It is 5:25 AM - the Sunday morning following last night's (ESPN, late aired) game between former SWC rivals, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Houston Cougars. I am finding it rather difficult to sleep right now or to do anything constructive being that it is too early considering it is a Sunday - a day many ppl prefer to sleep in late. I made a big bowl of chili (con carne) for last night's game-viewing party with the regular guests in the house (thanks Hernandez familia & friends) so my first intention upon waking up so darned early this morning was to ensure that the small portion of leftovers was properly put away in the fridge. Just in case I was able to visit my Mom & Lucky later on today to deliver the cuisine of "next day better tasting, matured chili". No joking, the chili does indeed acquire a better taste and texture the next day. Anyway, apparently Sara had already done that for me earlier so I was left with nothing to do with my restless and heart-broken self except to logon to the Net to read stories, articles, blogs, feeds...anything regarding last night's disappointing loss of our Red Raiders at the hands of the Cougars. Something that might ease the huge, unexplainable let-down that this Tech fan of over 35 years is feeling. Sure I went to bed strongly protesting that late 4th quarter touchdown stance in which Taylor Potts clearly crossed the plain prior to the officials blowing of the whistle which should have given Tech 6 points and a chance to make it 7, but - NO - it was not to be. The officials said that Taylor's second efforts at crossing the goal line came after the whistle blew. Clearly not true, it was a touchdown prior to any whistle blowing; for certain a true TD that everyone who saw the replay could attest to in Tech's favor and would protest to against the fact that another Tech game was determined by rotten officiating. I awoke this A.M., like someone with nothing better to do in his/her life, because I really do have better, more important things to do -trust me, with the same negative feeling in the pit of my stomach with that game on my mind. I realized that I had fallen asleep with the tele on and it was tuned into one of the sports channels and the commentators were talking about NFL football. I was perturbed and I thought for a second, 'how can anyone talk about the NFL' (even if it is now Sunday - a day when the "big boys play") 'when Tech was denied yet another game last night due to rotten calls against them'? Yes, people, I was that shallow and yes, I was kidding myself and not wanting to admit to the truth which was plaguing me at the core of my belly. After I did the things that I wrote about earlier in this post, and after going through all the motions, I decided that if my negative feelings were to subside and if the 100 lb. weight in the pit of my stomach was to disappear, that I would just have to come to terms with last night's outcome. I would finally have to lay blame where it needed to be and those person's uniforms were not black and white with stripes on their shirts; the person's to blame were dawned with scarlet and black and had the double-T logo embedded on their polo shirts. I finally would have to be the bigger and better fan and quit acting like an arrogant Aggie fan and extend my congratulations to the true victor's of last night's game for their awesome performance. I really underestimated the Cougars and my dismissal of their football abilities was wrong, and this blogger should have given them credit for their talent to date this season, after all, they really have done an outstanding job in beating their opponents. I was so cavalier in my views of how Tech was better than UH because they are in the Big 12. I undershot Conference USA because they usually do not produce BCS contenders - no, sir, not like the Big 12. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe by my admitting all of this it will help me to relax and get a grip, per se, so that I may go forward as a Texas Tech fan and to hold the Red Raiders, not the officials accountable for their loss versus UH. Yes, I will always have a bad taste in my mouth for that touchdown that Tech was denied, but I will also remember that worse taste that plagued my mouth all night long and even now as I write this, which makes me question what the Tech coaches and players plan to do to correct the shortcomings of our Red Raiders. For the second week in a row the Tech defense has had to play longer & tougher than the offensive team. The defense cannot be expected to play as such if Taylor & company don't do the same. If the Tech offense continues to go onto the field acting out such bad plays thus creating a quick "3 in and 3 out" effort, then they need to re-think their offensive stance and throw out all current plays because they are not working. Coach Leach needs to go buy a real playbook instead of utilizing pieces of scrap paper to keep track of which offensive plays he has already called and such. My sister Josie said she wanted to buy Mike an official playbook and although it was funny last night and we all got a roaring laugh over it, my sister is not too far from the truth about Leach needing that playbook. He could at least look more "official" and more threatening to Tech opponents versus looking like the "mad scientist" which sport's pundits have dubbed him. A moniker which I now have really grown tired of especially when Mike's offensive play calling abilities have worn out their knack for throwing off the opposing defense and everyone knows what he is going to do at each and every down. A mad scientist would have a reason or a theory for why certain things did not work, and he would change his