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3 and 3: Texas Tech at Oklahoma State

I give three reasons why Texas Tech will win in Stillwater tomorrow, and three reasons why they will lose.

Let me know where you agree and disagree.

STORY: Breaking Down Sanders, Johnson & a new look Oklahoma State defense

Oklahoma State looks great to start the season and are the highest ranked team in the conference with real College Football Playoff hopes, but I believe that the Red Raiders will be able to hang with the Cowboys on Saturday if they are able to contain Sanders and the rest of the offense.

There are plenty of keys to the game this weekend, but I’m going to go over a few that I

Spencer Sanders:

My preseason thoughts on Sanders have been disproven throughout the first four games of the season for the Cowboys.

I had my doubts about him being the preseason All-Big 12 quarterback and he has proven me wrong to this point with a good showing against Baylor last week and in non-conference play earlier this season.

Sanders has been a threat on the ground, rushing for four touchdowns in four games while being competent in the air, showing great improvement from last season.

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I believe the Red Raiders best opportunity this week is to make him beat you through the air, something that Kosi Eldridge spoke about earlier in the week, and if they are able to make him one dimensional, they will be in great shape heading into the bye week.

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Dominic Richardson:

Richardson is definitely a step down from the likes of Deuce Vaughn and Bijan Robinson that the Red Raiders faced in the last two weeks but is still a respectable running back in the Big 12.

Richardson is leading the Cowboys in rushing and has seen sporadic usage having two games with over 20 carries and two that were under ten carries for the running back.

He is a violent runner with big play potential and Tech cannot lose sight of him on Saturday.

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Depending on how the Cowboys use the back, the Red Raiders may be able to do a good job containing the Cowboys’ run game.

Braydon Johnson & the receiving core:

Johnson leads the Cowboys in receiving with 360 yards in 4 games with three touchdowns and has shown big play potential along with a few other receivers in the balanced attack for the Cowboys.

Johnson, Brennan Presley, Bryson Green, and John Paul Richardson all have plays over 35 yards this season showing some explosive potential.

I do believe that this set of receivers isn’t as good as some that the Red Raiders have already seen this season, but they will still be a handful for Tim DeRuyter and Co. when facing a great run game.

Oklahoma State’s defense:

When you look by the numbers, as @409to806Nback did earlier this week, this Oklahoma State defense has declined from last season’s unit that we saw first-hand on senior night.

There are a few key pieces in this defense which is one of the oldest in college football being linebacker Mason Cobb who has made 30 tackles this season with seven for loss and five quarterback hurries.

Another key piece for the Cowboys is cousin of Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Jason Taylor II who has three breakups and an interception this season while also being the second leading tackler with 27.

An experienced front-seven has hurt Donovan Smith and the Tech offense earlier this season, but if the Red Raiders will be able to move the ball against this group, it will come down to the turnover battle and the Tech offensive line to give them a chance.


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TRANSCRIPT: Q&A portion from the Joey McGuire Radio Show

When asked about his adjustment to West Texas:

"Oh, I love this. Let me tell you right now this is the one thing - obviously nobody that says anything about our weather has ever lived in West Texas. Because the weather out here - I think our strength staff is tired of me saying it every morning – every morning and every evening – it's the most beautiful weather anywhere I ever lived. I'm telling you."

How is Bryce Ramirez doing:

"He's doing great. I saw him today got to give him a big hug. He's in rehab, he's back in class. He's on his crutches but it's crazy nowadays with the break that he had you would think he would be in a wheelchair. They want him walking as soon as they can and bearing weight to where he can. When he first got here he couldn't bend his knee. He's bending his knee now. He's always smiling. He's the same. I'm telling you man that guy is always smiling. But he's doing really well."

A fan wrote "Raider?" on the card:

"Power. Let's go."

Favorite video game at home and what's your high score:

"Oh, I don't know about the high score but I'm going to go with probably Pac-Man. I'll get in there - we actually have an old Pac-Man upstairs ... I can flip that over to Galaga."

