Mack Leftwich's offense looks to make another statement vs Kansas

The local media caught up with Texas Tech offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich on Monday at this week’s media availability. Tech had some issues punching it in the end zone against Houston, Coach Mack Leftwich believes with better execution by all parts of the team can lead to more successful results;
“Yeah, I think obviously, you know, when you go down there, you get that many opportunities and have to settle for field goals, you know, you go back and self-scout”
“There’s, you know, a couple play calls that I wish I had back, and then there’s plays where we just didn’t execute the plays that were called very well. So just got to be better in both those regards. And so I think that starts this weekend.”
Will Hammond Schemes?
Quarterback Will Hammond popped into the game momentarily on Saturday in H-Town. Coach Leftwich broke down the call behind the redshirt sophomore quarterback’s quick appearance.
“Now that was just a situational thing, just trying to add a weapon down there in the red zone when the box gets a little heavier. Trying to add the quarterback run game to get an extra hat to be able to run the football. So that was just a scheme thing.”
Texas Tech Lopsided Home Series Against Kansas
Texas Tech has had a pretty lopsided overall series against Kansas, winning 23 out of 25 battles fought between the two Big 12 teams dating back to 1965. If anyone’s curious, that’s a 92% series win percentage for the hometown Red Raiders. How does Coach Mack Leftwich aim to keep Texas Tech undefeated vs Kansas at home since 2003, and what does he see out of the Jayhawks?
“Yeah, I think when you look at them, you look at them defensively, they’re pretty multiple, so they do a bunch of different things on defense, and they look athletic.”
“You know, they’ve got good edge rushers that can get after the passer. They’ve got a linebacker that really runs all over the field and makes a bunch of tackles. So we’ll have our hands full preparing for this defense this week. I think our guys will be up for the challenge.”
Potential Exploit For The Red Raiders?
Kansas is giving up over 200 yards a game thus far against Power 4 opponent this season. Leftwich had an explanation for this and how the Red Raiders could take advantage.
“Bit of that. Just, you know, they’ve played some good rushing offenses, and they have given up some big explosive plays. So, you know, on a down-to-down basis, I think they do a pretty decent job against the run, just kind of big plays have hurt them, and that’s why the stats maybe are a little skewed.”
Behren Morton Progression and Running Opportunities
Quarterback Behren Morton had a pretty successful day on Saturday in H-Town. Leftwich complimented Morton’s progression and his ability to keep the ball out of harm’s way.
“Yeah, I think he bounced back really well from the Utah game. He had a couple of picks early and then got knocked out of the game. I thought he came back and played well, completing 70% of his passes, and that was with a couple of drops.”
“Houston does a good job, that’s not an easy game for a quarterback. They give you a lot of different looks coverage-wise, and they rotate and disguise coverages really well. So he had to be great with his eyes, and I thought he did a really good job protecting the football, getting ready to go, and managing the offense at a high level.”
Behren Morton also seemed to take off a lot more down the field than typical for the senior. Leftwich said these decisions were a mixed bag as far as both designed QB runs and Morton just being an athlete.
“A couple of those were scrambles. I think with him, we had one designed quarterback run, and that was on a third-down, two-minute drill, kind of a QB draw type play to get the first down.”
“So a little bit of both. I think Houston was doing a lot of drop-eight coverage, so when you do that, naturally, we have a little more time, and they’ve got more people in coverage. So sometimes the quarterback ends up having to scramble a little.”
Cam Dickey & J’Koby Williams’s Progression Throughout The Season & Keeping Them Fresh
Both running backs, Cam Dickey and J’Koby Williams have been a critical pieces in Leftwich’s offense. Picking up big time conversions, leading the rushing attack and most recently Cam Dickey taking in a huge 69-yard touchdown reception to give Tech its first double digit lead of the night in Houston. Dickey has impressed Leftwich and has improved as the year has gone along.
“And really, both of those guys are the same way, the more carries they get, the more game experience they get, you can just see the consistency level increase for both of them. I think he’s done a great job with that. He’s putting the ball where it needs to go in the run game. That was kind of his first big play in the passing game this season. He did a great job when they blitzed on that route, he’s really running an option route.”
“He’s taught that if they blitz, get your eyes around to the quarterback so the ball can get on you quick. He did exactly what he was coached to do, made the safety miss, and finished the play. I think he’s just showing that we really do have two guys who can hit home runs and be explosive playmakers out of the backfield, both in the run and the pass. We’re really fortunate to have that duo in the backfield, and I’m proud of the way both of those guys continue to get better.”
Coach Mack Leftwich on keeping both running backs fresh;
“A lot of it has more to do with the flow of the game and how those guys are feeling. If Cam has a series where he goes eight to ten plays, we feel like J’Koby needs to get in there and keep those guys fresh.”
Tempo Against The Houston Defense
Texas Tech was able to wear down the Houston, ultimately allowing the Red Raiders to burn more than half of the 4th quarter off the clock and end the ballgame.
“You know, I felt like early in the season, the teams that Houston had played hadn’t really faced anybody that went up-tempo. With a defense as multiple as Houston’s, when you go fast, sometimes that can simplify things and make it a little easier for our guys. That was definitely intentional.”
“There were definitely times in that game where we were hurrying pretty quick, so when we’re going two or three tempos in a row, that’s probably about as fast as we’ll get.”
“Being able to have those two different ends of the spectrum, I think, is important on offense to play winning football.”
Long Game Closing Drive In Houston
Tech was able to burn off the last 7 minutes and 39 seconds of game clock against Houston on Saturday.
“You know, it’s something we talked about. A lot of times when you’re playing quality defenses, early in the game it’s about throwing the body blows and just wearing the defense down. That was a big focus this week, maybe early on those runs were only going for three or four yards, but by the end of the game we felt like we could wear them down with the tempo and get into their depth a little bit, which happened on that last drive. Then you start to see those three- or four-yard runs turn into ten-yard runs.”
“And then, I think just the flow of the game and the way it unfolded, our defense is playing lights out right now. So when we’ve got a 35-11 lead in the fourth quarter, we’re going to slow things down, run the football, and play to win the game. I’m not necessarily trying to score 50 points; I want to play the game to win. And with those guys playing so well on that side of the ball, it just makes sense to finish that way in the fourth.”
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