I’ll remember this game for several reasons even though we came out on the short end of the stick.  I felt this was an undermanned Tech football team that had all the traditional characteristics of donkey bbq, provide ass makings in a game of this nature.  I’m happy as a pig in shit today that I was dead-ass wrong.  I’ll remember this game because on this day I was proud of my football team.  Well done, gentlemen.  You left it all out there and that’s all we ask around here.  Don’t get me wrong.  We don’t believe in moral victories around here.  That shit’s for the Aggies.  So, don’t go patting yourselves on the back and get pushed around by Houston next week.  The Cougars have the talent to kick your ass hard enough to turn it into a hat, if you’re not ready to play.  You’ve got some positive things to build on from here and as troops return to the front, you’ve got enough pieces to beat some quality teams this season.  Show me how much better you can get this week.  Let’s start addressing some of those building blocks:

Player of the Game

I’ve thought about it and I just don’t have the balls to give it to anyone other than Taylor Potts.  Finalist included Ruffin McNeill and his veteran front 7, the Conquistadors at WR, and Carlos Mainord and his young secondary.  All made plays to keep us in the game, but I believe they were as curious as I as to how Mr. Potts would perform with a gun to his head.  They know as well as I do that it’s hard to win many football games without good QB play.  Just ask USC. 

Offense

I don’t know what else you could have done different.  We racked up 24 points and 420 yards of total offense on what most people consider an elite defensive unit.  The most interesting battle to me was the game between Muschamp and Taylor Potts.  The message was clear and the Texas skipper was going to put this game in Potts’ hands.  I think some credit is due here to Muschamp as he learned one valuable lesson in 2008:  Take the Tech backs out of the game.  Man coverage, load 5 or 6 in box, sick Muckelroy on screens.  He actually watched the Baylor tape and copied that with better athletes.  Touche’, but they gave him all he wanted.  The 3rd quarter was about as crisp I’ve seen this offense execute against a top notch opponent on the road.  And, that was what pleased me the most about this unit.  They got better as the game went along proving to themselves that, if you block the guy in front of you, make the throw and catch the ball, we can move the football on anyone.  Potts’ energy seemed to provide the rallying point.

QB

Taylor Potts showed up to win two things:  A football game and the bid for the dirt work on the South End Zone remodel.  He came out on the short end of the stick with regards to the game, but we’ll have to hold our breathe until Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. on the bid.  He’s got the tranny dropped on the Cat right now, so a couple of extra days won’t hurt. 

I’m probably biased and crazy, but I thought Taylor Potts was the best player on the field Saturday night.  I wouldn’t argue with a Texas fan, if they voted for Muckelroy, though.  Muschamp was committed to doing whatever necessary to get pressure and Potts stood tall and kept making plays.  I’m perfectly comfortable with this guy for the next 2 years.  We’re rolling to play a fast Cougar defense this week and this position went from an unknown to a strength from my perspective.  I jested prior to the game that Potts’ only known weakness was kryptonite, but I’ll be damned if I know anything else he’s scared of.  He can make all the throws and is willing to literally get his face crushed in, which that and a lot of others make an NFL caliber talent.  The first two will get him drafted some day and I never really have put my finger on what the other things are.  He was flawless in the 3rd quarter going 12-14 for 150 yards and 2 TDs.  I’m still floored by the efficiency of his ball distribution in this game and the little things he did to bait DBs when provided sufficient protection. 

RB

I guess the first thing that pops into my head is, “Where was Harrison Jeffers?”  The second is Eric Stephens makes this team better right now.  His return skills should also be noted and he’s solid in pass protection.  He needs to lower his head and get that first down next week instead of being cute.  Batch had a rough night outside of the first carry and was thoroughly outplayed by the freshman.

WR

I thought this was a great example of why it was important to keep Leach at Tech.  His offense or plays never change, he just simply runs more of the plays that fit his WR personnel on a seasonal basis.  Without Crabtree, the 2-back sets and running game become handicapped, so out the door it goes.  But, I never saw Michael Crabtree block like Alexander Torres on a hitch screen, so that play is back in the book and tends to be a threatening weapon when execution is not half assed.  I can remember maybe 2 bad drops, but when we needed a play they typically got it done and none of them are scared to block.

Speaking of Torres, not bad.  He’s damn sure not running by anyone, but he’ll make you honest and snag everything.  Blocking was nothing short of spectacular in stretches. 

