Our weekly Q&A this week comes from Matthew Clare of Wreck ‘Em 247. Mr. Clare will also join the Orange Report tonight to talk Texas Tech @ Texas tomorrow night.
Whisenant: Â We’ve seen the on field results, but tell us what Kliff Kingsbury has brought to the program from an off the field perspective.
Clare: You often hear people say that Kliff has “reunited the Tech fan base†and that really has been the biggest thing. From the whole Leach situation to the 3 seasons with Tuberville, the Tech fans went through a lot they never really wanted in the first place. Kingsbury, and most of his staff, played at Tech and have high expectations for the program moving forward. The fans and students have responded this season. There are higher attendance numbers and the students broke every single student attendance record this year in Lubbock. Besides, the word ‘swag’ is massively overused these days, but Kliff Kingsbury just has “it†and there is a lot of excitement about where he can take this program moving forward.
Whisenant: The quarterback situation has been a tough one, but these guys have answered the bell. Tell me which guy you feel the most confidence with going forward and why?
Clare: Davis Webb has the highest ceiling, in my opinion, and has the size and make-up of a true pro-style QB. Webb can make all of the throws and will get even better with a full year of Big12 experience. He grew up a coach’s son (like Kingsbury) and is reportedly a film room junkie (like Kingsbury). This is a kid who graduated early and decided to skip his high school prom in order to participate in the Tech Spring Game. The same kid who made the Elite 11 finals and drew comparisons to Tom Brady from Trent Dilfer. Tech fans did not even expect to see Webb this season and had no idea who Baker Mayfield was until 2-3 weeks before the season. This was supposed to be Michael Brewer’s year to start, his opportunity to lead the highly ranked 2011 recruiting class on the field. A lower back injury has kept him off of the field and both true-freshman QBs have earned Kingsbury’s trust in the meantime.
Whisenant: I remember the play in the TCU game where De’Andre Washington dropped a touchdown at the goalline. A lot of coaches would have flipped, but Kingsbury took it in stride. What have things like that from Kingsbury done to improve the on field product.
Clare: That situation is simply a credit to Kingsbury and his relationship with the players. Kingsbury and most of his staff actually played football at Tech. His jersey and some of his accolades are displayed throughout the facility (and have been for years). Kingsbury has been very open and honest about his preference to still be competing for a starting job in the NFL. That fire, his work ethic, and overall approach to each situation have been infectious. He expects a lot from the players, but is close enough in age and playing experience to talk with them on their level and help them learn from such mistakes.
Whisenant: What does Jace Amaro mean to the Red Raiders, and could he be the best pass catcher there of all time?
Clare: Amaro has accounted for roughly 20% of the Red Raiders’ offense this season so I would say he means a lot. He is a rare combination of size and speed that creates severe mismatches for the opposing defense. With Tech fielding two true-freshman QBs this season, I would argue that we aren’t even seeing Amaro at his best. Both Webb and Mayfield tend to stare down Amaro on routes because he is that good and they know he can move the chains. I don’t think he will be considered the “best†pass catcher because Crabtree was just so dominant during his time at Tech, but Amaro could go down as one of the “toughest†of all time. He has taken some huge hits this season and actually came back into a game last year after lacerating his spleen. Most Tech fans would like to see him come back for another year, but only Amaro can make that decision.
(Whisenant: I had to highlight that. That is unreal)
Whisenant: Who are the Red Raiders Texas fans need to know about?
Clare: Starting QB – Kingsbury will name the starter right before the game, Webb or Mayfield or Brewer.
Jace Amaro – TE
Eric Ward – WR
Baylen Brown – RG, Brown will start for the injured Beau Carpenter
Kerry Hyder – DT, preseason All-Big12 selection and Tech’s best D-linemen
Terrance Bullitt – OLB
Justis Nelson – CB, true-freshman making his first start this season
Whisenant: As I ask everyone, your thoughts on Mack Brown, and is it his time to go?
Clare: I do think it’s time for a change. Mack Brown is an incredible CFB coach, but Texas has been underperforming each year since their last National Title appearance. I think change is necessary for a program that recruits the top talent year after year. Texas has the talent and resources to be one of the best CFB programs in the country, but the ‘best of the best’ players are committing to A&M and other programs outside of Texas recently.
Whisenant: Â How will the Red Raiders stop the UT run game and force McCoy to throw?
Clare: Great question, I think most Tech fans would like to know the answer to this question as well. The Red Raiders have been giving up a ton of rushing yards during their current 4 game losing streak…
-277 yards rushing to OU
-281 yards rushing to OkState
-291 yards rushing to K-State
-340 yards rushing to Baylor
The Tech defense is giving up an average of almost 300 yards rushing allowed during the past 4 games and your guess is as good as mine in terms of ‘how’ they will stop the UT run game. UT racked up 439 yards of rushing the last time Tech visited Austin in 2011…only 168 yards in Lubbock last season, so who knows?
Whisenant: Who are the UT players you are most concerned with?
Clare: I’m going to refer back to question #7 here and say that Malcolm Brown & Joe Bergeron concern me the most. Mike Davis had a good day against Tech last year and Tech is starting a true-freshman at CB this Saturday. Other than that, I will be watching Jackson Jeffcoat and Cedric Reed rushing the edge against the Tech O-line. Any pressure on Tech’s true-freshman QBs will impact the game in a big way for Texas.
Whisenant: Your honest thoughts on the Longhorn Network
Clare: The LHN is one of the biggest wastes of time and money in CFB history. It might be ‘cool’ to have as a Texas fan, but that same time and money could have been spent to improve the Big12 by creating a “Big12 channel†of sorts. Wrong or right, the LHN has created nothing but trouble for the conference and has provided nothing in return…except a gigantic check for UT.
Regardless of what ‘actually’ happened between UT and the collection of Neb/CU/Miz/A&M, the Big12 conference is a shell of what it once was over greed and a lot of stubborn people looking out for themselves. I realize that Tech is a small part of that overall puzzle, but one could argue that it will actually have a long term negative effect for UT. All of those schools mentioned above are now in stronger conferences and making more revenue than they did while in the Big12…while UT plays in the Big12 with their own TV network, that nobody watches.
Whisenant: How big could a win in Austin be for the program?
Clare: Tech hasn’t beat UT in Austin since 1997, so a win against UT on Thanksgiving (on national television) in Austin would be huge for the Tech FB program. A win for Tech on Thursday would give them an 8-4 record in Kingsbury’s first season as a head coach. That would be impressive for a variety of reasons, but will mostly give the coaching staff a tremendous amount of momentum in recruiting that will carry into the offseason.
Whisenant: Score Prediction?
Clare: Tech 41 – UT 31