On if he has any pregame rituals:

"Walking the field listening to Jason Aldean. If you ever see my headsets in it's going to be on shuffle with all Jason Aldean. I got every song (downloaded) on my phone. I'll get in there and change and go out and walk all the way around the field and walk the sidelines a couple of times. But I like doing it more at home because I get over to the student section tell them 'let's go' and they get excited and get a little loud before the game gets started."

Uniform combo this weekend:

"Pretty fired up. This is going to be 1985-ish where we're going with the black helmet, the original stripes, old double t - original double t ... I did see there's a picture I saw on social media of Hanspard ... and he's wearing the uniform combination we'll be wearing in Stillwater ... I recruited his son to the other place. He's a good friend."

On manager of athletics facilities Jeff Jones:

"They're 100% what the brand is all about. Theres no job too big. There's no job too small. I think he's tired of my wife calling him asking if she can open up the suite. He's always taking care of us. And he's there - we get there 5 - 5:15, 5:30 in the morning - and Jeff's helping Hannah getting everything ready for breakfast. The guy's always helping us out."

Level: If there's any bodies buried over there anywhere in that general vicinity Jeff knows where those are

McGuire: "He is. He's going to help me bury couple, too!"

When he knew about the uniform choice and decision:

"They already had the throwback idea before I got here because you're pretty much a year in advance. Usually whenever it comes to uniforms I just go back there to Zane and Cayman and ask 'what do y'all like?' They know we're not going to wear white pants on real grass. Other than that I just ask lets wear some throwbacks and they showed me. I kinda got curious and I think everyone will be happy. It's all throwbacks all the way down to the socks."

He was asked about Tyler Shough and said 100% he's back for Baylor. there's a good chance for West Virginia but they'll see based on doctor's evaluation.


On Baylor game being sold out:


"I need that West Virginia game sold out though first. I think we kinda have this idea but I don't think the fans understand how big of an impact they have on that environment. Sark - I think I said this to you and I might've said it after that game - I mean they were very concerned playing in Jones AT&T. And I think that's important having everyone there at the West Virginia game."

Mahomes will be inducted at halftime of the Baylor game.

Oklahoma State's special teams is always prepared. How do you handle that?


"Making sure we've shown our guys. They've seen those clips. The kid that returned it last week had a touchdown return then he had another return out to the 50. He can really run. I always listen to the TV copy sometime during the week and his mom and dad both ran track at Oklahoma State so lots of speed. We feel like we have a good plan. Tyler Schovanec and Kenny Perry are the two guys that handle our special teams. I feel like we have a good plan. I think we're getting better and better at special teams. We had a big return last week with Xavier White. And then one that wasn't as good then he had another one out past the 30. I think we're also getting ready to start hitting home on some of those scheme-wise."

What's your favorite holiday?

"Mine's Christmas. Although I used to get in trouble every Christmas because I was that bad kid that wanted to - annoy everybody - I wanted to open presents. My uncle used to tell my dad, 'could you give him a spanking and settle him down?' So I think I got a spanking every Christmas Eve and I deserved every dang one of them."

Favorite day of the week besides Saturday?

"Every day but game day... Tuesday. Monday's our off day with the players so we're doing all the game planning. Tuesday we practice in the morning and getting rolling so Tuesday getting them back, getting back in pads and getting to coach is my favorite day."

Game show that he would most excel at:

"Shoot, I don't even - I don't know. Debbie? It wouldn't be Jeopardy. Let me tell you that. I would struggle. Wheel of Fortune!"

What's the hardest class you took in college?

"Oh any math class. I'm terrible in math - terrible. She (Debbie) made me take Latin. Because we're not going to have to speak it - it's a dead language. All my buddies are taking Portuguese and getting A's and I'm over here struggling in Latin. I want a redo on that Latin class. My GPA would be a lot higher."

