Griffin extraordinaire. Besides new coach Art Briles, true freshman quarterback and all-around stud Robert Griffin is the biggest story for this year's Baylor Bears. The Copperas Cove product won the Big 12 400-meter hurdles before he even stepped onto the football field for Baylor. After that? Well, he just went 209 pass attempts without throwing an interception, a streak that ended last week as the Bears tried to rally against Missouri.

The easy comparison here is Vince Young, which many people are quick to make. Personally, I don't see it. Griffin is two inches shorter than VY and weighs about 20 pounds less. He's also much thinner in the joints, which I believe will leave him less durable in the long run and more susceptible to big hits. I have seen him nicked up a little bit in the several games I've seen Baylor play. Yes, he's so good that he will make you watch Baylor football. He's also a much more polished passer coming out of high school than Vince Young. In terms of body type and running ability, I would compare Griffin more to former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, except perhaps even more explosive running the football. 

How to stop him? Well, I'm not really sure, although I do know that Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Missouri have all held him under two yards per carry. Not having watched those games, I'm not sure what those teams did schematically, but I can guarantee that Will Muschamp knows.

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Credit to Texas Tech. First of all, Texas Tech deserves a lot of credit for winning the football game. Because make no mistake, Tech won the game. Graham Harrell threw a number of passes into good coverage that had to be perfectly thrown to find the hands of the Tech receiver. And they did. Repeatedly. Many observes nationally and in Texas still wondered before the game if Harrell was just another in a long line of "system" quarterbacks at Texas. He's not. Want evidence? Do system quarterbacks lead the Heisman race late in the season? It's also no coincidence that Harrell completed that final pass to Crabtree. According Ruffin McNeil, Crabtree and Harrell work on that throw often, including for at least an hour one day during the summer. 

Many observers wondered if Mike Leach would abandon the running game, as he is known for doing. He didn't, as the Red Raiders picked up 105 yards against the Longhorns, as the two running backs averaged 4.7 (Woods) and 5.1 (Batch) yards per carry, respectively. He's also answered questions about a commitment to defense, promoting Ruffin McNeil, who has done an impressive job with the unit in about a year. Here's a prediction: A major program will finally offer Leach a first tier coaching job (it's overdue) and he will leave Lubbock.

It wasn't just the offense, however. The Tech defensive line was more talented by far than any other Tech line this century. The triumvirate of Colby Whitlock, Brandon Williams, and McKinner Dixon spent most of the game in the Texas backfield harassing Colt McCoy. The defense isn't among the handful of best defensive teams nationally, but it is one of the three best in the Big 12 (Texas, OSU, Tech, in no particular order). 

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Though I'm not masochistic enough to want to belabor Saturday night's low points much beyond this post, I want to conclude my post-game thoughts with a look at five statistics which best illuminate what went wrong in Lubbock. I think moving forward requires some painful digesting of the what and how of Texas' (first half, in particular) failures--both as mistakes to avoid and opportunities to elevate to a higher level.

1. TEXAS TECH 1st QUARTER TIME OF POSSESSION: 12:28

"Keep Tech's offense off the field" was one of many fans' key talking points throughout the week, but the 1st Quarter could not have gone more poorly for the Longhorns in that regard. When on the final play of the first quarter Barron Batch scored a touchdown for a 12-0 Tech lead, he capped as stunning an opening five drives to the game as a Texas fan could imagine:

Did Texas Tech win the game in the first quarter? In many ways, yeah. Consider the final offensive numbers (not including the non-offensive touchdown each picked up in the second half--Texas via punt return, Tech via INT return):

If Texas didn't lose the game in the first quarter, they lost it in the first half, when Tech led by as many 19 points. Though in the second half it was Texas that eventually got on track, it was Texas Tech... that got the ball last. Absolutely crushing.

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If this post usually can be read quickly before launching into the work day, today's might be one you print and save for reading on that long walk over to the coffee shop down the street. What can I say? I'm excited for this game...

Get out your roster cards and pay attention.  Big Roy got into the issue of game length (both time and plays run) in yesterday's outstanding Morning Coffee notes, an issue defensive ends coach Oscar Giles spoke to during a Tuesday afternoon presser:

On the importance of depth against Texas Tech: [Sam] Acho, Eddie Jones, Henry Melton, Sergio, Russell Carter - as many guys as we can get in. At the tackle position, we've got Aaron Lewis, Lamarr Houston, Roy Miller, Kheeston Randall - the more the merrier, because it's going to be a long game. It could be a 90-play, 100-play game. We really feel good about our depth there.

On the difficulty of substituting against high-tempo offenses: It's that way week to week. The guys on the field have to do a great job. We've done a great job of conditioning. Our guys are in great shape. We'll get them in. We just have to make sure that the guys in there are doing the job.

