Red Raiders Football Notebook 11-12-2008
Compiled by Don Williams
More strong viewership
Saturday’s Texas Tech-Oklahoma State game was the second most watched college football game on ABC Sports this season, Tech media relations director Chris Cook said he learned Tuesday from network officials.
The top-rated game of the year was Tech-Texas the weekend before.
Yeoman work
Williams
Special teams coach Clay McGuire was happy with the job Tech’s kickoff coverage team did against Oklahoma State, allowing an average of 19.7 yards on seven returns and none longer than 25 yards.
The Cowboys had been ranked 12th nationally in kickoff returns, thanks largely to Perrish Cox’s 31.1-yard average.
“I think that was the best they have done all year as far as kickoff coverage,” McGuire said. “This is the first game we’ve had where the opponent didn’t get past the 25-yard line, which is a goal for us. And we did it against one of the best teams in the country on that unit. I was real pleased with our guys. I thought they played a complete game.”
Williams up for national award
Texas Tech’s Brandon Williams is among 33 players on the watch list released Tuesday for the Ted Hendricks Award that goes to the nation’s top defensive end.
The junior from Fort Worth South Hills has 10 sacks and is tied for seventh in the nation in sacks per game with an average of 1.0.
Also on the list from the Big 12 Conference are Kansas State senior Ian Campbell, Oklahoma junior Auston English, Texas senior Brian Orakpo, Nebraska senior Zach Potter and Missouri senior Stryker Sulak.
The list will be shortened to five or six finalists later in the season, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 10.
Another sellout in sight
A total of 694 tickets remained for the Texas Tech-Baylor game as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to Dave Welsh, Tech associate athletic director for ticket operations. They break down as 196 reserved-seat tickets and 498 general admission, Welsh said.
The Baylor game is the regular-season finale on Nov. 29. Welsh said he expects the remaining tickets to sell out this week.
If so, Tech would end the season with six consecutive home sellouts. The Raiders’ average attendance of 53,651 is 100.4 percent of Jones AT&T Stadium’s listed capacity.
In addition, the deadline is Nov. 21 for season-ticket holders and Red Raider Club donors at the $350 level and above to return pre-order forms for tickets to any Tech post-season games. The pre-orders give consideration for tickets to both the Big 12 championship game if Tech is a participant and to whatever bowl game the Raiders play in.
Welsh said the response so far has been good.
“It’s by far the best we’ve ever had as far as the post-season response,” he said.
In brief
DE Brandon Sesay was back Tuesday participating in practice. Sesay didn’t suit up for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State for reasons Tech coach Mike Leach wouldn’t disclose.
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- Tech loses 83-64 to K-State
- Tech men lose heartbreaker to A&M
- Linehan: Tech’s new look starts at lectern
- Tech coaching plans for Saturday
- Red Raiders back at No. 23 in AP poll
- Baylor Depth Chart
- Baylor Facts
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What could Sesay possiblly be doing that would have him kept out of a game? here we are, 10-0, about to play OU in the biggest game ever that could have us going to our first Big 12 championship, and we have a guy doing something detrimental to the team? Unbelievable. I understand that Brandon has upsie and is a talented player, but we don’t need any extra work interfering with what we have going for us. Get you crap together Sesay!!
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Get off Brandon Sesay’s back. Cap’n Leach does not disclose the reasons a player misses any game. There is no indication why Brandon missed the OSU tilt. It could be a great many things, including family affairs, school work, etc. We should not get on a bandwagon to deride him but give him our support, knowing he is back to give his all in the games ahead.
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I was more fired up than anyone when I heard we were getting sesay. Like i said above, he is very talented. But he had to play at a junior college before he could play at tech because of off-the-field issues. I am pulling for sesay and mckinner dixon to be redemtion stories. I would love to see the two of them lining up next year and wreaking havoc in backfields. But when I hear that one of them is not dressing for games, it concerns me becasue off-the-field stuff has kept them out the line-up before. And now is a time when we need them more than ever. I’m not hoping to “deride” him, i just want him to realie the oppurtunitty this team has. But again, it could have been something not related to his behavior, but i donlt know why we wouldn’t have heard about it and why leach wouldn’t talk about it. But i am happy he is back and hope there is nothing more to come.
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