Here's the link to the full audio:

What I Think Happens Saturday - Oklahoma State Edition (pres. by FHIP)

Six years ago, this game (Tech @ Oklahoma State) had the highest opening total in the history of CFB. At least, I'm saying that it was the highest and there's no evidence to the contrary.

90 points. That was the total. Crazy.

We lost 44 - 45. It was a gut punch, too, after Clayton Hatfield shanked an extra point with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game (wasn't there an issue with the snap or Cam Batson as the holder?). Our defense allowed 10 yards every time Oklahoma State snapped the football.

The 2016 Texas Tech defense -- the leading cause of the highest opening total in CFB history -- is a relic of football failure that should be protected... so that it can be observed and studied by future generations.

It sucked to roll in to Stillwater back in 2016 with the worst defensive unit in Air Raid history. And yet... we still had a real chance to win.

Will we kick off Saturday with the worst offensive unit in the Air Raid era? Maybe. That's still on the table, unfortunately. Even if it is that, will we still find a way to scrap, claw and keep it close enough to give us a chance late?

Sometimes we, as fans, get caught up in these "absolute truths" of football when, in fact, there are really none. We can win Saturday with this OL, this QB, and with this group of WRs. Is it likely? No... maybe a 25% chance. But that's not nuthin'.

Kliff punted in that 2016 game on 4th & 1 and a separate time on Oklahoma State's 45-yard-line. Oklahoma State scored TDs on the ensuing possessions, so punting when we should not have wasn't particularly helpful.

Newsflash: McGuire's not punting in those situations Saturday. As 9-point road underdogs, this is a great spot to turn up the variance dial. And we surely will.

This 2022 Texas Tech team has proven itself to be really difficult to finish off. In every game this year, with the exception of Murray State, we've been *this close* to wearing a kill shot that would've put the game away. Tech weathered the storm and found a way to get back in the game and/or come back to win it. There is something to that.

I think we do it again this weekend. I'll even go so far as to predict that our OL holds up better in this game than it did last week or against Texas (super low bar, but still). I think Donovan and this WR corps take advantage of the only weakness on this Oklahoma State team (defending the pass). When you think about it, we have a handful of guys at critical positions (QB, LT, outside WR) fighting for their football lives. If they don't play well, they are going to lose their job to someone else.

This team has major cornered, wounded animal vibes going on.

Ultimately, it's probably not going to be enough. But I do believe we will find ourselves in a dogfight late in the 4th quarter.

Oklahoma State 31
Texas Tech 26


Random: Is it possible that this is Donovan Smith's last chance to stake his claim over the QB job at Texas Tech? I think it could be.

There is definitely a world where Shough comes back, plays the rest of the year, and Donovan goes somewhere else this off-season. Considering all the reps we've invested in him over the last 10 or so games, that would be a real shame, IMO. But at the same time, rooting against that happening is the same as rooting against Shough to return healthy and play well. Similarly, rooting for Donovan to take over the job permanently would also be bad news for people who want to see Morton get his chance at QB.

The QB position is putting my Tech football fanmanship in a weird spot.


This post is brought to you by From Here It's Podible, or FHIP for short.

FHIP -- while not the best Tech sports podcast (hell, it's not even top 30) -- is the only podcast in the world dedicated to Redraidersports subscribers. All other podcasts (which are way better than FHIP) are for your average, run-of-the-mill Tech sports fans. Those podcasts are for the peasants. Not FHIP. FHIP is made for you by people like you. The hosts watch all the football games and approximately 1/3rd of the basketball games.

Unfortunately, there was no FHIP this past week. It is, after all, a bottom-tier TexasTech-centric podcast.

OT: Need Whiskey/Bourbon Recommendation

I just had my white coat ceremony about a month ago and I am still yet to get my celebratory bottle of whiskey/bourbon. I am obviously a broke graduate student so a "nice" expensive bottle for me right now is right around $80. I've heard Eagle Rare is pretty good and found a bottle online that is sitting right in the $80 range but I figured I'd consult the experts of RRS first. Do any of you guys have any good recommendations for me? I'm in Manhattan, KS so bonus points if anyone knows of a great KC whiskey/bourbon that I could find in this area. Thanks!

