How Texas Tech is avoiding distractions ahead of Orange Bowl
Miami is one of America’s most vibrant cities– with attractions and fanfare that will be quite enticing to both Texas Tech and Oregon ahead of Thursday’s Orange Bowl matchup. Amidst the chaos, the Red Raiders are laser-focused on the task at hand.
“I think just being here, the reason why we’re here is to play football. Just keeping that being the message,” linebacker Jacob Rodriguez told the media in Miami Monday. The Red Raiders landed in the 305 earlier in the afternoon. “You can get excited about being in a nice place, like when we left Lubbock it was 30 degrees and a little cold. It’s nice being here. The weather’s beautiful, but we got to focus on the game that we have here.”
Texas Tech linebacker welcoming the Dante Moore challenge
The overwhelming storyline heading into this matchup is the war expected between Texas Tech’s defense and the Ducks’ offense. Rodriguez put it bluntly– he doesn’t think there’s another offense they’ve faced that compares.
Many will point to the talent discrepancy, particularly in Tech’s schedule, as a reason to pick the Ducks. Still, Rodriguez and the Red Raiders are prepared for the opportunity to prove themselves.
“It’s so much fun. I think if you’re a true competitor, you want to play the best because you want to be the best,” Rodriguez said. “Going out there with the opportunity to go and prove ourselves, prove that this team from Lubbock can really make things happen. It’s exciting for us.”
Going up against a potential top five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, QB Dante Moore, makes the challenge even more opportunistic.
“He’s (Moore) is a really good player. He does really well delivering the ball to where it has to be, where it has to go,” Rodriguez added. “Timing and even checking plays to get them into the right place against what the defense is running. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a really tough matchup. I think they’re really good and there’s really no secret: they’re one of the best in the country.”
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