Friday, August 19, 2005
Editor’s Note: This is the second of 11 articles, by Daniel Berk, previewing Kansas’ competition in the Big 12 Conference. The articles will run every day from now until Sept, 1. Monday, the Kansan will look at Oklahoma State.
The last time the Texas Tech Red Raiders played in a football game, they defeated a top 10 team and won a notable bowl game.
This season, the Red Raiders look to carry some of the momentum gained from that win against California, crack the top 25 and compete in the Big 12 South division.
The biggest question for Texas Tech will be the quarterback position. Sonny Cumbie, who led the nation last year in passing yards, graduated. Now it is a three man battle for the job.
Senior Cody Hodges, freshman Graham Harrell and sophomore Phillip Daugherty will fight for the position. Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach said he was pleased with how the quarterbacks were preforming in practice but has not yet decided on a starter.
“At some point you have to make a decision so you can invest the reps in one guy or another and allow him to develop,” Leach said. “We will make the best decision as a staff that we can, and we will invest a lot of reps in one or two and go from there.”
Whatever quarterback emerges from the battle victorious will have some time to adjust to the Red Raiders’ offense, as the team opens its season with three home games against Florida International, Sam Houston State and Indiana State.
Barring a major upset the Red Raiders should be 3-0 when they face Kansas in Lubbock on Oct. 1.
Leach has had tough non-conference schedules in the past, with games on the road against ranked opponents, but thought it would help his team to schedule three home games against weaker opponents.
“We have had some non-conference schedules in the past where we probably won the award for toughest non-conference schedule, which I am not sure that’s the one we are chasing,” Leach said. “The season in football is all about steady improvement. We have to see that we are able to get that.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Red Raiders boast a much improved unit from years past and return seven starters from last season. The defense will be led by senior cornerback Khalid Naziruddin and junior linebacker Brock Stratton.
Naziruddin tied for the team lead with 83 tackles last year. This year he teams up in the defensive backfield with another returning cornerback, junior Antonio Huffman.
Despite having to replace Cumbie, the Red Raiders do return two of the most talented offensive players in the conference. Junior receiver Jarrett Hicks and senior running back Taurean Henderson were both named to the Big 12 Media Preseason Football team.
Hicks led the Big 12 last season in receiving yards per game with more than 98 yards a game and also had a school record 13 touchdowns. Henderson is the only player in Big 12 history to rush for at least 2,000 yards and have more than 1,500 receiving yards in his career, and has also found the endzone 47 times in his career.
If everything goes the Red Raiders’ way, the team could be 6-0 when it travels to Austin, Texas to do battle with the Texas Longhorns on Oct. 22.
—Edited by Erin Wisdom
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