UPDATE: Friday Flare

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yes, the Red Raiders lost and yes they did not look great on offense...but that was last week

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 fall in Manhattan 37-28

Thoughts: Texas Tech fights but fails yet again in Manhattan to Kansas State

Things I Liked & Disliked Against Kansas State

Grading the Red Raiders: Defensive line plays well in road loss

Kittley, DeRuyter "looking for consistency" against Oklahoma State Saturday

Parity in the Big 12: Week 6 Power Rankings

McGuire shifts attention to road battle against No. 7 Oklahoma State

Red Raiders in the NFL: 2022 Week Four

Fun facts about new Texas Tech OL commit Kasen Long

Eldridge looking to contain Cowboys, childhood friend in Sanders

Texas Tech commits and targets tracker: Week Six

Tracking Red Raiders: Losing Streaks Snapped & Starting Jobs Reclaimed

Gundy on Texas Tech's pressure: "I don't know if I was ready to see that"

Texas Tech looks for gritty road win against playoff-hopeful Cowboys

RRS TV: OL commit Nick Fattig

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TTU RECRUITING THIS WEEK

no new commitments this week, but a new offer and some various 2024 notes...

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The Red Raiders became offer No. 1 for Bellevue (NE) West 2024 athlete Isaiah McMorris earlier this week. The standout junior is also receiving interest from Nebraska and Minnesota. He mostly plays wide receiver and returns kicks & punts on special teams - as of a few weeks ago, McMorris posted his mid-season highlights with the following stats...8 receptions, 638 yards (19.3 yards per reception) and eight (8) touchdowns.

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with the 2023 recruiting class nearly full, most of the updates we see are coming from the underclassmen and 2024 prospects...

https://twitter.com/Will_Hammond13/status/157820518801129472

Hutto 2024 pro-style quarterback Will Hammond is feeling the love from Lubbock. The standout junior camped at Texas Tech over the summer, earning an offer after the camp. Since then, Hammond has visited Lubbock twice and most recently visited for the home game against Texas.

Through five (5) games this season, Hammond has completed 76 passes for 1,217 yards and 15 touchdowns to zero interceptions passing along with 56 carries for 363 yards and five (5) touchdowns rushing.

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Another 2024 target that attended the game against Texas is Lake Dallas wide receiver Keonde Henry. The standout junior posted a ton of mail from the Red Raider coaches and appears to be a top target for the coaching staff.

Through six (6) games this season, Henry lists 24 receptions for 583 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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HIM-REE WILSON

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it is not some secret or breaking news that Tyree Wilson is coming into his own and starting to dominate on the football field this season...and anyone reading this is a rabid Texas Tech fan, so of course you guys & gals know that, but the nation is starting to take notice

Wilson was named the Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week this past week. He lists 33 total tackles, 21 solo tackles, five (5) sacks and one (1) forced fumble. Through five (5) games this season, Wilson has nearly met or exceeded his stat totals for tackles and sacks from last season.

Mike Gundy specifically spoke to the Texas Tech pass rush in his weekly press conference, and that absolutely starts with No. 19 bringing pressure and blowing up players for this Texas Tech front.

of course this type of attention from the Senior Bowl leads to attention from the NFL, and Wilson's name is being mentioned among the first round of next year's NFL Draft by most mock draft pushers on the internet.

so the question is...if Wilson continues to produce and pressure on defense this season, then where does young Tyree get drafted?

Wilson is being mocked as early as the No. 10 overall pick in the first round to the No. 33 overall pick, or the first pick of the second round - just seeing his physical makeup and the progression he is making on the field, I'm going to say Wilson is a no-doubt first round pick and that he falls somewhere into the 15-20th pick range.

thoughts?

