Sheffield out longer than initial report
The Texas Tech football team will have to do without quarterback Steven Sheffield for a while longer.
Geoffrey Mcallister / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield won't return to the field as soon as was once hoped.
The down time for the broken left foot Sheffield suffered Oct. 17 at Nebraska is expected to be four to six weeks, The Avalanche-Journal has learned. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture two weeks ago.
A source who initially confirmed Sheffield would be out at least two to three weeks said that time frame “was probably unrealistic.’’
Another said, “The four weeks will probably be pushing it, but hopefully he can get there.’’
Tech has an open date this weekend. The Red Raiders’ next game is Nov. 14 at Oklahoma State, four weeks after Sheffield’s injury. He probably would need at least a week of practice with the offense before getting back into a game.
Sheffield, who gave the team a lift during a three-game winning streak at the beginning of October, remained on crutches on the sideline Saturday during Tech’s 42-21 victory against Kansas. Seth Doege made his first career start in that game, but he was replaced by Taylor Potts for the entire second half.
“The quarterback, whoever is in there, doesn’t really dictate what we do as far as receivers, (offensive) linemen, running backs,’’ running back Baron Batch said after the game. “We’ve just got to do what we do, whoever’s in there. Once we do that consistently, play in and play out, we’re going to make plays.’’
Potts started the first five games of the season, missed the next two with a concussion, then returned to start a 52-30 loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 24. Tech coach Mike Leach said Potts looked “slow and statue-like’’ against the Aggies and replaced him with Doege with the team trailing 38-14 in the third quarter.
In Potts’ second-half relief job against Kansas, Batch and center Shawn Byrnes said he made astute calls at the line of scrimmage to get the team into running plays. It paid off with Batch carrying eight times in the fourth quarter for 106 yards and three touchdowns.
Leach said Doege is “ahead of schedule,’’ but he wasn’t happy with the pace the offense had with the redshirt freshman running it in the first half. Doege and the offensive line struggled with Kansas’ pass rush, taking five sacks in the first two quarters.
With Potts in for the second half, the Jayhawks had no sacks and Leach said Potts “did a really good job commanding the unit.’’
“The biggest thing is we’re just waiting for that one guy to realize how easy it really is to play quarterback,’’ Leach said, “because you’ve got 10 other people helping you out on any given play. Once that happens and we’re able to go out there with great tempo, then we’re going to be in great shape.’’
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Sorry Shef! See ya next yr kid! Potts and Doege are champs though! None of our QB’s asked to be in this position and it is just part of life. Right? When the goin gets tough the tough get goin so suck it up guys and get some work done. The whole team needs to get some work done. What a great opportunity to come together as a real team and get r done. These guys might have great memories of this year for years to come. Sure hope so!!!
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It’s definitely disappointing news to hear that we won’t likely have Sticks for OK State, but it does give Potts (assuming he starts over Doege) another opportunity to show why he was the starter at the beginning of the season in the first place. Hopefully the offensive line will benefit from the bye week and we can play to our potential.
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Ouch. Got little confidence in Taylor Turnover on road vs. Okie State and at home against OU. Hope he gets it done. Okie State will need that game to redeem an underachieving mess of a season. And beating Baylor in Dallas is still a far cry from a gimme. Hello, Shreveport and another loss to a quality SEC team?
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I don’t like to hear that, but I would rather see Sticks be complety healed, than risk a re-injury.
We’ll have to dance w/the ones who brung us….
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Sheffield get well and I know that the team will step up and show up to play. Guns Up Red Raiders Believe.
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straight shooter… mess of a season? i’ve said all along that this unit would do very well to win eight games. nothing new here. we’re not ut or ou, where we just reload every year. even ou has had a great deal of difficulty replacing their nfl farm club OL from last season, ask bradford if you don’t believe me. anyway, next year it will come down to tech and ou for the big 12 south, w/ the nod going to ou considering they’ll likely have the tie-breaker at home and their nfl talent. that’s just the facts folks!!!
WRECK’EM!!!
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At least our QB problems didn’t throw us into the funk that it did Baylor.
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Well, all you negative fans can move to Austin or Norman!!! Tech will win the Big 12 next year, bank on it!
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I would like to see Tech win the Big 12 next year. However, I am not sure that will happen. THe recruiting pool is drained pretty dry each year but UT/OU and others. I think A&M will come back. As for QB, I still am not impressed with Potts and Doege is young. Let’s hope somewhere is the new Tech QB that can really play the game. Sticks is a leader and I too want him healed before returning; perhaps next year.
One is not a negative fan if they have “realistic” views of a team they see each Saturday.
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I’m not so worried about QB next year as I am the O-line. We’ve been struggling trying to replace Hamby, Vasquez, and Reed, and next year we’ll have three more to replace – Brynes, Carter, and Winn. Even if all the new guys are great talents, it will take a while for them to get on track. And we play TCU and UH in our non-conference early games.
We will also lose our entire D-line except for Whitlock. And Williams and Wall.
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Noel, how did you see all the injuries at qb this season? At O-line? Did you see the right guards’ suspension as well?
