need.
12:29
SPEAKER_00: That's a great point.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh, not not there's no substitute for experience.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: So I really hope these guys can uh uh take the reins of leading the team, like you said, because that's a tangible that can't really be measured.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: Um and it's something that's probably been missing on that defensive side.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: You know, when was the last time, you know, uh we we had a guy a few or a group of guys that really stood out on and off the field in many ways.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: And um, I'm really looking forward to see these leaders take off and hopefully change what how we think about Texas Tech defense um because that's something that we desperately need right now.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh a point to maybe hopefully hope for more of this season is turnovers.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: We were uh a leading team in in turnovers.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think that's kind of the philosophy with our defense um scheme is cause us as much chaos as you can to get the turnovers because we had 19 total.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: Uh just something that hurts with that one is uh Douglas Coleman was responsible for eight.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: And he had an unbelievable year last year.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, really came out of nowhere.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: Not out of nowhere necessarily.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: He he had a good first couple years, but um he was over at the cornerback spot where Fry probably would have been, and uh he he really took advantage of it.
13:38
SPEAKER_01: He could he did a lot of good for for our defense last season, so losing him is gonna hurt.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: But we got guys like Demarcus Fields, he's coming in, he's a senior, fifth in tackles last year with 52.
13:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, I I personally wasn't a huge fan of him last season, but uh you know he's another guy.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: He's a senior, he's been with the program, and hopefully he can take that next leap and be a be a strong candidate uh for the defense.
14:01
SPEAKER_01: Same goes with Thomas Leggett.
14:03
SPEAKER_01: He's a he's a redshirt senior, nine solo tackles in the OK State win last season.
14:07
SPEAKER_01: He was a big part of that.
14:09
SPEAKER_01: So uh and it looks like uh Dadrian Taylor, uh he's a sophomore who's looked great in camp so far.
14:15
SPEAKER_01: I've seen a few videos that uh Texas Dex put out um on their social media feeds.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: And you know, it looks like he's gonna be a big part of this.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: Adam Beck is a is a Minnesota transfer.
14:25
SPEAKER_01: Um so you know, talking about the defensive back specifically, I think there's a lot of chance for improvement.
14:33
SPEAKER_00: And that's one of the the side of the ball that uh everyone's always pointing at is Texas Tech needs to get better on our backs because of the pass, the passing defense is atrocious.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: So um if we can improve there, especially in the Big 12 conference, I know that we're it's becoming a more balanced game in this conference, but it's still a pass-heavy uh scheme in this conference.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: Uh what portion of this defense are you looking forward to the most?
14:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm looking forward to the linebackers the most, and we can get into that right now because uh we have some really solid guys on this roster.
15:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, Rico Jeffers is probably gonna be the guy that takes the Jordan Brooks role.
15:09
SPEAKER_01: Now, I'm not saying he's gonna be Jordan Brooks.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: Obviously, a uh Brooks was a first-round NFL talent.
15:15
SPEAKER_01: Um, but this guy was right up there.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: He's a dog, man.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: He is scary, he hits hard, 76 total tackles in 2019, which was second on the entire team.
15:26
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he's the most experienced returning linebacker.
15:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and by most experienced, I mean within the Texas Tech system.
15:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we get guys like Colin Schooler coming from Arizona, uh, Flow Bros with Eli Howard, obviously.
15:39
SPEAKER_01: Uh great, great guy for Arizona these last few years.
15:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, and he and he, you know, he was all Pac-12 in 2018.
15:46
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we also have guys like Kishon Merriweather, who's coming in, led all of JUCO in tackles in 2019, nearly 14 tackles a game.
15:56
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's impressive, even at the JUCO level.
15:59
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it looks like he's gonna be a first opening day starter.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Hey, yeah, you know, I I I I kind of walked you right into that one.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: It's definitely the linebacker core here has been one of the most talked about positions on the entire team.
16:12
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's it's been a really exciting group, and it's been our drafting uh zone lately in the NFL.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: So it's it's it's great to see us build that kind of talent here in Leopick, Texas.
16:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, and obviously on the side of the ball where we need it the most.