It's a factor to watch closely--especially late in the game--and Longhorns fans need only look back three weeks for an example of how it can be a decisive one. Crucial to seizing control of the Red River Shootout was the pressure Texas put on Sam Bradford throughout the 4th quarter, when Texas' impressive depth wore down the Sooners' massive offensive line. Though the Red Raiders are well-conditioned, a constant barrage of fresh legs bringing heat from the edges inevitably takes its toll. Healthy, strong contributions from all of the guys Giles named would go a long way towards giving Texas an edge in the home stretch.

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When John Bianco (Texas Football's Assistant AD for Media Relations) contacted me to ask if I would be interested in a sit down interview with Texas' four best known coaches, I of course accepted immediately. In fact his timing couldn't have been better, as I'd been planning to do a mock piece of just such a get-together anyway. Maybe Bianco sensed that mock piece was coming and preemptively struck--I have no idea--but what follows is not that imagined conversation. Got it?

Peter Bean, Burnt Orange Nation.com: First of all, let me just thank y'all for coming together to sit down with a blogger like myself. I've long thought you guys should be reaching out to us anyway, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect an interview like this to actually come to fruition.

Will Muschamp: [menacingly] You couldn't possibly do worse than the beat writers.

Mack Brown: [patting Will calmingly on the back] Well Peter, you know, Will's new here and he hasn't seen all the hard work Kirk and Suzanne and all those other fine writers have done over the years as a part of the Texas football community, and, you know, we as a staff sometimes make light of the so-called mainstream media members, but Peter [leans in a little], we're honestly just grateful that Saturday night in Lubbock is gonna be such a high-profile showcase for these kids. [eyes twinkling]  This is about them, and their parents, and about the great coaches in high schools throughout this state, who will be watching their sons and former players entertain the nation. Saturday night is a great night for everyone involved with football in the state of Texas. Everyone's worked so hard for this and we just couldn't be more proud.

PB: [to Muschamp] Does he have a string attached to his back that you can just pull to get these answers?

Mack: [waving off his DC] How old are you, PB?

PB: Almost 29, sir.

Mack: Tell you what. Maybe after you've been around a little longer you'll realize that 95% of folks won't read or listen past what I just said to open this interview. You get me?

PB: Ahh...

Mack: [with a wink] And then you'll understand why I'm in this chair and you're in yours.

PB: [humbled] Right. Okay... [chuckles] I'm with you.

Mack: Now you wanna talk about how to beat Tech?

PB: I do.

Mack: Alright then. [leans back in chair, comfortably] Whenever you're ready.

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Scipio and I agreed that tonight's podcast went well by any standard, but especially for a first go-round of 80 minutes of non-stop Texas talk. We were especially pleased so many readers tuned in live, but for those who missed the broadcast, an mp3 of the show is provided after the jump. Among the many topics covered:

• Texas' tense survival of Oklahoma State
• An interview with Seth from the outstanding Tech blog Double T Nation
• Why Will Muschamp is succeeding now with players still learning to be great
• Greg Davis' strengths and weaknesses as a coordinator
• The amazing evolution of Mack Brown... via the fortuitous loss to A&M?
  
• What Fozzy Whittaker can and can't do for the 2008 Longhorns
• Why Jim Delaney is the smartest asshole in the room

Click through the jump for the audio.

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In no particular order...

1. Texas Tech Sacks Allowed: 3 -- Remarkable for any offense, of course, and a good indicator of what the Red Raiders like to do--strike fast. Quarterback Graham Harrell has improved in this regard from a year ago, when he went down behind the LOS 18 times. Though the Red Raiders schedule is backloaded, they're all but assured to finish beneath that total this year.

2. Texas Tech Yards Per Rush: 5.4 -- A year ago, the Red Raiders only managed 3.13 yards per carry (19 carries per game). This year, they're up a full 2 yards per carry on 7 more attempts per game (25). That helps enormously their already potent passing game.

3. Texas Tech Opponents 3rd Quarter Points: 20 -- A year ago, the Red Raiders allowed just 44 points in the quarter following halftime. Statistical oddity or some kind of trend? I dunno. But 20 points is 20 points. SolidT.

4. Texas Tech Yards Per Catch: 12.2 -- At 34 completions per game, that adds up real fast.

5. Barron Batch Yards Per Touch: 9.01 -- 72 rushes for 545 yards (7.5 ypc) and 24 receptions for 321 yards (13.4) = Awesome.

6. Texas Tech 3rd Downs Converted: 57% -- Up a full 10% so far from 2007. If sustained down the home stretch, they may well be Kansas City-bound.

7. Texas Tech Punts: 14 -- Mike Leach's squad has punted 14 times, gone for it 14 times on 4th down, turned it over 11 times, missed 5 field goals, and scored 57 times.

8. Texas Tech Players with 10+ Receptions: 8 -- Michael Crabtree (60), Detron Lewis (45), Eric Morris (42), Tramain Swindall (31), Baron Batch (24), Edward Britton (20), Shannon Woods (15), Adam James (11).