I’m done trying to deny that Lyle Leong might be the 2nd best WR on our roster and admit that he probably is.  Who gives a shit what he looks like in a uniform.  The guy can play with the big boys.

Austin Zouzalik and Ed Britton both accounted for a drop a piece, but outside of that, were solid as well.  Tramain Swindall was solid.  Detron Lewis wasn’t effective with a bad hammy and struggled getting open.  If you told me before the game that I would be typing that sentence, I would have predicted the score as 77-0.  That’s a testament to how well these other guys played and they didn’t back down from anyone.  That’s not always the case for us in the past when playing Texas.

OL

I sorely underestimated how much this team would miss Louis Vasquez.  I don’t know where to start as all three levels of competency were achieved in various stretches.  We’ll start with the bad.  RG Lonnie Edwards probably started his last snap for 2009 and I can’t recall a Tech OL having a worse half of football in recent memory.  I’ve actually created a fourth level of play, which amounts to drive killer.  Moore flopped Carter to the left and inserted Mickey Okafor on the right mid-2nd quarter.  We rolled with this combo for the rest of the game and they looked solid in pass protection for the majority of the 2nd half.  Okafor is all over the place trying to run block someone and we won’t be doing much of that until he improves.  Carter was disappointing in stretches through the 1st half, but played better in the 2nd.

RT Marlon Winn has faced Sergio Kindle on as many snaps as anyone in the country.  And, there’s no goddamn excuse for getting lazy and trying to track him down in a backpedal.  He knows exactly how wide he needs to open up for Kindle, and unfortunately, so does Taylor Potts now.

Now, let’s get to some bright spots. C  Shawn Byrnes was not a weak spot, and showed some spurts of top end quality in this conference.

LT Chris Olson played the most consistent throughout and I actually quit worrying about him after a while.  He doesn’t have the natural strength/bulk of most guys, but he was technically sound and I am now extremely confident he has the footwork to stay in front of every other player he will face on our schedule.  Outstanding game, Mr. Olson as they certainly tested you.

Defense

I gained some confidence in Ruffin McNeill and this Tech coaching staff.  The Cover 2 schematics and McCoy containment plan for 2008 was effective again.  Opportunistic turnovers, bend-but-don’t-break strategy seemed appropriate given our depth issues at DE and youth in the secondary.  They arguably played better for 4 quarters than last year’s unit.  I’ll kiss my own ass, if anyone defends him better this season, at least in this league.  McCoy netted only 340 yards and 20 points, which you’ll never hear me complain about against Texas.  You made us proud.

DT

Whitlock and Jones made a shit-ton of plays in this game, especially in the 1st half, when they were borderline dominant.  They kept this thing close while Potts and company were getting their heads screwed on straight.  Most Tech fans believe we can some day do better than a guy like Jones, but I’ve been around here for quite some time and he’s our #1 DT in most years.  Victor Hunter and Chris Perry delivered much more of the ugly than the bad, and I would be reaching to say there was much good.  Perry can play when he wants to, but he was god awfully inconsistent.

DE

Daniel Howard.  He’s the only one that got on the bus and solid will cover him.  Not bad and he’s got a little quickness.

LB

Marlon Williams is reading hats much better in the run game this season and committing earlier to the line of scrimmage allowing him to close space quicker.  This is a positive sign and he was solid against the run in this contest.  I still don’t expect him to cover Jordan Shipley successfully, but we had to give up something.  He’s a lot easier to tackle in front of us than behind us. 

Bront Bird was overmatched at DE, but did provide some quality snaps.  At LB, Bird played one of his best games as a Red Raider. 

Brian Duncan made one bad play on the Chiles 34 yard run, but he’s as good a run stuffer as you’ll find these days at the college level.  He runs much better than what people think.  It’s still not enough to matchup well with Dan Buckner and I tip my hat to Colt McCoy for finding these plays.   Experience has began to tilt in favor of this unit.

CB

They didn’t let anyone get behind them and capitalized on opportunities with 2 tipped picks from Laron Moore and D.J. Johnson, who might just have feline quickness, but I need to see more of him.

S

If the Texas WR corps is as talented as advertised, then I have no problems rolling out Brett Dewhurst for the rest of the season.  Cody Davis is going to get better every game and this kid will win us a game or two this year with a fumble.  True freshman Will Ford is legit and served as a Kirkendoll erasure for most of the game.    Carlos Mainord possesses some kind of wizard powers.  We’re set for the next 4 years at this position and no telling what Mainord will have to work with by then.