Tech notebook: Picks stain Potts’ day
BY DON WILLIAMS l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach called quarterback Taylor Potts’ team period “sloppy and impatient’’ Friday after Potts threw three interceptions and nearly a fourth.
Leach said that doesn’t necessarily change his mind about the quarterback competition.
“You look at the whole body of work,’’ Leach said. “We’re not going to base anything on three plays.’’
The Red Raiders went from the practice fields to Jones AT&T Stadium before the end of Friday’s workout and scrimmaged for 46 plays with takedown tackling.
Safety Brett Dewhurst picked off a deep pass for Edward Britton and, with the offense operating from its own 11-yard line, defensive tackle Richard Jones dropped off the line of scrimmage and intercepted one of Potts’ throws into the middle. Jones ran it in for a touchdown.
Two plays before, linebacker Marlon Williams dropped an easy chance at an interception.
Later in the scrimmage, Potts was picked off again by backup safety Andre McCorkle.
Potts, who’s completed a high percentage this spring, finished the team period 5 of 13 for 31 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Detron Lewis. But Leach said his day was fine before then.
“He threw the ball well,’’ Leach said. “He had a real good (skeleton passing) period. He had a good team period except for about four plays.’’
Potts got twice as many plays in the scrimmage as backups Seth Doege and Steven Sheffield, which has been the pattern throughout spring. Doege hit 6 of 7 for 77 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Baron Batch. Sheffield was good on 4 of 8 passes for 41 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown to Austin Zouzalik from Coronado.
Good news, bad news
Running back Harrison Jeffers illustrated during Friday’s scrimmage what coaches love and hate about freshmen. Jeffers looked impressive on a 20-yard run and on a 13-yard pass play in which he took a short throw, dodged a linebacker, and turned it into something.
But he also fumbled on a play inside his own 20-yard line and got stopped short on back-to-back goal-line offense plays. Defensive end Daniel Howard threw him for a loss on one.
After the fumble, Tech coach Mike Leach hollered at Jeffers to “cover it with two hands in traffic.’’
“That’s why you have practice,’’ Leach said later about Jeffers’ day. “It’s like churches. You have churches for people that sin. You have practice for people that aren’t perfect players.’’
Jeffers finished with seven carries for 30 yards and scored a 2-yard touchdown on which he took a hit at the goal line from safety Cody Davis.
Batch stands out
The most impressive offensive player during the scrimmage period might have been junior running back Baron Batch.
He carried eight times for 51 yards. Showing power and some speed, Batch broke off runs of 9 and 19 yards, and he threw in a 14-yard gain in which he made a jump move to find a lane.
Batch also took a pass from Seth Doege and weaved his way into the end zone from 20 yards out.
In brief
Players out of practice included DE McKinner Dixon, DL Brandon Sesay, RB Aaron Crawford, CB Jamar Wall and CB De’Shon Sanders. Backup LB Tyrone Sonier also left the team period and didn’t return. … With Wall out for all but one practice this spring and Sanders out for several workouts, players farther down the cornerback depth chart are getting plenty of work. One of those players, Roosevelt ex Nathan Stone, broke up a fade-route pass for SE Adrian Reese to end the scrimmage. The 5-foot-8 Stone gives up 11 inches to Reese.
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Are we battlin’ Baylor for a postseason appearance late November in Dallas? Has this offense graduated two many excellent skill players and linemen to be any where close to last year?
Interested in who you guys think Tech will beat, lose to and why this fall?
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Baylor WILL beat Tech next year. Mark it down. And we will all be left to wonder whether we actually did the right thing by re-signing Leach.
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Shawn would you like to wager on that?
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Jeeez. Take it easy, guys. This is still a team trying to find out who can/can’t play, with some key parts on the sidelines. The jellin’ is knellin’….so to speak.
I have no worries, but if they still look this frazled in early Seotember, THEN we should show concern. What I would really like to see on the “D” is for Faheko to just come unglued and become a game-changing force.
As for the “O”, they WILL come around, and Baylor willNOT come close to winning against us…..Mark it!
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Any thoughts on Graham Harrell’s draft chances—It’s sad that one game took him from the Heisman frontrunner to maybe not even being drafted!!!
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Shawn,I hear they are looking for Baylor supporters in Waco, maybe a visit on their website would be the right place for you. Coach Briles would probably enjoy the whine that you bring to the table, Sounds like you stomped it with your own feet and used only sour grapes. P.S. it is called an extension of the existing contract (2 yrs left on current contract) so it is not a re-signing as you so put it. We win and we win a lot.
