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| Sunday, August 12 Updated: August 13, 10:53 PM ET Red Raiders ready to ride into a bowl By Todd Cooper Special to ESPN.com |
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Texas Tech Red Raiders 2000 record: 7-6 (3-5). Coach: Mike Leach (2nd year, 7-6). Starters returning: 8 offense, 4 defense, 2 kickers. Outlook: The Red Raiders are trying to beef up after a 2000 season in which they beat up on powder puffs and got beat up by powerhouses. Quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, who dropped 25 pounds to 188 last season, set a school record for passing yards (3,418) in a season, but needs better protection from an offensive line that was riddled with injuries last year. If he has time, he has plenty of targets -- including surehanded juco transfer Anton Paige and returning starters Carlos Francis and Wes Welker. Linebacker Lawrence Flugence, the Big 12's top tackler in 2000, leads a defense that is strong up front but questionable in the backfield, with only one returning starter. On both sides of the ball, coach Mike Leach's team could suffer again this year from an anemic nonconference slate. Tech plays -- stifle your yawns -- New Mexico, UTEP and North Texas before opening conference play against Texas. True, a similar soft schedule got the Red Raiders to the galleryfurniture.com bowl last year, but it did nothing to prepare them for the bowl-day drubbing they took from East Carolina. Keep an eye on: Running back Ricky Williams. Williams, once a Heisman Trophy candidate before injuring his knee two seasons ago, sounds like he could write the sequel to Keyshawn Johnson's pageturner -- "Just Give Me the Damn Ball." Williams had considered bypassing his senior year because he was frustrated with Leach's pass-happy system. Instead, he returned to average 5.7 yards per carry in the spring. The Red Raiders will Williams to help them improve from No. 113 out of 115 teams in rushing. Key game: Texas A&M at Tech, Nov. 3. The matchup will give the Red Raiders a chance to win seven games and prove to potential Texas high school recruits that they're moving up while the Aggies momentarily move down. It's a good year if... The Red Raiders win seven games, edge out Texas A&M for the third spot in the South and keep a sure-to-rise Oklahoma State team at bay for now. Todd Cooper is a staff writer for the Omaha World-Herald. |
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