16:25
SPEAKER_00: So I'm with you.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm most excited about that as well.
16:28
SPEAKER_00: I think that's where a lot of our leaders come out whenever it comes to the defense.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: Um, because like uh Dakota Allen, George, but Jordan Brooks were definitely leaders on the defense uh during their during their stint here at tech.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: Uh, and I hope to see that kind of translate into our new boys coming in and uh grabbing those reins and taking off.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: For sure.
16:44
SPEAKER_01: Wanted to touch on another couple transfers.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: Brandon Boyer Randall, Michigan State transfer, been impressive in camp so far.
16:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then Jacob uh Morganstern, I believe.
16:54
SPEAKER_01: He transferred from Duke.
16:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, coming over.
16:57
SPEAKER_01: I believe we we had a new coach that came over from Duke as well.
17:00
SPEAKER_01: So uh he probably had ties with that.
17:02
SPEAKER_01: But uh and Cosey Eldridge, uh, just wanted to touch on him as well.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: He could be one of those guys that makes an immediate impact on this roster.
17:09
SPEAKER_01: So uh linebacking core, I think, is our strongest of all of our defensive units.
17:14
SPEAKER_01: Uh, what I think is the weakest of our defensive units is our defensive line.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: Um might be the weakest group at Texas Tech in 2020.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: Um I we've mentioned it a few times now, lose Broderick Washington.
17:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, just a big time pass rusher.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: And that's where it all starts at at the defensive end.
17:34
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you need these guys to pressure these quarterbacks so they either have to uh they get shuffled in the pocket, they have to maybe possibly run, try to get make a confusing play, and maybe cause a fumble or two, bat a couple balls down, and we just didn't get that and get a lot of that the last few years uh outside of Broderick Washington.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: So um we'll see if guys like Eli Howard, he's he's coming in, he's the most experienced uh defensive lineman on the field.
18:01
SPEAKER_01: Uh five sacks in 2019, which was uh uh probably a little bit of a disappointment um going into last season, but he's a solid pass rusher and uh hopefully he boasts a strong 2020 campaign.
18:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no doubt.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Uh that's that's that with the cornerbacks have both been the uh point of contention here at tech.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: It's it's those are certainly places where we've struggled lately.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: Um I hopefully the the new faces and the uh experienced roster will come back and uh surprise us.
18:29
SPEAKER_00: I mean, hopefully we'll be surprised, is uh kind of the kind of the hope there is, you know, there's obviously looking at the paper, you know, you it's hard to get hyped up about it, but I guess we just hope for a surprise, you know.
18:40
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's uh all you can say, you know.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: Well, no doubt.
18:43
SPEAKER_01: And I think there's some there's some wild cards off of this defensive line.
18:46
SPEAKER_01: You talk about Tony Bradford's, uh Nelson and Banasaur, Jalen Hutchings, um, saw a couple other guys, Nick McCann and Devin Drew, were on the uh opening days.
18:57
SPEAKER_01: Uh, I believe uh either first guy off the bench or or also starting.
19:01
SPEAKER_01: But uh there's a true freshman, Philip Blindy or Blitty, uh who could who could you know be this guy to make an impact.
19:08
SPEAKER_01: He's one of Wells' recruits.
19:10
SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, it's not like getting a Kingsbury recruit.
19:13
SPEAKER_01: Uh so we'll see, we'll see how that works.
19:15
SPEAKER_01: And uh obviously the AM transfer, Tyree Wilson.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: Um, he's he's eligible to play.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: I saw him on the on the first day roster.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: So uh there we have a number of guys that could that could potentially uh make make a name for themselves here in the Big 12.
19:29
SPEAKER_01: And uh hopefully we have a at least decent pass rushing unit in 2020.
19:35
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: In a in a conference of like the Big 12 where a quarterback plays Supreme, you definitely want to keep your pressure on him because uh once you uh take him out of the game, then the other team's out so uh in these offenses.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: So hopefully they can get out of there and get nasty.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: For sure.
19:50
SPEAKER_01: And it all starts week one with Houston Baptist, the Huskies, the mining Houston Baptist Huskies coming into Lubbock.
