Texas Tech destroys Oklahoma in lopsided win

2009 Texas Tech Red Raiders ... Head Coach: Mike Leach

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2009 Record: 7-4

9/5 North Dakota W 38-13
9/12 Rice W 55-10
9/19 at Texas L 34-24
9/26 at Houston L 29-28
10/3 New Mexico W 48-28
10/10 Kansas St W 66-14
10/17 at Nebraska W 31-10
10/24 Texas A&M L 52-30
10/31 Kansas W 42-21
11/7 OPEN DATE
11/14 at Oklahoma St L 24-17
11/21 Oklahoma W 41-13
11/28 Baylor (in Arl.)

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1
2008 Record: 11-2

8/30 Eastern Wash W 49-24
9/6 at Nevada W 35-19
9/13 SMU W 43-7
9/20 UMass W 56-14
9/27 OPEN DATE
10/4 at Kansas St W 58-28
10/11 Nebraska W 37-31 OT
10/18 at Texas A&M W 43-25
10/25 at Kansas W 63-21
11/1 Texas W 39-33
11/8 Oklahoma St W 56-20
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/22 at Oklahoma L 65-21
11/29 Baylor W 35-28
Cotton Bowl
1/2 Ole Miss L 47-34

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Nov. 21
at Texas Tech 41 … Oklahoma 13
Texas Tech came up with its most lopsided win ever against Oklahoma in a stunning blowout. Oklahoma held a 6-3 lead midway through the second quarter, and then it was all about the Red Raiders with a 31-point run helped by Baron Batch touchdown runs from one and 21 yards out, while Alexander Torres scored from 24 yards away. The OU offense came up with 310 yards, but the defense couldn’t get the Texas Tech offense off the field. The Sooners finally got into the end zone on a 51-yard Ryan Broyles catch in the fourth quarter, but it was way too late. Tech rubbed it in a bit with a four-yard Eric Stephens scoring run in the final minute.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech RB Baron Batch ran 25 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns, and caught seven passes for 68 yards
Oklahoma: Passing: Landry Jones, 18-35, 262 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Brown, 11-37, Receiving: Ryan Broyles, 7-117, 1 TD
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 35-53, 388 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 25-136, 2 TD, Receiving: Alexander Torres, 11-163, 1 TD
What It All Means: Give Mike Leach credit for tweaking his offense over the last few weeks. The passing game is still solid, but the quarterback play has been just shaky enough to cause problems. Enter Baron Batch, who now has three 100-yard games in the last four weeks and has 14 rushing scores. The defense continues to be fantastic at being aggressive, led by Brandon Sharpe and his 2.5 sacks on Landry Jones. The key to the Red Raiders is maintaining focus, and if they can, they’ll have no problem with Baylor and should finish 8-4 with a strong bowl bid. 

Nov. 14
at Oklahoma State 24 … Texas Tech 17
Oklahoma State got two interceptions from Perrish Cox and a pick six from Patrick Levine as the defense held Texas Tech to 357 yards of offense, while the OSU attack got a one-yard touchdown run from Keith Toston and a 25-yard scoring grab from Hubert Anyiam. Texas Tech took a first half lead on a 12-yard Alexander Torres touchdown catch from Steven Sheffield, but didn’t get back into the end zone until Edward Britton caught a 24-yard pass with under seven minutes to go. OSU tried for a late score instead of milking the clock, and it lost QB Zac Robinson on a helmet-to-helmet hit from Texas Tech’s Jamar Wall.
Player of the Game: Oklahoma State DB Perrish Cox made four tackles with a tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three broken up passes
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 19-35, 190 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 10-48, Receiving: Detron Lewis, 6-75
Oklahoma State: Passing: Zac Robinson, 9-21, 90 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Zac Robinson, 19-99, Receiving: Hubert Anyiam, 3-39, 1 TD 
What It All Means: The Red Raiders used both Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield, and while they combined to throw three picks, it wasn’t an awful game by the passing game. The defense did a decent job against the OSU passing game, but got run over for 243 yards and couldn’t get off the field allowing too many third down conversions. The 12 penalties didn’t help the cause. Tech is going bowling, but it needs a win over Oklahoma and Baylor to get higher in the pecking order.