I sure did not see any of that coming. I think this team has done well given some of the circumstances. Who know where Taylor Potts would be as a qb had he gotten more playing time to develop, the HC believes that reps make a lot of difference.
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Potts did well with KU and will do well against OSU. He is the reason we won against KU seeing what the defense was giving and getting rid of the ball quickly. We will finish strong this year as long as our remaining QBs can get through the season. Next year will be great. Sticks will propel this team a long way if we can keep him protected. He will learn to get rid of the ball quicker and not take sacks. Doege will improve as well. Defense is always the issue though. Can we recruit better and get them to play at a high level week in and week out…
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Maybe the OU game – maybe the Baylor game. Potts is the man for the time being. Stay out of your head buddy, you can run this offense!
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so it seems, king. i’ve not been a fan of potts all year but it’s time to support our leader (albeit only by default). potts HAS to work on his peripheral view of the pressure so he can have a prayer at side stepping some of the blitz’s. harrell was not a runner but was terrific at bobbing and weaving away from the rush. i’ve seen tech have great succes when they mix in the running game in earnest. potts’ ineffectiveness has forced us to run the ball and run it well against both UH and KU. we’ve got to mix up the looks on defense. i love to see a safety or cornerback blitz throw in there. watch the deep nickel package against teams that can run the ball.
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Batch got it right!!
It does not matter which QB is in there!!
It is the responsibility of each player to execute his assignment flawlessly!! And with sense of urgency!! Every play must be executed as if it is the game winner!! That goes for the defense too!!
WRECK ‘EM TECH!!!
RAIDER!!!! POWER!!!!
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I agree with the “mess of a season” I feel bad for the seniors this year.
Close game with #2 Texas
Should have won the Houston (#10+/- team) Bad coaching call at the end. And Defense that broke down.
A&M mess/funk (enough said)
We could very well be setting with 1 loss and tied with South conference leader and top 10 ranking….
What “could have been”….
With that said lets go out with a bang. Wreck’Em Tech and win out!
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Why blame it all on POTTS? Where is the O-line who coaches them…to me this unit is the one responsible for the “troubles at qb”! How many more look out blocks do we have to see followed by the bad throw or the qb strip from behind…???
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what ever happend to chop blocks? i mean if you got a big ugly just bull rushing, why not cut block!?
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Why bring Sticks back at all this season??????????
We’re playing for pride, and Shreveport! No need to come back too early!!
Get well Sticks we’ll try again next year!
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simple tall mike, you don’t replace the line we had last over night, on either side of the ball. the OL especially. doesn’t matter who the qb is, you can’t throw laying on your arse!!! notice i didn’t even mention replacing 2 safties and crab… pretty easy logic from here…
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watchdog, leach cost us the UH game, that’s it. the others were out of our control. sure it would have been nice to have stix back for a&m, but it’s playing out very close to the way i figured to begin. we’ll likely only take 1 of the last 3. i hope i’m wrong, but if i were a betting man, that’s how i’d call it for sure!!!
Go TECH, prove me wrong!!!
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Your WRONG Noel. We will not lose 2 of the 3 left.
As I said regarding Houston, yes Leach blew it, but the Defense also let Houston go 99 yards to score in the final minutes. That does count as well. Games on BOTH.
This could have been a great year, but it will still be a good year if we win out and I think we can. Not saying we will, but that we CAN. Better to be an optimist than a pessimist like you regarding your own team. You work for the UD (Treador whatever) or AJ?
Wreck’Em Tech!
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Noel as to your first post, you shouldn’t sell your team short.
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There is a reason for all this QB mess ( we will see what comes of this next year…BTW it is pretty awesome to go three deep in the QB staff and still come out bowl eligible)… but nonetheless we have endured and about to finish a season in what seems to be a unresolved team dynamic. From a fans point of view It is the most awkward feeling coming from a TECH team that can run the table if they establish key components to the current game the bring to the field. The following statement might be premature but….I can see/feel something special coming next year for this team.
BTW…it seems as sherman was taking shots at LEACH according to an article on DMN…but with ALL the trash talking the aggie fan base is doing I only have one thing to say…”MUST TAKE BEATING TECH TO GET BACK ON THE LOSING WAGON OF sherman”…we can’t forget that the student/alumni base were calling for his head and now he is the king of college station. They will be calling for his head again…I gauraaaaaaanteeeeeee!!!
GO TECH!!!
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Teck will lose all three!!! OSU will smash!!!
anybody who thinks teck will compete for the big 12 south is out of touch with reality. do yourself a favor and report to UMC for a psych evaluation asap.
at best, teck will finish 4th. UT-1st, OU-2nd, OSU-3rd, then who
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slacker your name says it all.
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What is the Shevport stuff, this is a 3 loss team and has the potential to stay a three loss team. How many three loss Big 12 teams have been to the Indepence Bowl???? Not very many. Two of our three losses are to ranked teams and we very easiliy could have been victorious in each of these two games. Tech in the 30 years that I have been rooting for them has always had that one flop game. This year it just happened to be to A&M who used to be good, but that game was the anomaly. I fairly confident that OU is going down in Lubbock, and OSU is in a tailspin. I believe this team very easily will win out and get a good bowl invitation if it does. Considering the pundits had us finishing 5th in the south, I think this has been a great year. Add the injuries and this team has performed better than most I have seen. I am proud of this team more so than many others.