20:01
SPEAKER_01: We'll start with our first game preview of the season.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: Man, it just that just gets me hyped, man.
20:08
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm excited to see some Red Raider football in 2020.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, and this is gonna be a fun game to start out with.
20:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they're not it's it's not the best talent we're gonna be going up against, but uh, I'd like to see these new players on the field, and I think it'd be great to see them go against some lower talent so we can see what they're made of on uh off the get-go and see if they can take advantage of this new opportunity, you know, to see them lift off on a new team and uh see our old guys come back and uh get it back done, you know?
20:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no doubt.
20:40
SPEAKER_01: And I mean, Houston Baptist, it's obviously an FCS opponent.
20:44
SPEAKER_01: Um they're just uh it's it's good.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: We have to remember that it's week one as well.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna make mistakes.
20:52
SPEAKER_01: It it's just gonna happen.
20:53
SPEAKER_01: Even against a lower team, a lower level team, we're still gonna make our mistakes.
20:58
SPEAKER_01: We're still gonna have to get used to the season.
21:00
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, this game isn't close.
21:02
SPEAKER_01: I imagine it won't be, but uh, we still have to remember that it is week one.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: 100%.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: And uh, I'm glad you said that.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: I just want to go ahead and start off this uh game preview by saying Texas Texas Tech fans don't need to be worried about this.
21:16
SPEAKER_00: Uh tech has not struggled against FCS uh opponents in its history.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: We're 23 and 1 all time versus FCS.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: Uh there's no reason to be concerned.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh we scored 20 uh 52.6 points per game on uh FCS opponents, and uh this is uh uh actually a historic matchup.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: They uh this is our first ever matchup against Houston Baptists, uh Texas Tech versus Houston Baptists.
21:39
SPEAKER_00: And it's also the first time Houston Baptist has ever played a Power Five opponent.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: Really?
21:45
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: That's surprising.
21:47
SPEAKER_01: Uh I mean that's surprising a little bit, I I'd think.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because um according to the ESBN article of the uh HBO versus UNT uh game, this is uh season number eight of D1 football for Houston Baptists.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Wow, okay, they're a brand very young.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: They're a brand new program.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: Uh, they're just getting going.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's a very small school over there in Houston.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: It's a liberal art school of only about 3,000 students.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, yes, they're in the uh Southland Conference.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: Everyone should be familiar with the Southland Conference in Texas.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: Uh, they share a conference with uh probably the best FCS team in Texas historically, Sam Houston State.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: They also share uh the conference with Abilene Christian, a West Texas team, incarnate word out of San Antonio's, Stephen F.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: Austin, and uh Lamar.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: And so a point about Lamar is that was the last Southland conference team we played.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, and we beat them 77 to zero.
22:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was that was with Bowman.
22:42
SPEAKER_01: That was that last season or was that 20 years?
22:44
SPEAKER_01: The season prior the season prior.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: Bowman was unbelievable that game.
22:48
SPEAKER_01: And Lamar just, I mean, they they usually play a power five opponent every year.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: I know I normally see them play uh either a Big 12 team or or like an AM, they'll play sometimes.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, Houston, I didn't realize Houston Baptist was that young of a program.
23:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it that's why it's so interesting and it's cool to be part of a historic game for them.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: Um, and another just uh fun tidbit about Houston Baptist is that it has some strong ties to Texas Tech.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: Their offensive coordinator, Zach Kitley, is uh a Texas Tech alum.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: Oh, cool.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: As is Jared Castor, who's their O-line coach.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: And probably the funniest fact of all is uh they have a their special teams coach and running back coach is Tyler Skuvenek.
23:28
SPEAKER_00: And I think everyone will recognize that last name.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: He is the son of President Skuvenek.
23:32
SPEAKER_01: Wow, right.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: So some strong ties to the university, strong ties to Texas Tech.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: So it's talk about an appropriate game for them to come to uh to the play a power five game for the first time.
