How Will The 2009-2010 Texas Tech Red Raider Team Fare?

Amid rumors and speculation of Mike Leach leaving Texas Tech before next season, other losses to the Texas Tech football team will greatly hamper the Red Raiders' ability to compete with the nation's best programs.  Gone to the NFL are:

1.  Graham Harrell, the only recent multi-year starter at quarterback for TTU holds NCAA records in several categories, and is Texas Tech's most successful quarterback of all time.

2.  Michael Crabtree, nearly unanimously respected as the best receiver in college football, is leaving after only two years at TTU.  Crabtree is widely-recognized as a top three pick for the draft.  Crabtree scored 41 touchdowns in his short two year career at TTU.

3.  Brandon Williams, who led the TTU defense with 13 sacks this season, has also decided to play next season in the NFL.  Williams had two sacks in the season finale loss against Ole Miss.

So how will the Red Raiders perform next season?  There are two scenarios to consider for that answer.

Scenario One

1.  Mike Leach, the heralded genius behind the offensive juggernaut at Texas Tech, will begin anew once again.  Though he is accustomed to teaching and coaching new quarterbacks, Leach's recent seasons have been nearly cakewalks due to Harrell's experience, intelligence, and exceptional skill.

But before Harrell's tenure as the signal caller for the nation's most consistent offensive beast, Leach had four seniors at QB in a row.  Kliff Kingsbury, BJ Symons, Sonny Cumbie, and Cody Hodges all shined statistically in Mike Leach's system, but Harrell definitely took the Red Raiders' passing game to the next level.

Graham Harrell leaving for the NFL as a graduate (with a scholarly GPA to boot) will leave Leach and the team in a world of instability for a little while.  With Taylor Potts, a high school standout from Abilene, Texas set to take the reins, he is nearly untested in college.  If Potts can lead the Red Raider offense, and keep his head clear under pressure, his cannon arm, capable of throwing a football 2,600 yards on the fly (unproven, untested distance, but I believe it is true) should be enough to catapult the offense back on top of the nation's elite soon.

Losing Michael Crabtree is a different sort of loss.  Think of it this way: if Harrell was perceived as the only offensive threat (with of course his receivers as the targets) he can be guarded.  A smart, aggressive blitz, a fast nickel defense, or a jam at the line could threaten Harrell.

Adding Crabtree to the mix, however, made the Red Raider offense far more powerful.  Blitzing Harrell opens up Crabtree for a quick look; a nickel defense means Crabtree's crossing routes go unguarded for a few seconds, and trying to jam Crabtree at the line either leaves him open on a fast route when they miss, or ends up looking like a dog trying to flip a car over.  Crabtree is too strong for college defensive backs to jam.

Crabtree also relieved tension on all the other receivers.  Pulling frequent double teams (that rarely slowed him down) Crabtree attracted the attention of entire defenses at times, freeing up other receivers and the backs to make statements of their own.  When the team needed a big play, Crabtree was able to deliver (even in double coverage) just like he did in the UT game.

Brandon Williams's loss is, yet again, a different sort of setback for the team.  Williams was a defensive leader, sack leader, tempo setter, and (should have been) chief Ruffin McNeill supporter.  Williams came on strong as soon as McNeill took over the Red Raider defense, and played even better this last season.

Without a defensive end like Williams blitzing the quarterback and dominating his end of the line, the Red Raider defense, already mentally weakened by a horrific implosion against Oklahoma (66 points given up), will most likely regress into the ball chasing risktakers of the Red Raiders' past.

Because of Mike Leach's leadership and creative playmaking and playcalling, these setbacks will slow down the Red Raider offense, but they will still challenge for leadership of the Big 12 South.  Playing OU in Lubbock this coming season will improve matters, but the Red Raiders will not, for once, live and die on the arm of their quarterback.  Baron Batch and a slew of other running back hopefuls will lead a Red Raider ground attack that will shock and awe most opposing defenses.

In fact, the loss of Shannon Woods, a talented backfield receiver and great runner, might actually be good for the team.  Batch proved to be an excellent ballcarrier and receiver himself, and the young players coming up just behind him should push him to be better.  Those same younger players will have heavy competition to be the backup, and they should also improve each other.

All in all, in this scenario, Mike Leach and the Red Raiders will tackle these problems as they arise, and should be able to cope with the losses of such great talent, with only minor hiccups along the way.

Scenario 2

Mike Leach leaves for another program and Texas Tech never wins another game in my lifetime.

I really hope this scenario doesn't happen.