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That a way Adam. Don’t want to sound like a little fat girlfriend, but your right. I hope the team performs well and not return to their big heads till after the season (bowl game).
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Was B-Carter hurt during the last game or did he just have a leg cramp? He looked like he was in pain when he was on the sideline during the last quarter.
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Poor Sheff! Hope he gets better! No matter what I will be rooting for the team and the QB that starts next Saturday! Wreck’ em Boys!!
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Sorry Adam, let’s go bowling in San Antonio this year!
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Here’s our future QB
Senior quarterback Scotty Young tied a Texas state record Friday night by firing eight touchdown passes as Denton Ryan outlasted McKinney, 70-63, in a wild shootout. The game was delayed for 40 minutes due to lightning and attendance was slowed by a steady rain throughout.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Texas Tech commitment completed 27-of-41 passes for a school-record 550 yards – just 45 yards short of the state record.
Young, who threw six touchdown passes in each of his two previous outings, now has thrown for 1,172 yards and 20 touchdowns — with just one interception — in his first three outings. In one of the previous games he sat out the second half and in the other game he sat out the fourth quarter.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/highschool/09/14/scotty.young/index.html?section=si_latest
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Why is everyone packing it in for next year? We’re 6-3 with three to play and could realistically win all three. Yeah, that’s right, I said it. We could win all three. OSU has consistently shown all year that they are beatable. Loss to Houston (at home), barely squeaking by texas a&m, and then the monumental pile driver from texas (again at home…emphasis on “at home”). They’re wounded and vulnerable, and you guessed it, they play us AT HOME. ou comes to OUR house this year without the almighty and enlightened brad samford…do you think a little revenge might be on tap in Lubbock? Don’t you think we might want a little piece? Who else has circled this one after last years train wreck in Norman? Lastly, Baylor is absolutely reeling from the loss of their QBs. With our defense and offense showing some resolve and consistency, a win is definitely within our grasp. I feel if the coaches do their jobs and the kids’ heads are right, 9-3 is extremely realistic, 8-4 at worst. What say you?
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we have been hearing that sonny dykes is the top canidate to replace hawkins here in boulder. arizona was a nobody when dykes shoed up correct? was he a good recruiter? thought?
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tech addict ……………………….9-3 or 8-4 is good, we’re just not competing for the South championship.
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Doege should be the man, although he looked timid, he still made a big play in the first half earlier in the game. He is young but coming from a guy who has played with him during high school, Doege if given the shot to start again, he will pull through as long as the line holds their guys. Expect huge numbers if Doege starts thats all im saying.
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If he has protection, well any of our 3 QB will have great numbers if there’s protection….
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It’s hard to believe that a guy who looked as fearless as Potts did against UT is washed up. Recovering from the Kindle cheap shot, the concussion against New Mex, and sitting on the bench surely left a lot of rust. Also hard for the offense to adjust tempo after playing with Sheffield, especially with the unsettled line. Batch and the running game can cure a lot of those timing problems, and this defense looks like it can give Tech a chance to win all three remaining games. All in all, this is a good time for a week off. Then we’ll find out just how good of a coach Mike Leach is……
By the way, remember “The Kingsbury Hop” — the one he used to do just before getting hit by defenders? Seemed to take a lot of force out of the hits. Plus, he seemed to know how to position himself to avoid getting whiplashed to the ground the way Potts was against New Mex. Kliff, if you are out there, a fellow Raider QB could use your help……..
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Kingsbury is at UH now… he helped out the Red Raiders by beating us this year…but hey, everyone needs a job right?
I’m not convinced Doege has the accuracy needed or the arm strength. Maybe he was king in high school but he will have to improve over the next couple of years to be great in college. I like that he got some playing time early in his career, that could help build confidence. Potts appears to have just been really rattled by a hit against UT and it was worse when NM whacked him. He looked better against KU. We look to be back on track and no longer under estimating our opponents like A&M. So the aggies got a win this year, first time I heard “Whoop” in Lubbock since 1993. They were going to upset someone this year like the Red Raiders used to do, sucks it was us, I was hoping for UT.
We will beat OU this year in Lubbock, count on it. Tech steps up to the big games and I think we will again. And next year we will beat OU in Norman for the first time under Leach. Stoops said he would never let it happen, but next year it will happen.
I’m realistic and an optimist, we have a chance to win out the season if we play tough. Nobody left on our schedule is a dominant force, everyone is vulnerable, including us. WRECK EM!
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Should a, Could a.
Too bad Sheff did not begin the season as the starting QB. And too bad that he got injured against Nebraska. I believe that Tech would very well have been undefeated at this time with Sheff at the helm. Oh well, theres always next year. I am stoked about this Young (QB from Denton). I watched his televised high school game. This kid is going to be spectacular. Hopefully he will hold true to his verbal.
Wreckem Texas Tech
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