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LUBBOCK RRS MEETUP - Baylor Game with Chris Level

@C. Level will be joining us to reminisce on Pat Mahomes, the upcoming Baylor game, basketball season and more!

When: Friday, October 28th at 11:30am
Where: Rudy's at Slide and The Loop (Side room)
Guest Speaker: @C. Level

RSVP in a comments below so we can have a rough headcount.

ANYONE is welcome at this event. We want to grow this community (and RRS!), so feel free to invite co-workers, family members, friends, etc.

I'll be sending out an email and calendar invite to everyone on the Lubbock MeetUp list later today or tomorrow. If you have not already sent me a PM with your email, now is your chance.

*REMINDER: Everything discussed in our meeting stays off the boards, twitters, etc.

UPDATE: Friday Flare

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it is a night game blackout in Lubbock, Texas...let's goooooooooooooooooooooooooo

it is Friday, let's Flare...

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WEEKLY CLICKS

...a quick list of links from the various stories posted on RRS this week

Red Raiders offer Johnston (Iowa) multi-sport ATH Jacob Simpson

Breaking Down Daniels, Stills and the West Virginia offense

Staff Predictions: Can Favored Red Raiders Take Care of Business?

Injury Report: Mills, the Game Time Decisoins & the Quarterback

Texas Tech runs by West Virginia on Homecoming, 48-10

Soliz: Texas Tech's Morton shows why he needs to run offense rest of season

McGuire provides injury updates, recaps steamrolling of West Virginia

Visitor reactions to Texas Tech's blowout win vs WVU

Things I Liked & Disliked Against West Virginia

Grading the Red Raiders: Solid showing by offensive line leads TTU over WVU

Texas Tech's McGuire doesn't name starting QB for next game against Baylor

McGuire provides injury updates on key players including Shough, Price

Texas Tech's Behren Morton named Big 12 newcomer of the week

Kittley, DeRuyter break down Bears scheme ahead of weekend tilt

Week 9 Big 12 Power Rankings: Frogs on top, Texas Tech climbing

McGuire, Baylor set for reunion, Shough cleared, Mahomes' return and more

Red Raiders in the NFL: 2022 Week Seven

Brooks, Williams, & Others Break Down Baylor's Game Plan

Texas Tech commits and targets tracker: Week Nine

Tracking Red Raiders: Mbannassor's big day behind the line of scrimmage

Louisiana WR Kelly Daniels to visit Texas Tech this weekend

Kevin Lonnquist breaks down Baylor ahead of weekend matchup in Lubbock

Fear the Dark: Texas Tech hosts Baylor in night game at the Jones

Big 12 announces schedule for upcoming baseball season

Aranda: "I know the environment in Lubbock will be a good one"

RRS TV: Rivals National Analyst Nick Harris

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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK

no new commitments this week, a handful of new 2024 offers made this week...

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/j-j-harrell-283009

North Panola (MS) wide receiver announced an offer from the Red Raiders this week. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound prospect now holds 10 offers, including offers from LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Oregon, Penn State and others.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/joseph-jonah-ajonye-295070

Oak Ridge (TX) defensive end announced an offer from the Red Raiders this week. The 6-foot-4, 235-poun prospect now holds five (5) offers from Texas Tech, SMU, Arizona State, UTSA and Texas A&M Commerce.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/ellis-davis-290189

Prosper (TX) offensive tackle announced an offer from the Red Raiders this week. The offer is the first for the 6-foot-8, yes 6-foot-8, 260-pound prospect. Currently unranked by Rivals, Davis unofficially visited Lubbock for the Texas Tech overtime win against Texas earlier this season.