23:43
SPEAKER_00: So Texas Tech fans, uh don't be concerned, you can relax on Saturday.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: Um, but just expect some mistakes.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's game one, like Steven said, but this this shouldn't be an issue.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: Um so that's that's uh and Texas Tech is unbelievable in the opener.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, opening game.
24:01
SPEAKER_00: We're uh we're we were 65-27 all-time in season openers, and uh just before this, we were uh 16 straight until uh Ole Miss beat us.
24:11
SPEAKER_01: We we have to look at that Ole Miss team too, because they had uh two guys that you may know uh if you if you're on a fantasy football team, uh AJ Brown and DK Metcalf were both on that team, both star receivers.
24:23
SPEAKER_01: I know, and we had our quarterback hurt mid-game, but uh Ole Miss was a tough, that was a tough one.
24:28
SPEAKER_01: We were at that game too, and that was that was tough to see at NRG.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: That was um, I believe that was Cliffs last season as well.
24:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: So that was uh that was kind of the beginning of the end.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: It was it was a tough season.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: Tough season, but back to Houston Baptist.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: We should talk about their game against North Texas because they have they played a game this season already.
24:47
SPEAKER_01: Uh they played last week to North Texas, lost uh 57 to 31, but the game was not as close as the score indicated.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: They still, I mean, I say that they still lost by 26, but it it really wasn't that close.
25:01
SPEAKER_01: It was it was 51 to 17 at one point.
25:03
SPEAKER_01: They uh at Houston Ballot just got some late game scores, and um the lead was when the lead was pretty much insurmountable.
25:10
SPEAKER_01: But um I guess some notes from that game.
25:13
SPEAKER_01: Uh not much of a rushing attack, only 89 total yards for the Huskies in that game.
25:19
SPEAKER_01: So that's good for our defensive line.
25:21
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully they can uh get in there and and have about the same performance, if not much better than North Texas on that end.
25:27
SPEAKER_01: Um they also fumbled twice.
25:29
SPEAKER_01: Um, but they had a lot of big passing plays.
25:32
SPEAKER_01: They had seven receivers averaged 14 yards per reception against North Texas.
25:36
SPEAKER_01: Something to look at uh because big plays obviously are are a killer and can lead to a bunch of scores.
25:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, this uh their quarterback, Bailey Zap, he's uh he had quite the game and he had quite the season last year.
25:49
SPEAKER_00: He was uh first in FCS completion rating.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: Um wow total, yeah.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: And uh he was second in yards per game in FCS.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: So uh with with uh 317.6 per game, uh 35 touchdowns total.
26:02
SPEAKER_00: So he this guy, this guy is this guy's a baller in the FCS.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: He's just unfortunate.
26:07
SPEAKER_01: Big passing attack, it seems, over there.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: For sure.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh unfortunately, his team didn't reflect his performance as he they got 10th out of 11 teams in the South Lane last year, uh, with only two conference wins, six losses.
26:19
SPEAKER_00: Um so and obviously at UNT, talent showed out uh and very balanced game against them.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: They was uh 361 uh passing yards and 316 running yards uh versus the Houston Baptist Huskies.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: So it looks like the Baptist Huskies struggle on defense on both passing and rushing, uh, which is obviously a good sign for us.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: Again, this shouldn't be an issue, but it should also be able to see if we can get our our gears running on uh both our passing and our running game against them.
26:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and hopefully we can run some plays that then we're a little iffy on.
26:50
SPEAKER_01: We're we're not 100% going into uh coming out of camp with uh, you know, hopefully we just we just uh uh are together on all cylinders.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: For sure.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: And I think uh the more important point is to see how we react to this passing game.
27:04
SPEAKER_00: Um with uh because this like this guy uh Bailey Zape, he threw 30 and uh 62 passes, 39 complete.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: So they throw it, they sling it.
27:11
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 62 times a game is a ton.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: It is.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: Uh so I would like to see how our backs do against that passing game, and hopefully we can get some pressure on the quarterback um to see how we do against a uh weak passing game.
27:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh I shouldn't say weak, but uh we're gonna see better ones in the Big 12.