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Doege seems to be lighting it up. Maybe Leach shouldn’t grandfather Potts into the starting role. I would also like to see Fehoko emerge, but that won’t happen with Brian Duncan in front of him. They should move him over to Marlon’s spot. Then we could have Fehoko and Duncan on the field together.
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Fehoko has a motor, D. Howard has a motor and they will make plays, as long as Ruff doesn’t have blinders on and play his adopted projects. Those 2 guys are at every work out and hustle every play. Both of them will play, and in return make plays. Sam is a great kid and will be a force to reckon with, that is once he understands the defensive scheme. I look for big things to come.
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all i have to say is that Tech is not The only team that is trying to find out who can and cant play they have time to get the trouble spots out. the summer will be a good time to get some of the players that have not seen much playing time more familar with what that have to do and what there job is. and if Leach is the same coach he has been in the Past which he is he will have no problem putting Potts on the sideline so he can get his head in the right state of mind That been said Tech is going to have a good season and the fact that everybody wants them to be as perfect as the can and not settle for just average play.
GET AFTER THEM BIG BOYS.
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Baylor will give a lot of teams trouble this year, Tech included, but the Raiders are more than capable of keeping their winning streak against the Bears intact, and will. Tech will have another big year, BECAUSE of Leach, despite what any idiots post to the contrary on this or any other website. The Raiders will be prepared by the time the season begins, and will continue their assault on the upper echelon of the conference, which, they are also now a part of. The recruiting class that Leach brought in is the best Tech has seen in a long time, and we had plenty of talent waiting in the wings to post a similar record to last years. If we continue to draw the support that we saw last year from the Raider faithful, particularly the student body, Tech will be a force at home, again.
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That’s so cute that all these Baylor peeps are gettin on here talkin smack. I mean I guess you guys beat A&M during one of their worst seasons ever… and played a close game with us. But lets not forget that you still lost, and will lose to us for quite some time. Have fun with your fancy new QB for a few more years and pop a win on a few weak conference foes, but still recognize that Tech owns you.
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Remember Harrell got benched as a Soph. and I think Leach will do the same with Potts if he needs to. Also, Potts will take more chances then Harrell and his interceptions probably will be higher than Harrell’s but our down the field yards will be alot better than Harrell’s. Crabtree helped Harrell a ton with the yards in the open field. If Potts/Doege will use our running backs correctly then they will get a ton of yards as I think these are the best group of backs we have ever had– Quikness, Speed, and Power. Wreck’em Tech
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TECH WILL LOSE 4 GAMES AT MOST. BAYLOR WILL NOT BE ONE. UT IN AUSTIN, OU IN LUBBOCK, NEBRASKA IN LINCOLN, AND MAYBE OSU IN DALLAS…….THE REST ARE GRAVY, AND WILL MIGHT SNICK UP ON OU OR TU……..JUST TO PLAY SPOILER!!!!!!!
THIS BUNCH HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE, AND ALOT HAS TO DO WITH MIKE LEACH. GRAHAM WILL GET DRAFTED, AND WILL PLAY……..PERFECT FIT WITH THE PATS OR COLTS……
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The game in Dallas with Baylor will be close, however more of a home game for Tech with the alumni base in the metroplex. UT could start slow, Leach to be at his gambling best in Austin. Both ou AND osu will be tough games. I see 8-4 which isn’t bad for a so called rebuilding year. I see OSU having the season Tech did last year.
For those of you calling for Leach’s head should we lose to Baylor, go back to A & M where good coaches are let go prematurely (not talking about Fran, but Slocum, Bellard). Baylor could have a good season.
Harrell has dropped beneath Mcgee on the draft board. Number 6 QB on rivals.com
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guys im not a baylor fan but the bears will be a force this next year in the big 12. briles is a great coach and these guys will finally get to play in a bowl game. but tech will continue to win and stay in the top 25 for most if not all the season. i dont think baylor will beat tech but i thought they would get blown out by 40 last fall and they lead for alot of the game. for the rest of the season… tech will fall to either osu or nebraska – or both. leach will be ready for ou this year and the boys will play hard. but i do see a loss coming up against tu. both teams will play hard but we gave them a really good reason to hate us ( cheers). i think 9-3 but no worse than 8-4
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