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE AGENCY

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This has already been talked about and debated from an SMU standpoint earlier this week, but College Football free agency is here and we should not all act so surprised. We should also not point at NIL and other variables, because this is a direct result of rule changes to both the redshirt rule and the overall transfer rules.

Yes, NIL exists and yes kids are going to leverage NIL to make money during their college careers, all depending on the success they have on the field. At some programs like Texas Tech and SMU, there are established collectives that pay the players ___ amount per money on an annual basis...so if anything, it could be argued these SMU transfers are 'leaving' $35k on the table or walking away from that guaranteed amount to transfer.

So no, it is not about NIL, these young men committed to a previous coach and were already at SMU when the new coaching staff came in. I'm imagining a conversation with their parents or coaches about the coaching change, about staying and giving it a shot...well, if they gave it a chance and weren't feeling it through four (4) games, then these young men have the opportunity to save their redshirt by playing four (4) or less games...again - per the rules that the NCAA put in place.

Once the NCAA opened the transfer portal and removed the 'sit out a year' reality, then we started to see this become more and more of a normal thing in college football. There were quarterbacks who lost jobs before the season, then immediately transferred. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was praised for naming a starting quarterback this past spring, allowing Gerry Bohanon the opportunity to transfer with plenty of time to win a starting job elsewhere.

There are a ton of examples to point to, but to me the main point is that the biggest amount of 'risk' when leaving one program for another is still on the players. The coaches have to re-recruit their own roster, keep players happy and create a culture that players want to be a part of...but that being said, coaches can grab a transfer player at anytime of the year and essentially 'replace' a player on the roster they recruited out of high school.

This is not a cry for empathy for the players at all. This is simply a reminder that these kids are taking the risk, not the college coaches.

In this instance, these young men are leaving SMU and leaving behind the $35k per year from NIL to find something different, something better, something better suited for them.

For me, I find it hard to get angry about that or declare that college football is changed forever. How many times have we seen fill-in-the-blank three-star prospect commits to Texas Tech out of high school over other Power Five offers, gets to campus and is never heard from again until they announce their transfer to Jackson State, Angelo State, JUCO or whatever else.

This is truly a two-way street, one where the players have to always look out for No. 1

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BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS

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is TCU...good? or is Oklahoma...pretty bad?

I don't really know, but what I do know is that ranking the Big 12 over the past month has been a very frustrating process.


1. Oklahoma State

The No. 7 Pokes went into Waco and won convincingly and will host your Red Raiders at home this weekend. It appears that Gundy has talent and depth on both sides of the ball. There are very talented players, but no standouts or household names...yet. In a year of 'who knows' when it comes to these rankings, it is completely possible for Tech to knock out the Cowboys in Stillwater this weekend.

2. TCU

The Frogs are nationally ranked after taking it to the Sooners at home last weekend, putting up over 50 points in the process. It was not a shock for them to win at home, however, it was a shock to see Oklahoma lose so badly. The Sooners have lost two (2) straight games and face the Ewers-lead Longhorns this weekend, so maybe time will tell us if they are the same level of 'good' we are used to seeing from the Sooners. TCU travels to Kansas this weekend for a battle of undefeated, nationally ranked teams...yes you read that correctly, nobody would have guessed that before the season, nobody.

3. Kansas

The Jayhawks handled business at home against Iowa State this past weekend and the Cinderella story continues this year for Kansas. On one hand I'm happy for KU fans who have suffered through some awful seasons to get here, but on the other hand I feel bad for KU fans who have to listen to Lance Leipold rumors on a weekly basis with now 6-7 college jobs now open and looking for head coaches. The focus will be on beating TCU at home with College Gameday on campus for the Jayhawks this week though, and KU has a real shot at continuing their undefeated season with a win this weekend.

4. Kansas State

Overlooking the home loss to Tulane might be easier later this season, but it happened. The Wildcats have responded with two (2) wins in a row, on the road against Oklahoma and home last weekend against your Red Raiders. There has not been a ton of consistency, but this No. 20 Kansas State team has the opportunity to win three (3) in a row with a win on the road against a reeling Iowa State team this Saturday night.