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BIG HOME GAME, BIG-TIME VISITORS IN TOWN

shout out to @B. Golan for putting together this list of weekend visitors, with more names to be added for certain

the 2023 class is essentially wrapped up, so the 'stars' of this visitors list are the 19 prospects from the 2024 class - 18 of them with a current offer from the Texas Tech coaches

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Hudson is a Texas Tech legacy, five-star prospect and reportedly has a really good relationship with Texas Tech Director of Scouting Brian Nance. His recruitment is crowded and while the Red Raiders are certainly in the game, things will play out well into this time next year.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/j-koby-williams-284736

Williams is an intriguing prospect, rated early as a 5.7 three-star prospect and early offers from Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas and UTSA.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/william-hammond-283401

Hammond returns to Lubbock for another visit and represents one of two 2024 quarterbacks in town for the game tomorrow. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect has 145 completions for 2,114 yards and 23 touchdowns to two (2) interceptions passing along with 80 carries for 487 yards and six (6) touchdowns rushing through eight (8) games this season, per MaxPreps.

Kittley and the coaches have options at quarterback for the 2024 class with eight (8) listed offers to junior prospect, but Hammond seems to be one of three prospects the coaches have been talking with the most.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/holton-hendrix-285708

Another home game, another visit for local four-star offensive tackle Holton Hendrix. Another common theme here is that Hendrix, like many of these prospects, is also being recruited by the Baylor coaching staff...so a win can certainly go a long way in persuading these prospects, including young Holton, that Texas Tech and Lubbock is the place to be.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/caleb-mitchell-irving-273759

Mitchell-Irving holds 21 offers from programs across the country and the 5.7 three-star prospect is returning to Lubbock after visiting for the pool party earlier this summer.

https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/brock-jackson-285312

Jackson is a longtime target for the Texas Tech coaches and has a close relationship with James Blanchard. The 5.7 three-star prospect holds nine (9) early offers and is having a great junior season that should lead to several more offers in the off-season.

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OBLIGATORY JOEY MCGUIRE "GETS IT" POST

I know, I know...this was posted like 4-5 times this week, but it deserves a mention here on the weekly Flare

Joey McGuire and his staff went back to basics this week, mailing a picture of current Texas Tech players to their high school coach and football department with a 'thank you' letter

as someone who has visited many a high school football program, this means a ton to high school coaches and many will have a 'wall of fame' if you will and these 8x10 pictures are hung on the wall as an ode to the program's former players who have gone on to play college or NFL football

if you somehow missed the other 4-5 threads about this, here is an example...

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BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS

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in the battle of purple teams, TCU did it again and stays a top of the Big 12 power rankings this week...

1. TCU

The now No. 7 Horned Frogs remain undefeated after another comeback win at home against a ranked opponent last weekend. Another common theme is this TCU team playing against a backup quarterback, which is usually something they have caused, so full credit to the Horned Frogs there...but the 'luck' factor of facing multiple backups over the past month of football is certainly an interesting tidbit. The matchup this weekend against West Virginia, on the road at 11am, seems like a let down spot after two (2) comeback wins at home against ranked opponents in Oklahoma State and Kansas State. That being said, the Mountaineers are reeling and might not be very good, so let down or upset might not be likely.

2. Oklahoma State

The now No. 9 Cowboys won a home game against the Longhorns with a second half comeback last weekend. It was another second half meltdown from Sark and the Longhorns, more on that later, but full credit to Oklahoma State who avoided two (2) back to back losses in conference after dropping a second half lead to TCU the weekend before. The fun does not stop for the Cowboys this weekend as they travel to Manhattan for a matchup against the No. 22 ranked Kansas State Wildcats, who might be without starting quarterback Adrian Martinez.

3. Kansas State

The now No. 22 ranked Wildcats had TCU on the mat in the first half and could not quite finish the game in the second half. They were without starting quarterback Adrian Martinez, who went down with an injury early in the game. It sounds like Kansas State will be playing a backup quarterback again this weekend against No. 9 Oklahoma State at home in a game where the Wildcats need a win to remain in the Big 12 conference title race. A loss this weekend could leave them outside of the Top 25 and out of the conference title conversation.

4. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders are now 4-3 on the season, winning four (4) games at home and losing three (3) games on the road. The good news is that Texas Tech hosts Baylor for a night game, a blackout in The Jones tomorrow. This is not an official rivalry game, but the overall series is very close with the Bears and the storylines are rich with new head coach Joey McGuire along with several other staff members coming from Baylor this past off-season. While the team has played well at home this season, winning this game is important for the Red Raiders who will finish the season with games @TCU, Kansas, @Iowa State and Oklahoma.

5. Texas

As we covered above, the Longhorns dropped yet another second half lead this past weekend, losing to Oklahoma State on the road. The Longhorns have certainly faced injury issues at the quarterback position, but that will not receive any sympathy from Red Raider fans. The main story has been the inconsistency this season, barely losing to Alabama at home and then losing to Texas Tech on the road in overtime. It could be argued they could have easily lost to Iowa State at home after dominating the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma 49-0. The Longhorns are now 5-3 on the season and have a much needed bye week this weekend, then Texas finishes the season with games against @Kansas State, TCU, @Kansas and Baylor.

6. Oklahoma

The 4-3 Sooners stay at number six in the rankings this week coming off the bye. Oklahoma travels to Iowa State this weekend for an 11am kickoff against the Cyclones, not an easy place to play. Defense has been the main issue for these Sooners, with the OU defense giving up an average of 47 points per game in four (4) conference games this season. The good news is that Iowa State is not doing well on offense this season, but the Sooners need to put together a complete game in order to win against Iowa State on the road.

7. Baylor

The Bears are 4-3 on the season and won a home game against Kansas last weekend. The Jayhawks were playing a backup quarterback and Baylor cruised to a victory through three (3) quarters, then tried to make things interesting in the fourth quarter. As we know, Baylor travels to Lubbock for a night game against your Red Raiders tomorrown night, and the Bears are now 1-2 in road games this season - winning @Iowa State and dropping close games @BYU and @West Virginia. This Baylor team will challenge the Texas Tech defense with their offensive skill talent, but the Bears defense is allowing points in conference and this should be a very competitive/close game.

8. Kansas

This feels low for the 5-3 Jayhawks, but the team has been reeling a bit since losing starting quarterback Jalon Daniels and going from undefeated and hosting college gameday to three (3) straight conference losses. They have a much needed bye week this weekend, but things do not get easier after the bye as the Jayhawks will host No. 9 Oklahoma State. From there, they finished with games @Texas Tech, Texas and @Kansas State.

9. West Virginia

The Mountaineers are now 3-4 on the season and could simply not get anything done on offense last weekend in Lubbock, scoring only 10 points. Things do not get easier as they look to rebound at home tomorrow at 11am against No. 7 TCU. West Virginia has been able to score points at home this season and could catch the Horned Frogs in a let down spot tomorrow, but it will take a complete game with points scored on offense and some takeaways on defense against a high-powered TCU offense. The Mountaineers finish the season with games @Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and @Oklahoma State.

10. Iowa State

The Cyclones are now 3-4 on the season and 0-4 in conference play. They host a not-so-Oklahoma team at home for an 11am kickoff tomorrow, so the Cyclones have an opportunity to win their first conference game against a program they seem to beat on a somewhat regular basis. Iowa State is averaging a tad over 16 points per game in four (4) conference games this season, which is the main reason they remain winless in conference this season. It is safe to say Oklahoma will score points and the Cyclones will have to either stop them on defense or keep up on offense to win. They finish the season with games against West Virginia, @Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and @TCU.

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have a great weekend everyone!

Lubbock weather forecast - Baylor

Cool, clear night at Jones Stadium Saturday.

Cold start in the morning, around 38, possibly with some fog. Beautiful fall day, increasing sunshine through the afternoon. High in the mid 60s with a light north wind.

Kickoff near 60, sunset 6:58 p.m. Temperature will drop to around 50 by the end of the game. Wind will stay light, out of the NE early, shifting out of the SE later in the night.

Guns Up!

OT: Personal IG/FB Hacked/disabled

I got an email yesterday morning someone had logged into my Facebook account and when I tried to open it 30 minutes afterwards, it said my account was disabled due to my linked Instagram account. I then went to Instagram and it said they suspended my account for violating community guidelines and said I had 30 days to disagree with the decision, so I clicked the button that I disagreed and that’s all it asked for. It then said after review if they can confirm I should be able to access my account in 24 hours.