methods. Mike is not changing his methods (plays), and it is costing Tech some major victories thus far and we are only headed into the 5th game of the season with conference play just two weeks away. Our defense grew tired last night, obviously they had reason to get as fatigued as they did because they had to be out on the field longer than the Tech offense. Our Tech d-line could just not ward off the UH offense and their will to win. Tech's defensive line plain'ole became worn out and tired all the while their mental psyche & physical state could not keep up with the UH determination to win the game. I do give credit and kudos for our d-line for how hard they tried given that they had to spend way more time on the playing field than our Tech o-line did. It was not the fault of Tech's d-line or of the officials (who still get a sour lemon rating from this person) that our Tech o-line came up short and cost us the game. Again, I do give credit to UH for having such a good team, both on offense & defense, and for their will to win and show the world that they really are contenders and to remind everyone not to under-rate them as I incorrectly and prematurely did going into the game. I gave Tech too much credit and maybe my attitude was not so different from the attitude that our Red Raiders also carried with them right up until the game started. Clearly Tech was not ready for this game. Yes, they could've, should've done things different, but in the end, it is the offensive line's inability to score that worries this Red Raider fanatic. As I sit here writing this post, I think about Tech's upcoming schedule and it is going to be rough and all downhill if Coach Leach and the entire offensive coaching group and players don't come up with answers to the problems currently crippling our offense. We do have many games at home, but the opponents are going to be vicious. Next week Tech welcomes New Mexico into the "black-hole" in Lubbock, but we cannot underestimate them. Nope, going forward Tech and fans can no longer afford to undermine any opponent if our offense continues to wreak of rotten tomatoes. We need to pressure everyone associated with Texas Tech football and their logistics to improve and to get better prepared for all games coming up. Remember that we have to travel to places like Stillwater (OK St) and Lincoln (Nebraska). Two teams which annually give Tech a run for their money. Ok St is scheduled each season as part of the Big 12 south, and the Cornhuskers are only scheduled every 3 years as part of the Big 12 north, but this year finds Tech having to contend with both, and they have to do it on their playing field - deep in enemy territory of sorts. If Tech does not fix their playing issues, they will continue to succumb to their opponents and maybe even miss making a bowl game for the first time since Coach Leach became Tech's head coach. I remember late last season being upset at our athletic director, Gerald Myers, for not renegotiating Mike's contract quickly enough and for not trying harder to find the funds to pay Mike enough to stay with Tech. I am not so sure that Coach Leach was worth my worrying so much about his salary, his contract and his staying in Lubbock. I am not ready to write the guy off...not yet. But I do expect better things from Mike and I do expect more victories this season. Taylor Potts has some big shoes to fill indeed, but for him to meet or beat those expectations and overcome the Harrell shadows, he needs to be more ready to leave the pocket as needed. He needs to be more of a scrambler (ala Tarkenton) or he is going to get sacked so much more often and he will continue to create turn-overs. He sits in the pocket far too long and the opponents are savvy to the fact...the opponents are being given too much time to read Taylor's eyes and his intentions and are creating quick "in and outs" for Tech if not forcing Tech turn-overs. Yep, it will be interesting how Tech reacts to all of this. A game (vs UH) which left many Tech fans stunned last night mainly because Tech had no answers, a game which is just the beginning of a rough, long season for Tech and their fans if they don't return to the drawing table and draw up newer, better plays for the o-line and for the d-line. Or it can be the beginning of how Tech can rise up to the occasion and improve and finish out the season atop of the Big 12 south. It is not too late, but the clock is ticking. I expect answers from Tech's coaching staff as well as from the players. I still believe in Tech. I still am Raider Nation proud. I still wear scarlet & black as proudly as ever. However, I will not do so as readily if Tech continues down the path to self-destruction all the while appearing as if they aren't playing as hard as they can. I know Tech can play harder and better, they just have to re-group and leave the "pre-madonna" attitudes of Tech teams of the past in the past, and play like the Tech team they became last season. We cannot show the world that losing Harrell & Crabtree was to become our demise. Taylor Potts has the ability to be great or better than Graham. Leong & Lewis (and other WR's) have the knack to be better than Michael as well. Tech showed during last night's game that their running game is not dead. Batch & Britton showed up unlike last week vs. UT. The B's did an awesome job at running the ball and keeping it on the ground to give the d-line a much needed break. The downfall of Tech's d-line was Tech's awful passing game. Now, that is where you rise up to the challenge, Mr. Potts and the entire Tech offense..."Tag, you're it"...go with it, run with it and be champions because of it.
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