27:28
SPEAKER_00: So I hope to see how we do against one like this and uh kind of give us a gauge on what to expect in the season.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no doubt.
27:35
SPEAKER_01: No doubt.
27:36
SPEAKER_01: So I just picked a guy out of Houston Baptist.
27:39
SPEAKER_01: Looks like he led the team in tackles against UNT, Caleb Johnson, linebacker.
27:42
SPEAKER_01: So uh we may watch out for him on Saturday.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, game is on uh ESPN Plus, which kind of stinks, but um yeah, I believe it's what five bucks to to buy if you and some people already have the uh ESPN Plus, so you can see it on there on uh at what what time was it?
28:03
SPEAKER_01: Um three o'clock, I believe.
28:06
SPEAKER_00: Uh no, I think it's a night game.
28:07
SPEAKER_01: Oh no, 7 p.m.
28:09
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 7 p.m.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: kickoff.
28:10
SPEAKER_01: Uh night game at the Jones, 25% capacity.
28:14
SPEAKER_01: So hopefully, uh hopefully we have a good opening day.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: And this this should be uh this should be a good one.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: We should be starting out one and oh, no question.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: Uh and like I said, this is definitely a passing team we have to watch out for.
28:26
SPEAKER_00: Um with uh so hopefully we can get a get a good glimpse of what we're looking at with our our defense on the passing game and hopefully to see how we light it up on both sides, uh, both passing and rushing on the offense.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: So that was the Houston Baptist Huskies preview for game one of the 2020 football season.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: Uh every week uh prior to the game, we'll be giving you uh some game previews this season.
28:51
SPEAKER_01: So uh kind of maneuvering, we're gonna go into our uh we got another mailbag question.
28:56
SPEAKER_01: This one is coming from Brian, and uh it says, which of the school sports that you got to see played live was the best and why?
29:04
SPEAKER_01: So why don't you go ahead and take it away, Tristan?
29:07
SPEAKER_00: Or we're gonna have the same answer.
29:09
SPEAKER_01: I I picked so I picked a specific game.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: May not be.
29:13
SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's it's is he saying sport or game?
29:16
SPEAKER_01: He said sport, but I'm gonna do game because we're it's both football.
29:19
SPEAKER_01: We're both gonna say football for sport, just because well, and yeah, because it's uh I think it's more exciting, like the top top game.
29:29
SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
29:30
SPEAKER_01: Like the TCU game that we were at in 2015 where we lost, but that atmosphere was better than probably any atmosphere I've been in.
29:37
SPEAKER_01: And that may be a hot take.
29:39
SPEAKER_00: That's that that game was I always said that was the best football game I've ever been to.
29:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that game was unreal.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I cannot believe that lucky catch at the end.
29:47
SPEAKER_00: But other than that, that was just that was just prime Patrick Mahomes.
29:51
SPEAKER_00: That was prime Texas Tech uh versus Rival TCU uh shootout that we're that we were used to.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: Man, what a wild game that was.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: It's a good choice.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: Is that what you're going with?
30:01
SPEAKER_01: Well, that wasn't really that's not really what I'm going with.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: The game that I'm choosing is uh it's it's from Texas Tech Lacrosse.
30:09
SPEAKER_01: No, I'm just kidding.
30:13
SPEAKER_01: Um no, I'll say uh overall the greatest live experience I got was uh it was it was kind of a tie between TCU, the football game, and the OU basketball game in 2016.
30:26
SPEAKER_01: Coming into town, buddy healed.
30:28
SPEAKER_01: They were, I believe, number three in the nation at the time.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: They came into Lubbock, um and and we beat him in the final seconds.
30:37
SPEAKER_01: It was a great game.
30:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh we had uh classic players, you know, Todra Gotcher, who's a Texas Tech legend, just a guy who who represented the university so well, great three-point shooter.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: My boy Aaron Ross.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: Anybody remember Aaron Ross, number 15?
30:53
SPEAKER_01: Big boy could could shoot some threes on the outside there.
30:57
SPEAKER_01: Um, and that was young Keenan Evans, young Zach Smith, and young Justin Gray.