Oct. 31
at Texas Tech 42 … Kansas 21
Detron Lewis caught a 61-yard touchdown pass and Baron Batch ran for four scores with three coming in the fourth quarter. The defense also came up with a big day with four forced fumbles and a 31-yard LaRon Moore fumble return for a score. KU was up 21-14 after three quarters helped by six-yard Dezmon Briscoe touchdown pass and a two-yard Toben Opurum run, but Tech scored 28 points in the fourth.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech RB Baron Batch ran 17 times for 123 yards and four scores, and he caught five passes for 13 yards.
Kansas: Passing: Todd Reesing, 20-34, 181 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 10-50, Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 9-110, 1 TD
Texas Tech: Passing: Seth Doege, 14-28, 159 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 17-123, 4 TD, Receiving: Detron Lewis, 5-87, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Tech defense came up with one of its best performances of the season holding the high-powered Kansas offense to 258 yards and forcing four fumbles. The pressure was tremendous all game long with the defensive front forcing six sacks including two from Brandon Sharpe. Now the question will be who the main man is at quarterback. Seth Doege wasn’t bad, and Taylor Potts threw an interception but helped lead the way to the second half scoring explosion. The chance to be the Big 12’s second best team is still there, but the Red Raiders have to be far more consistent over the next two games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. 

Oct. 24
Texas A&M 52 … at Texas Tech 30
Cyrus Gray ran for three scores and caught a 12-yard touchdown pass as Texas A&M rolled to an easy win. Texas Tech did its part with five turnovers and ten penalties, but was up 14-7 in the first quarter on a 56-yard Alexander Torres touchdown catch and a 26-yard Edward Britton score. And then the Aggies took over reeling off 31 straight points, helped by two Christine Michael touchdown runs, before Eric Stephens ran for a seven-yard score for the Red Raiders. Tech wouldn’t get any closer as Jerrod Johnson ended the suspense with a 21-yard run in the fourth. The two teams combined for 1,079 yards.
Player of the Game: Texas A&M RB Cyrus Gray ran 25 times for 131 yards and three scores, and he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass.
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 35-36, 310 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 11-58, 1 TD, Receiving: Baron Batch, 9-62
Texas A&M: Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 19-28, 238 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 25-131, 3 TD, Receiving: Uzoma Nwachukwu, 4-79 
What It All Means: The offense gets back Taylor Potts and … thud. Potts unfairly suffered the criticism for the loss, but he doesn’t play run defense. The Red Raiders didn’t have an answer for anything the A&M offense wanted to do, and after the dominant 31-10 win over Nebraska, this was a stunner just when the team should’ve been hitting its stride. This was bad, but a loss to Kansas next week would be worst with Oklahoma State and Oklahoma still to face. The passing game is still fantastic, but if the Red Raiders continue to be last in the Big 12 in turnover margin, the yards through the air aren’t going to matter much.

Oct. 17
Texas Tech 31 … at Nebraska 10
Texas Tech only gained 259 yards of total offense, but the defense came up with five sacks, with four coming from Brandon Sharpe, and Daniel Howard took a fumble 82 yards for a score on the way to the stunning win. Steven Sheffield connected with Baron Batch for a 16-yard score and he ran for two one-yard scores, but the game was all about the Red Raider D. Nebraska only managed a 21-yard Alex Henery field goal and a 13-yard Khiry Cooper touchdown catch, but Tech was able to go on a 54-yard scoring drive late in the fourth, culminating in a Sheffield score, to put it away.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech DE Brandon Sharpe made seven tackles and four sacks
Nebraska: Passing: Zac Lee, 16-22, 128 yds
Rushing: Roy Helu, 16-68, Receiving: Chris Brooks, 5-66
Texas Tech: Passing: Steven Sheffield, 23-32, 234 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 12-38, Receiving: Baron Batch, 6-25, 1 TD
What It All Means: All of a sudden, after losing to Texas and Houston, the Red Raiders are on a three-game winning streak with home games against Texas A&M and Kansas up next. The win over Nebraska was mostly due to a phenomenal defensive performance led by the pass rush. Husker QB Zac Lee didn’t get room to breathe, while the running game never got going against the active Tech defensive front. Steven Sheffield was fine, but the offense needs Taylor Potts to get back from his concussion to make everything go again. The Kansas State win last week was nice, but the offense will have to gear it back up again for A&M after struggling against the loaded Huskers.

