Cant blame the defense......

[bigwillietx]

for the simple reason that at one point of the 1 st half TT ran like some 30 plays to are 8. With t.o.p. 3 to 1. And as bad as that is they still only gave up 22 in the first half. I know the the two kids dropped picks. The corner didnt make the tackle so on so on.... This is the game where NOT have Jamal Charles killed us or some kind of other go to guy with Colt. The reason this offense worked with VY is that he filled both of those roles running and thorwing. Colt is a good runner not a great one. He is an excellent passer. Howerver we have a RB that is somewhere in 245lb range and didnt use him once all night. Also i thought this team looked tired all night from this strecth of games starting with Arkansas. Lets just calm down get to the next week cause there is no way that the BCS is gonna keep out a 1-loss TEXAS LONGHORN team.

[DrippinSpgs]

Texas Tech's Offensive Production vs.Texas:

Season - Total yards, 1st Downs

2008 - 581, 31
2007 - 466, 26
2006 - 506, 27
2005 - 468, 29
2004 - 386, 20

[dblackmor]

The Tone began with the 1st offensive play called from our own 2 yard line, drop back 5 yards to hand the ball off and run sideways. Yes, I too would have liked to see Cody Johnson behind a plow forward offensive line. Cody has earned the right to be on the field. (I was glad to see McGee & Fozzy though.) But I don't blame the Defense.

Now this team is with a bunch of other 1 loss hopefuls vying for a trip to S. Florida. I have Faith that Bowl Game Mack will reappear as he did after the aTm loss last year and lead this team back to the hunt. I hope Muschamp stays another year to complete what he has started. He now has a Tech game experience under his belt. Maybe he will want revenge next year. He may be one-n-done, but I can hope.

[tfh714]

It is overly-simplistic to try and pin this on any one aspect of the game or any one player (or unit). But with 1:29 to play we had the lead. When we absoultely, positively had to stop Tech (like we had to stop OSU twice in the 4th Q), we couldn't and didn't. We scored enough points to win, but the D couldn't prevent a last second, desperation pass completion, or even tackle the receiver in bounds after the completion, either one of which might have saved the game. So in the final, final analysis, it was the D (along with the KO unit, which set Tech up with great field position) that failed when all the chips were on the table.

All of that said, it's a little like the financial markets meltdown: there's plenty of blame to go around. And to be fair, Tech has to get plenty of credit for outplaying us for 3/4 of the game.

[DC Horn]

This was definitely a team loss. Offense, defense and special teams all contributed.

Yes, we're 8-1, sucks to lose, but we're not out of it yet. ttu, ousux, and okie lite still have their gauntlet to go through. We need two ttu losses. We do our business and win the rest, then we're minimally in a Tier I bowl, possibly MNC if we get to Big12 Champ game and win.

[TexasForever]

This loss is strictly on the offense. We had a total of 21 yards up until the last drive of the first half. The offense spent so little time on the field that the defense could never catch their breath. The defense was totally worn out in the 4th quarter because the offense couldn't stay on the field. I don't think Miller was injured when he was helped off the field....he was totally exhausted. You could see how exhausted the defense was on TTech's last two drives.

I don't know how many passes were dropped during this game, but it had to be approximately 10 passes that should have been caught...including the sure touchdown pass that Jordan Shipley dropped.

[ChadUT]

Will Muschamp should dial up Greg Robinson to get a clue how to defend Tech next season.

[NORTHTEXHORN]

I nthe end and after all was said nad done it would have to be the D in my opinion. Sure there were a ton of mistakes and blames but the offense and defense did enough in last nights game to counter each others mistakes and give this team a lead with under two minutes to go. At that point i conider it all even. now the kickoff team allows the Tech return man to get out to almost the 50 and give Tech a short field with very little time coming off the clock. That was as bad as any play all night. Still we have a chance to stop them and we decide defensively to play prevent and drop deep when we shouldh ave been up o nthe reicvers jamming them and creating havoc with their timing routes. We did not and they complete about 3 passes and manage the clock beautifully. then we have an oppotunity to intercpt a pass that falls right into the hands of our defensr and preserve the win. We drop it. I mean a catch my 10 year old daughter makes 10 out 0f 10 times. Next play we put a very inexperienced corner that lacks sound technique one on one wioth the best reciever in the country. Harrell reconizes it see the corner turn his back and he a Crabtree school the kid while our safety is doing whatever it was he was doing. In the end, i blame the defense and Muschamp for not calling a time out and getting the situation under control prior to the drive.

NTH

[tfh714]

In the end, i blame the defense and Muschamp for not calling a time out and getting the situation under control prior to the drive.

NTH


Huh?? I don't think you would ever call a time out in that situation, with your opponent fighting the clock (.08 left) and having no time-outs left itself. Faced with that situation you let the clock run 100 times out of 100. Giving your opponent more time to collect itself, go to the sideline, draw up a play, then line up and take it to you makes no sense at all IMO.

