By: Mark Sparrow
Updated: July 25th, 2008, 12:40 PM CT
 
             By the Numbers

With the season a little over a month away, the Texas Tech marketing department is planning to make one last push to increase season ticket sales. Texas Tech has already surpassed their numbers from last year and August is historically a busy month.

Below are the total season ticket numbers over the past 5 years, which include seats reserved for students:

2008 - 39,577

2007 - 38,668

2006 - 39,445

2005 - 40,430

2004 - 37,626

To order your tickets, please call (806) 742-TECH

          Decision Imminent

4-star OL Joel Gray out of Lewisville, Texas has narrowed things down and is getting ready to make a decision. After taking visit to both Lubbock and Palo Alto, CA over the summer, he is now considering two schools out the 25 offers he has.

“I’ve got it down to Stanford and Texas Tech,” Joel explained. “It’s pretty even at this point. I’ve still got a lot of thinking to do and some talking to do before I make my decision.

“I’m going to commit probably in a couple of weeks. I still need to do a couple of things, like get my application in to Stanford, but I should have everything done by that time and be ready to commit.”

Part of the timeline coming into play is Gray’s desire to have his decision done before he starts his last year of high school football.

“We start workouts August 11th. I may not have my decision made by then, but I will definitely commit before our first game, which I believe is August 29th.”
             Poster Quotable

On Coach Leach's comment regarding Harrell making the players around him better:

"I definitely agree with that statement by Leach. Actually, I think that is one of the reasons that our offense has been so successful over the past couple of years- we have receivers and running backs that make blocks that give other players the chance to make big plays. Amendola was one that I noticed was really good at this."

-heavyg30

LINK TO POST

Photo by Mitchell Fish of RaiderPower.com

New defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill landed one of the biggest commits of the 2009 class in safety Will Ford.
 
             Built Ford Tough

When Abilene Cooper S Will Ford switched his commitment from Oklahoma to Texas Tech, it was a pleasant surprise for Red Raider fans as well as his family. Now that the dust has settled, Ford says that he is confident in his decision and excited to start the next chapter in his football career.

“A lot of people are happy that I’m staying in West Texas. Texas Tech is just right down the street, and I’ll be a lot closer to my family,” Ford told us.

“I’ve always just really liked Tech. The first college football game I attended was a Texas Tech game, and I just love Lubbock.”

Ford, who plays on all three sides of the ball as a kick return man, safety, spot receiver, and even a little quarterback for Cooper, is hoping that he’ll be able to get on the field early for Texas Tech.

“I’ve talked to the defensive coaches and my recruiter Coach McGuire quite a bit. They said that I’ll fit in really well and that I have a pretty good chance to play as a safety and kick returner my freshman year.”

Ford said he also had some influence from other Abilene Red Raiders in choosing Tech.

“I went to church with Lyle Leong and Kobey Lewis. They helped me make my decision and told me that Texas Tech was a great program and school.”

Will plans on being a frequent visitor to Lubbock over the football season, saying that he’s making plans to come for many of the games.

He’s also preparing for his upcoming season and feels confident that his Cougars are going to have a successful year.

“We start workouts August 14th. I think that we’ll have a really good year. We are #3 right now in the state, so we’re predicted to go far in the playoffs and hopefully we can make an appearance at the state finals.”

While Will has high hopes for the last chapter in his high school football career, he is eager to fulfill his dreams as a college football player.

“It’s a pretty cool deal that I’m going to be able to play at Texas Tech. I’ve always dreamed about playing D-1 ball, and it actually is going to happen. Now that it’s finally here, I just can’t wait.”

 
             Flashback: 2007 Texas A&M @ TTU
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