Q&A with Texas Tech's Double T Nation

Free time has been pretty limited this week, so instead of a Q&A session with an opponent blogger, I decided on word association with Seth over at the Texas Tech blog “Double T Nation”.

The items in bold were phrases I threw at Seth.

Graham Harrell - System Quarterback

Absolutely.  I take pride knowing that Graham Harrell has quarterbacked an offense that forces quarterbacks to make quick decisions, read defenders based on their coverage and execute one of the more efficient scoring offenses in college football.  That's a bit much, but you get the point.

I don't think there's any shame in being a system quarterback, it's a label that started when the spread wasn't as vogue as it is now and it's stuck with Texas Tech, justifiably so. The Red Raiders throw the ball a ton and it just makes sense that there's going to be more yards through the air than on the ground.

Michael Crabtree - Heisman Trophy

If Crabree wins the Heisman Trophy it will be the product of an undefeated or near perfect team on the field. If that's the case, then bring it on. I don't know if this makes me a bad fan, but I only care about the post-season trophies if they are a product of a successful season.

I don't know how much pride I'd take in winning the Heisman if my team won 3 games for the year, but the Heisman Committee won't hand out the award to any player whose team only won 3 games. Again, the awards are a product of winning, and if Texas Tech is winning then the hype will happen.

Unknown Soldier

Eric Morris. He's been a little injured this year and somewhat overshadowed by the outstanding play of his younger and more physically gifted counterparts, but Morris is a warrior and it never ceases to amaze me to see a guy who's probably generously listed at 5'8" make such a big contribution to a BCS program.  In 2007 he had 75 catches for 767 yards and 9 TD's, while this year, he's been good for 26 catches for 326 yards and 2 TD's.  Again, he's barely 5'8".

Mike Leach - Gimmick Offense

Probably not anymore.  The spread offense or the different variations are so commonplace, it doesn't seem right that it should be called a "gimmick" anymore.  Just like any other offense, it is intended to take advantage of players in space, whereas other offense may take advantage of their speed, or size, or overall talent.  When Leach first arrived in Lubbock, there was talent there, but not the type of talent that could rival any of the big boys of Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma.  The spread was and is an equalizer in many ways.  Superior athletes will normally win out, but if the spread quarterback gets in a groove and just can't miss, then it gives a less talented team the chance to win.  It's David vs. Goliath.

Texas Tech - Big 12 South Winner

Not quite.  OU is still the absolute best team in the conference.  I could make an argument that Texas Tech could win the South, but OU's toughest opponent after UT this weekend is at home against Texas Tech and at Oklahoma State at the end of year.  In between UT and those two teams are Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska (sorry) and TAMU.

Prediction!

How about 45-20, Texas Tech.  I think I initially picked under spread (22 points on Monday) at the beginning of the week, but I'm changing my tune.