Jump to today, it says my account was deleted for not following their terms, which also means I can’t access my Facebook.

Could care less about the content but I do have a lot of memories and pics I’d like to at least recover. Does anyone have any experience in dealing with this? I can’t find one form they will allow me to submit, nowhere to contact support, etc.

STORY: Dave Aranda: "I know the environment in Lubbock will be a good one"

This one brought to you by All Hands Craft Cocktails.

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Notes from Baylor coach Dave Aranda's press conference:

- Aranda said he's excited to take on Texas Tech. He said the Red Raiders play hard and aggressive and it's impressive to watch. Their best is what they need to leave Lubbock with a win.

- Aranda said he has a lot of respect for Joey McGuire and a lot of guys on the Texas Tech staff. He said he wants the Red Raiders to succeed and the staff. He wants them to have their own success except for this Saturday.

- The complete game has been elusive from them this season. Aranda said they'll need to start fast and continue to "pound the rock."

- The last time Baylor won in Lubbock was 1990. Aranda said part of the fight for them is to not label or look at it that way. He said the home and away doesn't have much to do with it because their struggles have shown up on the road and in Waco. They continue to work.

- On a night game at The Jones: "I think they have passionate fans. It gets to be loud. I remember when I was there the frozen tortillas and I think it's a fun place to play. You get into college athletics to be in environments where it means something to people and you're playing for something - something's at stake and it all kind of matters and everything. That's going to be the case some Saturday night."

- "I think their level of effort is really good. It just speaks to their coaches and everything. When you watch them play their effort is strong. I think offensively they play really fast. They're tempo. They've had a few different quarterbacks in there but they've all found ways to get the offense to work off the particular trade of the guy that's there. Defensive-wise, a lot of pressure, a lot of stunts, a lot of blitzes. Not a lot of defenses that look the same. There's a bunch kinda being thrown at you. You gotta prepare for kind of some chaos with some speed to back it up and so it makes it where you got your work cut out for you."

Watch the complete press conference here:

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3 Keys to the Game - Baylor Edition (pres. by Fields of Gold)

Win the Battle for the Oblong-Shaped Ball

Don't look now, but after turning over WVU on about a 1/3rd of their possessions Saturday, the Texas Tech defense is starting to come along in the turnover department. This is a massive development, as positive turnover luck going forward will make our defense one of the top 20 units in the country. Right now, it's top 4 in the conference in turnover rate.

Baylor has also developed a bit of the yips in the turnover department -- dead last in the conference, turning it over on almost 20% of their possessions.

I try to avoid using "win the turnover battle" in my 3 Keys post each week, because it's obvious and akin to saying "score more points than the other team." But with two teams as closely matched as this, it does feel like weird bounces of the ball may decide this game. The ball hit the ground multiple times in the WVU game, and we recovered all of them. None of those recoveries decided the game, because it was a total ass-kicking. But that probably won't be the case Saturday.

Behren needs to do a better job of holding on to the football when he's tackled. It's maybe one of the only critiques you could have of him through 2 starts.

Shapen has shown the propensity to throw it to the other team. When/if he does, we need to catch those balls. It would also be big for our DBs to go make plays on well-thrown balls like they did last Saturday. Some of those passes that Daniels made, I don't even know if he'd want them back -- our DBs just went up and made the play.

Whatever team has the most, highest-leverage turnovers will win this game. That's what it feels like, at least.


Will our Defensive Front Hold Up

Baylor OL & TE experience:

Connor Galvin - 3200 career snaps - 40+ starts at Left tackle
Jacob Gall - 2600 career snaps -- 33 career starts
Gavin Beyers - 1000 career snaps - 15 career starts
Grant Miller - 2300 career snaps - 35+ career starts

Ben Sims - 6'5 260 lb TE - 1600 snaps - 25+ career starts (on the field damn near every play)
Drake Dabney - 6'5 250 lb TE - 1000 snaps - 12 career starts (on the field more than any other WR except Hal Presley)

We haven't come close to playing a team with this much beef and experience up front that is dead-set on running the ball. Our defensive front is going to have to hold up big time, which they did last year against the same personnel, and that's very encouraging. But we got to do it again. Otherwise, this game will not go well for us.

