Red Raiders D-line keeps on the attack
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For one game, at least, Texas Tech’s revamped defensive line performed much like the renowned group from a year ago.
Texas Tech's Rajon Henley brings down North Dakota's Jake Landry during their game Sept, 5, 2009 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, John A. Bowersmith)
The Red Raiders started their season Saturday with only four of the nine players who rotated along last year’s defensive front — Ra’Jon Henley, Richard Jones, Daniel Howard and Colby Whitlock. Two of the departed, McKinner Dixon and Brandon Williams, combined for 22 of Tech’s 34 sacks in 2008.
Tech didn’t miss them much, though, in a 38-13 victory over North Dakota at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Red Raiders finished with only two sacks and didn’t completely dominate their Football Championship Subdivision opponent, but the early returns were acceptable enough.
Tech head coach Mike Leach mentioned the group first in his postgame assessment, saying, “I thought the D-line played with pretty good intensity,” and linebacker Marlon Williams also had kind words for the players lined up in front of him.
“The D-line played very well,” said Williams, who finished with a team-high 81/2 tackles. “I didn’t get touched by a lineman hardly the whole game, and I was able to run around and make a lot of plays.
“In a lot of third-down situations, you saw the quarterback couldn’t even stay in the pocket. He was having to break out of the pocket and try to make something happen. The D-line held their part of attacking and never stopped attacking all the way through.”
North Dakota's Ethan Maqstadt is stopped by a host of Texas Tech defenders during their game Sept, 5, 2009 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (John A. Bowersmith/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Tech kept North Dakota out of the end zone until the game was all but put away early in the fourth quarter, and the Fighting Sioux gained only 3.6 yards per offensive play and finished with a mere 207 total yards.
They also couldn’t muster much of a running game, gaining only 73 yards on 29 carries.
Starting defensive ends Henley and Howard tried to do their best impression of Dixon and Brandon Williams, recording one sack apiece and applying plenty of pressure on North Dakota quarterback Jake Landry.
They often flushed him out of the pocket and forced him to unload the ball quickly, and Howard was especially disruptive.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior, who was credited with only three tackles, nearly forced a point-scoring turnover early in the third quarter.
On third-and-1 from North Dakota’s 12-yard line, Howard chased down Landry in the backfield and wrapped up his legs.
Landry lost the ball as he fell to the turf, and Marlon Williams pounced on it in the end zone for what appeared to be six points. The ruling on the field was challenged, reviewed and changed to an incomplete pass, but the Fighting Sioux were forced to punt and the Red Raiders scored on the ensuing possession.
In the fourth quarter, after North Dakota had cut its deficit to 15 points and was driving near midfield, Howard ran down Landry again and forced him into a wild throw that resulted in a 3-yard loss on third down.
The play essentially put the game away, because Tech tacked on a field goal and touchdown on its next two possessions.
“(Howard) had the quarterback and (Landry) did a good job getting rid of the ball,” said Henley, a converted defensive tackle. “If it wasn’t for that, (Howard) probably would have had three or four sacks tonight.”
Tech’s linemen weren’t entirely thrilled with their performance, though. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Brandon Sharpe helped fuel North Dakota’s only touchdown drive, and the Fighting Sioux’s first scoring drive — a 39-yard field by Brandon Hellevang late in the first quarter — started with back-to-back personal-foul penalties.
“The penalties really hurt us,” Henley said. “It was too many penalties.”
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Good start D!! Shut out Rice next week!!
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im a big tech fan and the d i saw yesterday was a big step back from last yri hope they step up or its gonna be a long long season
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Raider red
How many times in the Spike years would we have lost a game like this one? I liked the fact that it was the defense that put this game away.
Quit being such a sour puss :)
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We will be ok! Remember it takes us a while to get going. I didn’t think TECH played up to potential last year until the K-State game. We struggled last year against Eastern Washington, Nevada, and Texas A&M. Taylor Potts will improve will more experience. Coach Leach will iron out the wrinkles next week. Those who don’t put out the effort next week in practice will walk the plank and run in the sand pit! WRECK EM TECH!
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All Pott’s has shown so far is that he can grow facial hair, kill a pig, and show a large vocabulary of “yaknow, yaknows”! What a goofus!!!
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Nick, have you played college football? Don’t judge unless you want to be judged.
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nick shows his football ignorance again.
as for the D. it is a step back from last year. you don’t replace 2 guys, maybe 3, who were likely to play on sundays. our depth is down, we have 2 green safties, and i haven’t even gotten to the ol, qb, and receiving corps.
for the first start of his career, potts was decent. he’ll improve. i’m more worried about our de’s, ol, and our safties. we’re rebuilding, we’ll have to take baby steps for a while.
WRECK’EM!!!
life by the inch is a cinch, by the yard is pretty hard!!! we’ll improve, have patience!!! GUNZ UP!!!!
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Thats right Noel! Inch by inch, yard by yard……… the long term goal (championship) is the Red Raider playing card! Wreck em Tech!
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WE MUST WRECK THEM & KEEP OUR GUNS UP!!
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO WIN!!
THESE WORDS ARE SO MYSTICAL AND MAGICAL AND CARRY GREAT WISDOM!!
TECH FANS NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THESE FACTS ON A DAILY BASIS OR THEY WILL FORGET!
…..PLUS WE MUST STAY FOCUSED. .
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I feel the defense played very good. The offense turned the ball over three times and that tended to encourage the Fighting Sioux enough to string together a few good, long drives. However, the defense stepped up enough to hold down the scoring. Bottom line, Tech is not yet where they need to be to vie for the Big-12 title. North Dakota displayed a lot of heart and should go on to a real good Div-1A season, errrr, FCS season. They obviously were overmanned by Tech, but great effort enabled them to do better than predicted. Hats off to the Fighting Sioux. From what the Tech players have said in their post-game statements, they will make the necessary adjustments and refrain from becoming complacent during the games ahead. I sure hope so, otherwise, UT will put some hurt on Tech. Remember, they are still PO’d about last year, we are playing on their turf in two weeks and they appear more ready for that game right now than Tech does. Despite the perceived problems, Tech should rebound and get ready for the Owls and for the ‘Horns. I am a bit less optimistic, but I think the team is still capable of having a great year once more.
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Cmart first, not since I was in college!!!
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guys remember……it’s still early in the yr, these guys r going to get fired up! wreck’em tech!
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I have to say it each and every year..you work to get better each week.. either you step up or you get stepped on..hey Ruff!!
GUNS UP… the only game you worry about IS THE NEXT ONE>>>>FREE from NC
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