THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012
PAGE 3B
FOOTBALL GAMEDAY PREVIEW TEXAS TECH #22 6-3 (3-3)
FARZIN VOUSOUGHIAN
fvousoughian@kansan.com
STARTING LINEUP
OFFENSE
Texas Tech's offense is red hot and one of the best in the Big 12. Texas Tech leads the conference for most passing touchdowns. Led by quarterback Seth Doege and a strong offensive line, the Red Raiders' offense is mostly passing oriented. Doege's thrown 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year and hopes to improve his numbers against Kansas. Running backs Kenny Williams and Eric Stephens Jr. have not been involved in game plans very much. Expect the Red Raiders to go pass heavy on the Jayhawks.
Pos. NAME No. Year
OB Seth Doege 7 Sr.
RB Kenny Williams 34 So.
WR Eric Ward 18 Jr.
WR Jakeem Grant 11 Fr.
WR Tyson Williams 3 Sr.
TE Jace Amaro 22 So.
LT LaAdrian Waddle 65 Sr.
LG Beau Carpenter 72 So.
C Deveric Gallington 66 Sr.
RG Le'Raven Clark 62 Fr.
RT Terry McDaniel 68 Sr.
K Ryan Bustin 48 So.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas Tech's Seth Doege is hit by Texas' Alex Okafer ahead of Texas Tech's Deveric Gallington (66) during their game on Nov. 3 in Lubbock, Texas.
DEFENSE
Tommy Tuberville has coached a good defense, coordinated by Art Kaufman. The defense is ranked 18th in the country and third in the Big 12. Texas Tech's pass defense is second in the conference, thanks to safety Cody Davis, who won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week in Week 7. The defense runs a 4-3 style and sometimes shifts into a nickel package with Tre' Porter as the extra defensive back.
Pos. NAME No. Year
LE Dartwan Bush 54 Jr.
NT Delvon Simmons 8 So.
DT Kerry Hyder 91 Jr.
RE Jackson Richards 43 So.
OLB Terrance Bullitt 1 Jr.
MLB WIll Smith 7 Jr.
OLB Sam Eguavoen 13 So.
CB Eugene Neboh 31 Jr.
CB Bruce Jones 24 Jr.
FS D.J. Johnson 12 Sr.
SS Cody Davis 16 Sr.
P Ryan Exleben 26 Sr.
MOMENTUM
Texas Tech has lost to Kansas just once in the two teams' history. The Red Raiders have defeated the Jayhawks in the previous five meetings. This year, the Red Raiders have played well and have six wins, three within the conference, under their belt. They have the upper hand going into this game against the Jayhawks, but Tuberville won't take any game lightly.
AT A GLANCE
Texas Tech opened the season ninth in the Big 12 polls with few expectations. Although the Red Raiders are 3-3 in the conference, they have some standout players who've had their names featured in the spotlight. An unbalanced offense and inconsistency on defense has kept them away from being ranked higher, but they've won more games than many had expected, and in doing so have already exceeded expectations for 2012.
COACHING
Like any coach, Tommy Tuberville took the necessary routes to land head coaching gigs with multiple schools throughout his coaching career. He spent four years as the defensive line and linebackers coach at Arkansas State. He made a name for himself at Miami as an eight-year assistant and as the defensive coordinator for Texas A&M for one season. Tuberville was the head coach at Ole Miss for four years and at Auburn for 10 years. Since 2010, Tuberville as been with Texas Tech and has led it to a 19-15 record so far.
Tuberville
PLAYER TO WATCH
Wide receiver Eric Ward can make the biggest difference in this game for the Red Raiders. Ward isn't in the top 50 in the nation in either receptions or receiving yards. But that hasn't stopped Seth Doege from finding him in the end zone. Ward is tied fifth in the nation for most touchdown catches with 10. Ward has been a red-zone
Ward
threat for opposing defensive backs. What makes this more interesting is the fact that Kansas is first in the Big 12 in red-zone defense. Keep an eye on Ward when Texas Tech has the ball inside the 20.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker Ryan Bustin has made 12 of 17 field goals this year, with misses from various distances. Texas Tech will want Bustin to come through if it's stopped in the red zone. Kick returner SaDale Foster and punt returner Austin Zouzalik haven't made much noise on special teams but have a chance to change that against Kansas. The Jayhawks have allowed some big returns this season, most notably against Oklahoma.
QUESTION MARKS
Can Texas Tech limit its turnovers?
Although Texas Tech has played well this season, its 3-3 conference record is due to the 10 turnovers the team has committed this year. If Kansas creates a couple of turnovers on the road and follow up with scores, Texas Tech could find itself in jeopardy of losing its top 25 spot in the rankings.
Will the Red Raiders draw a lot of penalties
The Red Raiders, as good as they are, have been guilty of 44 penalties, which counts for the most in the conference. Texas Tech must be mentally prepared and more focused this week to prevent from having yellow flags thrown its direction.
BABY JAY WILL WEEP IF ...
Kansas can't compete in the second half on the road. It's a trend with the Jayhawks. Their road performance in conference games haven't gone well in the second half. Charlie Weis has told his players that they need to play four full quarters of good football if they want any shot at winning, especially on the road in difficult Big 12 environments.
35 TEXAS TECH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas Tech running back Kenny Williams is tripped up by Texas safety Mykkele Thompson during their game on Nov. 3. Texas won 31-22.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas Tech's Eugene
Neboh, right, tacks
Texas wide receiver
Mike Davis (1) during
their game on Nov.
3 in Lubbock, Texas.
Weson 31-22.
BY THE NUMBERS
129 wins all time for coach Tommy Tuberville
16 career 300-yard passing games for Seth Doege
91 points scored at home in Big 12 play this season