Oct. 10
at Texas Tech 66 … Kansas State 14
Steven Sheffield threw seven touchdown passes with Alexander Torres scoring twice and Jacoby Franks taking a pass 72 yards for a touchdown. The Red Raiders were up 38-0, with Sheffield setting a school-record with 370 passing yards, at halftime. KSU finally got on the board with a 17-yard Jeffrey Fitzgerald interception return for a touchdown, but the Red Raiders kept on rolling with Detron Lewis catching his second touchdown pass and Baron Batch running for a four yarder. Tech outgained KSU 739 yards to 284.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech QB Steven Sheffield completed 33-of-41 passes for 490 yards and seven touchdowns with an interception.
Kansas State: Passing: Carson Coffman, 11-16, 131 yds
Rushing: Keithen Valentine, 8-96, 1 TD, Receiving: Atrail Snipes, 7-82
Texas Tech: Passing: Steve Sheffield, 33-41, 490 yds, 7 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Detron Lewis, 8-100, 2 TD, Receiving: Baron Batch, 9-86, 1 TD
What It All Means: Yeah, the system has something to do with it. Steven Sheffield was more than fine in place of Taylor Potts with a nearly flawless game, outside of a pick six. The Red Raiders even got the running game going outgaining KSU 185 yards to 116 averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and with Sheffield still trying to get his feet wet, this will be a key going forward. At Nebraska next week, the offensive line will have to do an even better job in pass protection while the attack, no matter who’s running it, will have to be on for a full sixty minutes.

Oct. 3
at Texas Tech 48 … New Mexico 28
Tremain Swindall took a pass 79 yards to set up a one-yard Harrison Jeffers touchdown run, and the Texas Tech offense cruised from there … eventually. New Mexico tied it at seven on a seven-yard Josh Fussell catch, but the Red Raiders, led by backup QB Steven Sheffield, scored 28 straight points with three touchdown passes including a 62-yarder to Jeffers and a 25-yarder to Alexander Torres. But Sheffield wasn’t always sharp, giving up a 29-yard interception return for a score to Frankie Solomon in the fourth. The Lobos got within 14 on a one-yard A.J. Butler run, but Jeffers scored again on a two-yard run. He also added a two-yard touchdown run with no time led on the clock after Bryant Williams scored on a 61-yard pass play in the final minute.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech QB Steven Sheffield completed 16-of-23 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
New Mexico: Passing: Donovan Porterie, 30-56, 316 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: A.J. Butler, 26-102, 1 TD, Receiving: A.J. Butler, 9-39
Texas Tech: Passing: Steven Sheffield, 16-23, 238 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 8-47, 1 TD, Receiving: Tramain Swindall, 4-139
What It All Means: After Taylor Potts took some big hits and was knocked out of the game, and while Steven Sheffield was fine, he wasn’t Potts. In a rocky week for the program with the Twitter debate and with star DE Brandon Carter suspended, the team played relatively well. However, New Mexico is playing as poorly as anyone in America and it still cranked out 431 yards. Kansas State should be a relative layup next week, but the pieces have to be in place before going to Nebraska. Potts has to be back and effective, and the D could really use the pass rushing ability of Carter. 

Sept. 26
at Houston 29 … Texas Tech 28
Case Keenum ran for a four-yard score to cap off a 16-play, 95-yard drive in the final five minutes, and the Houston defense held on as a final Texas Tech Hail Mary was broken up. The two offenses combined for 1,063 yards of total offense, but Texas Tech was only able to managed a 24-yard touchdown catch from Tramain Swindall in the second half. It was still good enough to be up late as Houston didn’t go for two points after a one-yard Bryce Beall run, and was down eight after the Swindall score, and only managed a 21-yard field goal on a deep third quarter drive. Baron Batch ran for two first half scores for the Red Raiders.
Player of the Game: Houston QB Case Keenum completed 38-of-58 passes for 435 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he ran for 27 yards and the game-winning score.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 38-58, 435 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 19-75, 1 TD, Receiving: Charles Sims, 10-122
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 30-45, 321 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 19-114, 2 TD, Receiving: Alex Torres, 6-90
What It All Means: Texas Tech didn’t play poorly; Houston simply came up with the big plays when needed. The offense didn’t keep things moving in the second half, and Taylor Potts misfired a bit too often, but this was a tough loss that the Red Raiders should be able to get over with a layup next week against New Mexico. This is still an emerging team that’s going to need more seasoning, the offense should eventually get rolling over the second half of the year. Potts, looks like a keeper once he gets a little more work in. While he had problems with cramps late in the game, LB Brian Duncan had a big day making 15 tackles with two broken up passes. Cody Davis made 15 stops.