31:01
SPEAKER_01: Just a classic game for me.
31:03
SPEAKER_00: That you know, that was gonna be my choice.
31:06
SPEAKER_00: Um, because I remember rushing the court on that one.
31:08
SPEAKER_00: I was just uh I was down there ready to go.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: And that that was where that like really awesome moment for Toddy came in over he dropped that uh free throw and ran off, wasn't it?
31:17
SPEAKER_01: Well, he got the yeah, he got the rebound, I think, off of it was like a last second play.
31:21
SPEAKER_01: I watched it the other day actually.
31:22
SPEAKER_01: Uh they went up and they had to shoot a crappy shot, and then Gotcher caught the rebound and he actually traveled with with about like half a second left, but he traveled, and then that's when everybody stormed the court.
31:34
SPEAKER_01: That's when the buzzer went off.
31:35
SPEAKER_01: It was just a cool experience.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna have to say it's probably the the greatest tech sports experience I've ever wit uh no, not witness.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: I mean for college, I mean well all time is definitely Final Four, but um college time, I'm gonna have to go with the TCU game, that football game.
31:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh that was unreal.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: I've never seen the Jones more alive in my life.
31:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and just a couple more.
31:58
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that OU game when Baker came into town and and him and Mahomes had that classic shootout.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: Uh we were at that game, and and you know, that it's a it's an all-timer.
32:08
SPEAKER_01: I mean, seeing two quarterbacks who are now NFL starting quarterbacks won the MVP and and Super Bowl winner going going at it.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Mahomes threw for 800 yards, or he threw for 700, he had like 800 total yards in that game, set a record.
32:23
SPEAKER_01: It was unbelievable.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: And then also uh the Kansas game in 2018, our senior year.
32:30
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we lost, but uh they came into town and college game day was there.
32:34
SPEAKER_01: Uh awesome experience all the way through.
32:37
SPEAKER_01: That was the first time I really saw the uh the swag surf, I think they call it, where we started doing the you know, everybody locking, locking arms and and uh you know, squatting down doing that whole deal.
32:48
SPEAKER_01: Um that that was a great that was a great experience as well.
32:52
SPEAKER_00: For sure, man.
32:53
SPEAKER_00: And uh I I just think what part of the things that kind of puts football over the edge for me is you know the experience before, during, and after, you know, because uh we get the tailgate and uh you can't really tailgate for much else uh and get all the boys together and the just uh just that atmosphere was was unreal.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: But it's it's definitely up there between football and basketball, but I'm gonna have to give it to TCU as the greatest sport uh uh game I ever saw as a student.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I think uh I'll I'll I'll go with a a bullshit answer and say tie with TCU and the uh and the OU game in in 2016.
33:27
SPEAKER_01: So hey, it's safe.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: I'll let it have it.
33:29
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
33:30
SPEAKER_01: So uh thanks, Brian, for sending that in.
33:31
SPEAKER_01: If y'all want to send some more uh mailbag questions in to us, we are talking tech pod at gmail.com.
33:37
SPEAKER_01: Shoot us a couple mailbag questions, just shoot us some some general feedback.
33:40
SPEAKER_01: We always love to hear it.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: So um anything, guys.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: You can talk about sports, tech, Lubbock, anything.
33:47
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, anything.
33:48
SPEAKER_01: We're we're always ready to talk about it.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: So uh well, Tristan, why don't you uh get into your song of the week?
33:53
SPEAKER_00: All right, so I wanted to keep this one short and sweet and simple on my song of the week.
33:57
SPEAKER_00: I just kind of want to get y'all in the party mood for uh this this upcoming uh football game.
34:02
SPEAKER_00: It's called Crazy People by the Randy Rogers band.
34:07
SPEAKER_00: Because I just think that's just such a great anthem for Texas Tech fans.
34:11
SPEAKER_00: Um we're known for our rowdiness, we know we're known for having a beer or two, we're known for getting out there and just going crazy.
34:18
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna go with Crazy People from what is could be considered the greatest Texas country band of all time.
34:24
SPEAKER_00: Uh the Randy Rogers band, just an absolute drinking party anthem, and it's just it's just fun to listen to.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: It's an absolute jam.