5. Baylor

The Bears did lose their second game at home against No. 7 Oklahoma State this week, but that puts them at 1-1 in conference play going into their bye week. The loss earlier this season to BYU looks bad in hindsight, however, Baylor comes back next week with a game against West Virginia and then games against Kansas at home and Texas Tech on the road. With KU having success this season and the Texas Tech game being announced as a sell out, this bye week and the next three (3) weeks will be make or break for this Baylor team.

6. Texas Tech

The Red Raiders did not look great on the road against No. 20 Kansas State last weekend, but overall the team has somewhat over-achieved on the young season and has a great opportunity to go into Stillwater against No. 7 Oklahoma State this weekend. The offense has to put together scoring drives on a more consistent basis and the defense will have to continue playing well on the road, but they could either go into the bye week with a huge win or as a 3-3 team (1-2 in conference play) with upcoming home games against both West Virginia and Baylor to finish the month of October.

7. Texas

The Longhorns announced yesterday that QB Quinn Ewers is back from injury and will start against Oklahoma this weekend in the Red River Rivalry. This should rally a Texas team looking for consistency in this young season. Rivals create craziness, so anything can happen this weekend when Texas and Oklahoma faceoff, but neither team is ranked and both teams need a win to turn things around. Texas has this rivalry matchup, then they are home against Iowa State next weekend, on the road against Oklahoma State and finish the month with a bye week.

8. Oklahoma

The Sooners are a staple to win the Big 12 conference, there is no other way to put that. All the changes in Norman have seemed to catch up with the team though, as Oklahoma has now dropped two (2) straight games to Kansas State at home and TCU on the road. These weren't close losses either, TCU beat the Sooners 55-24 this past weekend. To make matters worse, starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel is reportedly injured and will not play in the Red River Rivalry this weekend. The Sooners have not lost three (3) games in a row since the 90's and the line alone makes that a very real possibility this weekend. Oklahoma needs a win this weekend with upcoming games at home against Kansas next weekend, a bye wek and then Iowa State on the road to finish the month of October.

9. Iowa State

The Cyclones are 3-2 on the season, but have dropped two (2) straight conference games against Baylor and Kansas to start 0-2 in conference play. Iowa State hosts No. 20 Kansas State tomorrow night and needs a conference win at home. The Cyclones finish the month of October with a road game against Texas, a bye week and a home game against Oklahoma. This Iowa State team needs to find points in conference play after scoring 24 points against Baylor with 10 of those points coming late in the 4th quarter and scoring only 11 points against Kansas.

10. West Virginia

The Mountaineers traveled to Austin this last weekend and lost to the Longhorns 38-20 in a game that was never close. Neil Brown's team is now 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. West Virginia has a bye week this week, then they finish the month of October with a home game against Baylor, on the road against Texas Tech and at home against TCU.

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have a great weekend everyone!

Imagine if…

**Let me preface this by saying I am in full support of Dogavan Smith. While he certainly has things to improve on, he plays his ass off and has won us games that other QBs the last decade couldn’t**
BUT….
imagine if Quinn Ewers had committed to Texas Tech. I know his film is short but he looked good against Bama and I can see him thriving in a Kittley offense. Instead I hope he loses lots of games in Austin and the SEC.
Tech by 90 this weekend

OT: Luckiest SOB alive - Barstool article on already rich guy who caught Judge HR

Life seems really tough for this guy right now. That ball is worth millions.

College basketball... The Corral, Houston #3, and Tech not being ranked.

How the f*ck did I miss all of this. That pep rally for The Corral was flat out pathetic with "Bless the mood..." Beard hitting that bam bam again trying to recreate what he did in the LBK. Also... Womble> KD basketball center.

Also, Houston has it rolling and I sit here and wonder why the national media is doubting our roster in the rankings. Turnover of players I assume?

Random wtf's after a few twitter scrolls to wrap up the work week.
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