Baylor is averaging over 5.5 yards per carry. They are scoring 5.35 points per drive that reaches the opposing 40-yard-line, which is good for 2nd best in the conference and one of the best in the country. It's because they line up in heavy formations and run the football.

The better job we do up front, the easier it should be to defend their play-action game. And it's not going to be easy. Jeff Grimes' wide zone scheme really stretches a defense horizontally. It's also just weird. No one else in the conference does it like him. It's their offensive identity. Defenses have to be disciplined because RBs will cut back frequently, and the play action stuff they run off of it is extremely effective.

Baylor's offense has been one of the most productive in the conference to this point -- maybe even the most productive. They've punted it on just 18% of their Big 12 possessions (the conference average is 32.7%).

We have to get some stops. And I think we will. But it would be nice to get them out of what they want to do. Stop the run inside the red zone. Get them behind schedule between the 20s. Make Shapen a traditional drop-back passer, instead of hitting guys wide open off of play-action fakes.

We held them to 3.5 yards per carry last year. A defensive performance like that probably wins this game.


We Need Kittley to be the Wizard he was Pegged to be this Off-season

I'm really not sure how effective our run game this week will be. It won't surprise me if we can't run it at all on traditional hand-offs like we've seen in other games this year.

Baylor's defense, while having some flaws, has also been really good at stopping the quick-pass horizontal stuff that everyone runs -- we do it more than most to supplement our run game and keep pass rushers at bay. WVU had no answer for it. Baylor thinks they do.

When some of our usual "stuff" isn't working on Saturday, we will need Kittley to manufacture yards and points in other ways. I don't know what it will look like, but my guess will be some of the quick throws over the middle we've been seeing the last 2 games, usually out of tempo.

There is a world where Baylor's offense is one of the best in the conference and they score 35+ points in a high-possession game. In that scenario, we're going to have to outscore them.

I have a lot of confidence in Kittley and our offense right now. 5x more than I did a month ago. Feels like we're getting better every week. And I think it's fair to believe that Kittley is figuring out the best way to move the ball with the strengths and weaknesses of our personnel. But now there's two weeks of game film on some of the adjustments he's made. And Dave Aranda and Ron Roberts have a shit-pile of experience defending offenses similar to ours.

Kittley decisively winning the scheme battle over Roberts/Aranda means we win this game.


Other Stuff

--- We want Monaray Baldwin to be out of the game. Aranda said this week he wouldn't be available to practice until Thursday. He has game-breaking speed, very similar to Myles Price. Over 20 yards per touch. Had almost 200 yards of offense against Oklahoma State. They hand him the ball on end-arounds, too.

---- We have to get the first first down. Get the tempo going. Listening to Baylor press conferences this week, their defense has identified this as their key of the week -- forcing 3 and outs.
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Ryan left it all out on the field in everything he did. In his honor, we bring you Fields of Gold, so that others facing bone cancer can keep on playing. A portion of proceeds from every case sold is donated to The Little Warrior Foundation.

The Little Warrior Foundation's mission is to fund & find a lasting cure for childhood cancer, with a specific focus on Ewing's Sarcoma.

https://shop.summerlandwinebrands.com/Shop/Fields-of-Gold

@Saynotobarefoot

The McGuire legacy.....

We are dealing with a "perfect storm" situation.....he is a man of character, he understands and loves the Tech culture, he can recruit AND coach.

In ten years he will be the winningest coach in Tech history, IMHO. The reasons are listed above. A huge bonus is....he cannot be bought ( see Aggie coach ) and
he has the experience and wisdom to navigate the NIL changes. Gentlemen.....we are blessed.
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