34:32
SPEAKER_01: No doubt, good choice, man.
34:33
SPEAKER_04: Lost in a fishing strangers, kissing, smoking out the back.
34:50
SPEAKER_01: What about you, Don?
34:51
SPEAKER_01: Uh, mine, I'm gonna go with the uh little American theme.
34:55
SPEAKER_01: We are recording this here on Labor Day.
34:56
SPEAKER_01: So um wanted to give uh Brooks and Dunn only in America, uh classic song, great, uh, great jam.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, it's just a song that'll really get you psyched to be born in this country that really has so much to offer.
35:09
SPEAKER_01: I know there's been a lot of negativity in 2020 so far.
35:13
SPEAKER_01: Uh and sometimes it's just good to look at the grand scheme of things and just be blessed that we're Americans and that we're literally in the most diverse country on the planet with so many different cultures and ways of life.
35:24
SPEAKER_01: And we just need to celebrate that.
35:25
SPEAKER_01: So many opportunities for so many different people.
35:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we have it really good here.
35:29
SPEAKER_01: You know, certain things can be improved, but sometimes I think people lose sight of how amazing this country really is.
35:34
SPEAKER_01: So uh wanted to give uh Brooks and Dunn only in America.
35:38
SPEAKER_04: Only in America, dream in red, white, and blue.
35:45
SPEAKER_04: Only in America, where we dream as big as we want to.
35:51
SPEAKER_04: We all give a chance.
35:58
SPEAKER_00: Great, great choice and great message to leave us on there, Steven.
36:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, it's it's it's the people that make this place so great.
36:05
SPEAKER_00: So I just think we all need to remember that we're all in this together.
36:08
SPEAKER_00: We're all countrymen, and uh all just need to love each other and get through uh the bad times together.
36:12
SPEAKER_00: So uh great choice, man.
36:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: Well, I think that's gonna do it for our fifth episode, man.
36:20
SPEAKER_01: Yes, this is our in our last episode without football.
36:23
SPEAKER_00: Wow, we're really gonna like that.
36:25
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's it's it's gonna be nice to be able to actually react and talk about games for once.
36:28
SPEAKER_00: So this is this is finally getting going for us.
36:30
SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness, thank goodness.
36:32
SPEAKER_00: We made it through the offseason.
36:33
SPEAKER_01: Made it through a long, long offseason, and uh, we're excited to uh keep doing the pod and uh keep reacting to uh to games and and hopefully we'll see some tech W's here in the coming weeks.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: No doubt, man.
36:46
SPEAKER_01: So uh you can follow us both on Twitter.
36:49
SPEAKER_01: Tristan is at Tristy Mick.
36:51
SPEAKER_01: I am at L underscore S underscore Rodriguez.
36:54
SPEAKER_01: Um you can follow the pod on Twitter.
36:56
SPEAKER_01: We are talking tech pod.
36:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, and then our Gmail, as I said earlier, talking tech pod at gmail.com.
37:03
SPEAKER_01: So um we appreciate y'all listening and always rec'em tech.
37:07
SPEAKER_02: Wreck'em tech.
37:08
SPEAKER_02: Uh wow.
37:09
SPEAKER_02: First of all, uh got a lot of respect for Steven and Tristan.
37:14
SPEAKER_02: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
37:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I just want to congratulate Stephen and Tristan on another great podcast.
37:22
SPEAKER_02: They were everything we thought they would be.
37:24
SPEAKER_02: Um, we have a lot of respect for their program.
37:26
SPEAKER_02: We have such a high opinion of them.
37:28
SPEAKER_02: I want to congratulate them.
37:29
SPEAKER_03: I just want to tell Stephen and Tristan thanks for coming out.
37:33
SPEAKER_03: The energy uh was really, really good in there today.
37:36
SPEAKER_03: You know, we fed off of it.
37:37
SPEAKER_03: I think it goes back and forth tremendous.
37:40
SPEAKER_03: Uh great job, and um, you know, just just proud of our guys for the way they responded.