Texas Tech executes plan in off-schedule throttling of UAPB
Texas Tech had a plan entering its season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Joey McGuire was satisfied with the execution. While the defense put on a stellar performance posting a shutout through the first half, the game plan was stilted on how the offense could perform.
“We did exactly what we wanted to do coming into this game… Our plan was to run the offense,” McGuire said to the media postgame. “In this day and age, when it is a constant evaluation of the roster, then you have to do that. You’ve got to understand what you have, not only right now, but what you have a few weeks from now to months from now. I was proud of the guys. It’s probably the way we ran the football, I thought we executed really well.
Tempo-wise, there was a point that Will Jados and Howard Sampson at halftime said ‘The tempo is for real, coach.’ We’re sitting there pancaking somebody and Behren or Will is yelling ‘Gas, gas, gas’ to get the next play going.”
Morton injury not in the plan
While Tech had a plan to run a well-oiled machine on offense, the expectations of that plan being fulfilled after Behren Morton left the game injured were in jeopardy. Morton was sacked low by UAPB’s Tayvon Hardwick in the second quarter, causing his leg to buckle.
Morton walked with medical staff to the locker room shortly thereafter. He emerged again, jogging from the depths of the south endzone onto the field. McGuire reiterated to Double T 97.3 at halftime and again after the game that he believed Morton to be OK.
Youth gets on the field in bunches
Last season’s blunders in the first two weeks of the season left little to no time for the Red Raiders’ youth to see the field. Against the Golden Lions, Tech was able to pull its starters early.
Leyton Stone and Bryson Jones, a pair of true freshmen wide receivers, each scored a touchdown tonight. The Red Raiders got their younger players on the field when the game was well out of reach.
But McGuire admitted his staff planned to get some of those players reps with the starting group.
That part of the gameplan was also dubbed successful.
“Our plan was to get the young guys in,” McGuire said. “But like, for example, if we’re going to get Micah (Hudson) in, make sure it’s with Coy (Eakin) and Caleb Douglas. If we’re going to get TJ West in, make sure it’s with Reggie Virgil and Coy. Some of those young guys, the same way, like we’re going to get Malik (Esquerra) in at the strong safety, make sure he’s in with BJ (Jordan). That was our plan from the start, so we can play a lot of those young guys. We have some young, talented guys that we need to get some reps and bank some reps because it’s going to pay off at the end of the year whenever we’re playing some really physical games. If you’re banged up, now you got some guys with game experience.”
