Players of the Week/Unsung Heroes
There was
plenty to be happy about for the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday night. The
offense did enough to keep the Demons at bay, despite losing the turnover
battle.
The defense
held the NWSt. offense to the lowest total yardage
amount of any opponent in Tech football history, according to Texas Tech sports
information.
Sunday morning/Saturday
night I handed out game balls to Kerry Hyer and
Bradley Marquez. At the Monday press conference, Coach Tuberville said that
Marcus Kennard and Cody Davis were the official players of the week on offense
and defense, respectively.
Most folks
would look at a stat sheet and see Davis leading the team in tackles is a bad
thing for Davis, who, at Strong Safety plays considerably further behind the
It’s the
special teams player of the we however, that I think
deserves a little recognition as the unsung hero of the week. Summit Hogue, a
redshirt freshman from Frenship high school earned
the recognition for Special Teams Player of the week.
“We put him in there during the game, and on the three kickoffs he was
on, he made all three tackles. , he made the tackle on
each one,” said Coach Tommy Tuberville. “He (Hogue) will travel this week and be in kickoff
coverage just because of that. It’s the type of effort we’re looking for.“
It’s that kind of effort that having added
depth affects. It’s not a stretch to say that it will be a challenge for Hogue
to see the field as a starter on offense or defense during his career with the
Red Raiders (his position is listed as Athlete on the roster), but special
teams is an area where he could excel. And when a player gives that kind of
effort just to get on the field as a special teams player, that’s one less play
that someone on the 2-deep has to play, which helps the team stay more fresh.
Around the
Big 12:
Welcome to the party, West Virginia. QB Geno Smith and LB Isaiah Bruce were named Offensive and
Defensive players of the week, respectively. Punter Kirby Vander Kamp for Iowa
St. was named special teams player of the week for his coffin-kicking abilities
against Tulsa.
Unsung Heroes
Although Smith, Tavon
Austin and Steadman Bailey earned much of the preseason accolades for WVU, Shawne Alston added a third dimension for the Mountaineers.
16 carries for 123 yards and 2 TD is a dangerous component to add to Dana Holgerson’s offense.
In the same way that Alston helped keep the
offensive balance for West Virginia, Baylor RB Jarred Salubi
played an important role in the Bears’ offense. Only instead of standing out
amongst the other skill position players, Salubi
stood among his fellow RBs and played the role that Terrence Ganaway played last season for the Bears going for 13
carries, 91 yards and a TD. Lache Seastrunk
is the name everyone was watching to see break out. He didn’t disappoint,
averaging 13 yards on 3 carries, but Baylor won easily because of the play of Salubi.
ISU’s Steele Jantz
has improved on his accuracy. The Cyclone’s QB went 32-45 for 281 yards, 2TDs
and 1 INT against Tulsa, which proved to be the most formidable opponent for
the Big XII this week. Coach Paul Rhodes told us at Big XII media days that his
QBs had to improve from their 51% completion percentage from 2011.
I’ve been told that Texas QB David Ash did
as he was told and managed an effective game for the Longhorns. 20-27 for 166
yards and a TD, not that anyone saw it. It may not be pretty, but if he does
that, the horns are going to be tough to beat.
Finally, not a whole lot you can say about
Oklahoma State’s thrashing of Savannah State. I did find out the Tigers were
1-10 last season and the 4 wins against FBS competition may have occurred when
Shannon Sharpe played for the Tigers. Points, stats and otherwise one thing is
evident is depth for the Cowboys at RB. Joseph Randle is the man, but with 3
backs near 100 yards for the Cowboys means that OSU is still stacked at RB even
after the dismissal of Hershel Sims. And with a freshman QB, who is yet to
throw an incomplete pass during a game in college (on the field, stats not
available from the Kappa Delta House.) that is going to come in handy at some
point in conference play.