Sept. 19
at Texas 34 … Texas Tech 24
In a sluggish and sloppy game, Jordan Shipley sparked the Longhorns with a 46-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Tre Newton ran for a 19-yard score on the way to a 17-3 lead. Cody Johnson and Tre Newton each ran for touchdowns in the third quarter, and Colt McCoy connected with Dan Buckner for a three-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech kept battling back with three Taylor Potts touchdown passes, but three turnovers, including two late miscues, helped Texas put it away. Texas Tech ended up with -6 rushing yards.
Player of the Game: Texas WR Jordan Shipley caught 11 passes for 73 yards and returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 46-62, 420 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eric Stephens, 9-27, Receiving: Edward Britton, 8-69
Texas: Passing: Colt McCoy, 24-34, 205 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Tre Newton, 20-88, 1 TD, Receiving: Jordan Shipley, 11-73 
What It All Means: With a little more time and maturity, Texas Tech wins this game. Taylor Potts made a few bad decisions and was under a bit too much pressure, but in his first really big game, he handled himself extremely well. The team needs to find some semblance of a running game, even for Texas Tech, with -6 yards, and the penalties were a major problem with 14 for 108 yards. Tech needed to be perfect to beat the Longhorns, and wasn’t.

Sept. 12
at Texas Tech 55 ... Rice 10
Taylor Potts threw seven touchdown passes with two in the first quarter and three in the third, including three to Lyle Leong from seven, eight, and 27 yards out. Tramain Swindell caught scoring passes from 30 and 26 yards out in the fourth, with the last one coming from Steven Sheffield. Rice was never in the game, failing to get into the end zone until early on the fourth, when down 41-10, John Thomas Shepherd connected with Taylor Dupree from three yards out. The Red Raiders rolled up 560 yards of total offense to 257 for Rice.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts completed 36-of-57 passes for 456 yards and seven scores
Rice: Passing: John Thomas Shepherd, 14-19, 109 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: John Thomas Shepherd, 8-17, Receiving: Patrick Randolph, 5-50
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 36-47, 456 yds, 7 TD
Rushing: Harrison Jeffers, 5-23, Receiving: Lyle Leong, 9-117, 3 TD
What It All Means: Not all was perfect for Texas Tech. The running game gained just 52 yards and there were 11 penalties for 90 yards. That's it for the issues. Taylor Potts was fantastic, running the offense to near-perfection and using the Rice secondary for target practice. It was the exact way the team needed to play to get into the upcoming showdown against Texas, and to pull off the win, Potts needs time and he needs to be as decisive as he was against the Owls.

Sept. 5
at Texas Tech 38 ... North Dakota 13
Taylor Potts threw three interceptions and wasn't always sharp, but he ran for two short scores and threw for two more as the Red Raiders won easily. North Dakota only managed two field goals before finally getting into the end zone on a nine-yard Mitch Sutton touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but Tech was never threatened. Detron Lewis scored on a 49-yard pass play and Adam James caught an 18-yarder.
Player of the Game: Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts completed 34-of-48 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions, and he ran for two scores.
North Dakota: Passing: Jake Landy, 20-28, 134 yds
Rushing: Mitch Sutton, 11-32, 1 TD, Receiving: Mitch Sutton, 5-25
Texas Tech: Passing: Taylor Potts, 34-48, 405 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 9-30, 1 TD, Receiving: Detron Lewis, 8-146, 1 TD
What It All Means: It's going to take a little while before Taylor Potts is perfect, but he was good enough in his first shot as the main man. However, all head coach Mike Leach wants is steady play without too many mistakes, and Potts threw three picks. That was fine against North Dakota, but Potts will have to be sharper in next week's layup against Rice to be fully prepared for the showdown against Texas. The defense got decent defensive pressure in the backfield against the Fighting Sioux, but it has to be more consistent and will have to make more big plays.