[TXNNOHIO]

The defense gave up 30 points. What is Techs average a game? How much time did our defense spend on the field? The defense only gave up one TD in the second half. I think we all knew our offense would have to score well and eat up clock. They did neither. The defense gave the offense the ball deep in ttu territory and they could only manage 3 points. The offense scored 23 points, Kansas scored almost that much. They also gave up nine points. Sorry but this falls directly at the feet of the offense. IMHO

[TXNNOHIO]

Will Muschamp should dial up Greg Robinson to get a clue how to defend Tech next season.

Muschamp made some kind of adjustment at halftime since the defense only gave up one td after the half. That's pretty danged good considering how much time they were on the field.

[ChadUT]

The defense gave up 30 points. What is Techs average a game? How much time did our defense spend on the field? The defense only gave up one TD in the second half. I think we all knew our offense would have to score well and eat up clock. They did neither. The defense gave the offense the ball deep in ttu territory and they could only manage 3 points. The offense scored 23 points, Kansas scored almost that much. They also gave up nine points. Sorry but this falls directly at the feet of the offense. IMHO


In the 2004 Red River Shootout the Texas defense was on the field for the majority of the game while OU controlled the clock and they gave up a whopping 12 points. What's worse is that the defense couldn't stop them when it mattered the most last night. They allowed Tech to march right down the field completing pass after pass and next thing you know they score a TD. A good defense would have risen to the occasion to stop them and a good defensive back wouldn't have let an easy pick that would have ended the game fall to the ground.

[NORTHTEXHORN]

Huh?? I don't think you would ever call a time out in that situation, with your opponent fighting the clock (.08 left) and having no time-outs left itself. Faced with that situation you let the clock run 100 times out of 100. Giving your opponent more time to collect itself, go to the sideline, draw up a play, then line up and take it to you makes no sense at all IMO.

Yes you do. If you read my post you will see that I said call a time out either at the start of Texas scoring drive or just before Tech started their drive. You do so especuially in an enviroment like last night simply to rally the troops, settle them down and make sure they have their heads in the game and understand what they need to do. It also gives a little time to set a plan. Do not take the time out during the drive. Force them to use the clock as much as possible. You have got to controle what is happeneing and you do so by calling time out and setteling everyone down. Emotions were very high which causes mistakes.

NTH

[tfh714]

Yes you do. If you read my post you will see that I said call a time out either at the start of Texas scoring drive or just before Tech started their drive. You do so especuially in an enviroment like last night simply to rally the troops, settle them down and make sure they have their heads in the game and understand what they need to do. It also gives a little time to set a plan. Do not take the time out during the drive. Force them to use the clock as much as possible. You have got to controle what is happeneing and you do so by calling time out and setteling everyone down. Emotions were very high which causes mistakes.

NTH


NTH, I do see where you said "prior to the drive." I glossed over that and apologize if I mischaracterized your post. That said, I still don't think you help your opponent out when they have to drive for a score, are fighting the clock and are out of TOs (altho I think they may have had one TO left at the beginning of the drive) by stopping the clock for him. Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

[NORTHTEXHORN]

The clock is already stopped, just take a little more time to get things set and make sure everyone knows what is going on. especially with so many young kids.

NTH

[Mojomarvels]

With .08 left, taking a time out doesn't hurt.....they get one play and either score or don't; they are trying to get one more play before trying to kick the game winning FG....we saved the time out so we could ice the kicker....as I said in another thread, we should have blasted Crabtree, even if it's a penalty, to make their kicker win it...instead the best WR in college FB (though Malcolm Williams may challenge for that next year) gets a free pass to the end zone when our DBs don't just drive through him, and he tugs his way into the end zone

[TXNNOHIO]

In the 2004 Red River Shootout the Texas defense was on the field for the majority of the game while OU controlled the clock and they gave up a whopping 12 points. What's worse is that the defense couldn't stop them when it mattered the most last night. They allowed Tech to march right down the field completing pass after pass and next thing you know they score a TD. A good defense would have risen to the occasion to stop them and a good defensive back wouldn't have let an easy pick that would have ended the game fall to the ground.

I don't mean to let the defense off the hook, but they were on the field almost 37 minutes. Our defensive backfield is very young. This is the best passing offense we have or probably will face. We held them below their average despite NO help from the offense. They looked like they were sleep walking until the forth quarter. The defense was exhausted, we should have never let them have the ball back with that much time. Again IMHO

[ptbh]

We had a chance to win, and I thought we had won when that tipped ball went up in the air, and it seemed Blake had it. if Blake doesn't drop that pick, we win. In a game like this, with two top-10 opponents, biggest home game with an emotionally charged crowd, you have to capitalize on your opportunities. We made too many mistakes throughout the game to really deserve the win. Colt's interception probably doesn't happen if we don't get called for false start and holding. Defense has better chance to stop them if they start on their 20 instead of 45. They don't have 1:23 to make a drive if we use the clock better. We don't fall behind 19-0, if we don't have those dropped passes. Bottom line, all those things happenned, and they happen when one team is worn out and went through a murderer's row. But, if you are still inclined to blame someone, blame the whole coaching staff and all the players who played, as we simply made mistakes in all areas throughout the game.