9. Texas Tech Rushing Touchdowns: 23 -- That total in 2007? Just 18. Leach learned an important lesson.

10. Graham Harrell Passing Yards/Game: 393 -- And after a mortal start to the year, Harrell's caught and joined the pack of Big 12 superfreaks atop the Passer Rating leaderboard.

Ready for another wild one?

What almost was...

Yes, that's Colt down there in Solomon Gundy's wake.  This was a game that everyone thought we'd have to give away to lose, and we nearly did, though not by the mechanism in which we were worried about, exactly.  I'm sorry, Mack, but you don't get to say you told us so, because if you had really thought that OSU was going to be one of the best teams we'd face all year, then we would have come into the game with something approaching the creativity and preparation that we saw for OU.  Instead, our game plan was to completely abandon the run game and put as much pressure on Colt as possible in a scheme with two big weeks of film out on it.  If we had a mortal at QB, we'd have scored about ten points in this game while OSU named their score against our ragged-tired defense that had to play 40 minutes of possession.  Look again at PB's third down chart, and then take a look at the play-by-play.  Notice a trend?  Colt McCoy (and Jordan Shipley) dragged our butts through this game.  It's decision time for Davis:  Gamble that Colt continues to out-perform almost every quarterback in history for the remainder of the season, or figure out a way to get him some help.

The rest is after the jump...

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A weekly report on the weekend of Big 12 football.

Previous weeks: 1, 2

THE RUNDOWN

BIG XII SOUTH

Idle: Texas Longhorns (2-0), Texas A&M Aggies (1-1)

• Oklahoma 55  Washington 14 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  Are there any Sam Bradford doubters left? Certainly for 2008, with this supporting cast, there shouldn't be. The sophomore completed 18 of his 21 passes Saturday for 304 yards and 5 more touchdowns, giving him 12 on the season, against just 2 interceptions. He's leading the nation in completion percentage (79.0), is second in passer rating (214.4), and hasn't been sacked yet this season. Not that the Sooners are one dimensional: Oklahoma's averaging 217 yards per game on the ground, as well. Add it all up and you get 7.0 yards per play on offense so far this year. Gaudy? Oh, yes, but we have to note that the Sooners haven't faced anything resembling a real defense yet. They will this week when TCU comes to Norman. The Horned Frogs are second nationally in total defense through three games--all wins (at New Mexico, versus Stephen F Austin, vs Stanford). Something's gotta give.
  
  
• Baylor 45  Washington St 17 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  PB's favorite non-Longhorn player Robert Griffin exploded Friday night in Waco, leading Baylor to a blowout win and scooping up Big 12 Player of the Week honors in the process. The numbers? Could have come from another #10:
  
  11 rushes, 217 yards, 19.7 per attempt, 2 TDs
  7-15 passing, 129 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
  
  I could gush again about how much I love Griffin, but in this case I'll let the video do the talking:
  

• Oklahoma State 57  Missouri State 13  [Box / Recap]
  
  Two rushers averaging 9+ yards per carry last week apparently wasn't enough for Oklahoma State, as they upped that to three rushers who averaged over 10 yards per carry this Saturday. Keith Toston (11 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD), Beau Johnson (13-138, 2), and Kendall Hunter (11-132, 2) combined to anchor a Cowpoke rushing attack which amassed 492 yards rushing on just 56 carries for an eye-popping 8.0 yards per carry.
  
  "But... but... it was Missouri State!" I can hear you object. Remain skeptical all you like, but consider this before you totally waive off the accomplishment.
  
  
• Texas Tech 43  SMU 7 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  A week after an ugly night in Reno, Graham Harrell delivered the kind of performance we've come to expect (31-48, 418 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) in helping lead the Red Raiders to an easy win over the visiting Ponies. Nice as that was for Tech fans to see, the silly passing numbers aren't nearly important as Mike Leach's commitment to the running game, which was exceptionally productive on Saturday to the tune of 194 yards on 27 carries (6.7 per attempt). Texas Tech's offense is always tricky to defend, but it's truly nightmarish to defend when the running game is grooving. Last season the Red Raiders managed an atrocious 3.1 yards per carry rushing; as their offense became one dimensional, they began to struggle. Though the running game was productive in the early going last year as well, it's so far, so good in 2008.
  

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If you spend some time looking closely at last year's stat sheets for Texas' 2008 opponents, you may well find yourself entertaining the same two thoughts that I did:

1. Holy crap the pressure on our redshirt freshmen safeties with zero game experience is going to be intense.

2. Will Muschamp is arriving not a moment too soon.

On the latter point, BZ's chapter in The Eyes of Texas 2008 will provide some relief: each of Muschamp's first years at LSU and Auburn resulted in significant improvement in the teams' pass defenses. While we thank our lucky stars Muschamp is taking over, click through the jump for a look at the challenge he faces.

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