No excuses, and Tech probably has the same list of things if happened could have blown us out.

Bottom line, in a game like this when you get opportunities you have to capitalize on them. We had an opportunity to seal the game, and we let it slip through our hands literally.

Had we intercepted that pass, we would be talking about the resiliency of this team, how Colt led us back, defensive adjustments in the second half, and great Malcom Williams plays. But, none of that matters now, and all we can do is beat our next three opponents, and hope for the best.

Tech will lose at least one game in the next 3, and it will be interesting to see how they perform now that they are hunted. If we finish 11-1, good things will happen to us, and we will one of top two, top three teams in the country.

[ChadUT]

I don't mean to let the defense off the hook, but they were on the field almost 37 minutes. Our defensive backfield is very young. This is the best passing offense we have or probably will face. We held them below their average despite NO help from the offense. They looked like they were sleep walking until the forth quarter. The defense was exhausted, we should have never let them have the ball back with that much time. Again IMHO

I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/stats/04/100904.htm

Look at the box score, The Texas offense didn't accomplish jack throughout the ENTIRE game and OU controlled the ball for 36 minutes. You don't think that defense was tired as well? The difference between those 2 defenses is one had a DC who had a clue calling the shots and it also came up with big stops, forced 3 turnovers and ruined a Heisman campaign in the process.

[tfh714]

We had a chance to win, and I thought we had won when that tipped ball went up in the air, and it seemed Blake had it. if Blake doesn't drop that pick, we win. In a game like this, with two top-10 opponents, biggest home game with an emotionally charged crowd, you have to capitalize on your opportunities. We made too many mistakes throughout the game to really deserve the win. Colt's interception probably doesn't happen if we don't get called for false start and holding. Defense has better chance to stop them if they start on their 20 instead of 45. They don't have 1:23 to make a drive if we use the clock better. We don't fall behind 19-0, if we don't have those dropped passes. Bottom line, all those things happenned, and they happen when one team is worn out and went through a murderer's row. But, if you are still inclined to blame someone, blame the whole coaching staff and all the players who played, as we simply made mistakes in all areas throughout the game.

No excuses, and Tech probably has the same list of things if happened could have blown us out.

Bottom line, in a game like this when you get opportunities you have to capitalize on them. We had an opportunity to seal the game, and we let it slip through our hands literally.

Had we intercepted that pass, we would be talking about the resiliency of this team, how Colt led us back, defensive adjustments in the second half, and great Malcom Williams plays. But, none of that matters now, and all we can do is beat our next three opponents, and hope for the best.

Tech will lose at least one game in the next 3, and it will be interesting to see how they perform now that they are hunted. If we finish 11-1, good things will happen to us, and we will one of top two, top three teams in the country.


Great post ptbh; the bolded portions being especially true.

[TXNNOHIO]

How many freshman were starting on that 2004 defense? The biggest thing those two games have in common was a let down from the offense. Both defenses held the opposition well below their averages and the offense didn't take advantage. Our offense only scored 23 points, and they gave up 9 points. I don't count the 3 points scored after the turnover because the defense gave the offense the ball in field goal range.

Sincerely
Brick Wall:)>-

[ptbh]

How many freshman were starting on that 2004 defense? The biggest thing those two games have in common was a let down from the offense. Both defenses held the opposition well below their averages and the offense didn't take advantage. Our offense only scored 23 points, and they gave up 9 points. I don't count the 3 points scored after the turnover because the defense gave the offense the ball in field goal range.

Sincerely
Brick Wall:)>-

yet, with 1:23 to play, we had the lead, and all we had to do is keep em around 25 yard line given their kicking to have a chance to win. Or better yet, intercept that pass which was really a gift we refused to open.

I know offense and GD are the easy targets for everyone, but you are not going to go through a season with offense firing on all cylinders in every single game. Even in 2005, VY was out of synch in A&M game, and our competition wasn't nearly this stiff the whole season. We had a chance to win, led very late in the game and had played very sloppy in all phases for 3 quarters. We had a chance to win, and let it slip through our fingers. How does 2004 matter or anything that happenned in the past. All phases made mistakes, but it is also true that all phases made great plays to get us back in the game. ST, Defense, and Offense all had their moments in the game also. We needed one more play from defense, and couldn't get it.

Now on to next 3 games, and if we win out, there is no shame in being 11-1 and we will have a shot to go to conference championshp and/or BCS game.

[ChadUT]

How many freshman were starting on that 2004 defense? The biggest thing those two games have in common was a let down from the offense. Both defenses held the opposition well below their averages and the offense didn't take advantage. Our offense only scored 23 points, and they gave up 9 points. I don't count the 3 points scored after the turnover because the defense gave the offense the ball in field goal range.

Sincerely
Brick Wall:)>-

There were no Freshman, however there were two first year starters at DE who were Sophomores. Tons of Sophomores such as Michael Griffin, Tarrell Brown and Aaron Ross saw their fair share of action in the Secondary. Not to mention Eric Hall played at LB, that just goes to show you how little depth there was at LB behind DJ and Aaron Harris.