Well... Last week Tech decided to give up FOUR HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE yards on the ground to UNT. They listened to my key of not turning the ball over... which was great to see, but ultimately not enough to overcome FOUR HUNDRED. AND SEVENTY FIVE. YARDS. on the ground.
This week, Tech will face off with the Rice Owls for the last time as conference foes, and they have a different challenge on their hands. What can Tech do to make those GORGEOUS throwback unis 1-0?
#1 Fundamentals
If I told you Tech was the absolute WORST team in the nation when it comes to missed tackles... you'd... probably believe me. After last week, how could we NOT be in dead last? The Owl running back room must be salivating - wait... do Owls salivate? (no... but apparently they can have a condition called canker that *looks* like salivation but is actually pretty dangerous? Well.... I hope the Owls aren't cankerous!). My point is that Tech will need more from the front seven in this game if we want to win. And by "more", I mean a lot more. Rice likes to run the ball - doing so on 53% of their snaps this season. And if last week is going to be the exception and not the rule, Tech needs guys like Hugh Davis and Khiry Morrison to step up in the run game.
#2 That's my Quarterback!
Parker McNeil has been playing extremely well coming off Tech's bye week. He'll need to continue to shine (and should be able to against a Rice defense that ranks 64th in passes intercepted) for Tech to win many more games. Parker's on his way, so let's not focus on him. On the other side, Rice will trot out TJ McMahon, who... isn't great, let's say. He's thrown 10 TDs, but also 10 INTs. That's not ideal for the Owls, but it's GREAT for us! The key to rattling McMahon seems to be pressuring him WITHOUT blitzing - 6 of his 10 INTs have come under pressure, but only 1 has come when he was blitzed. That means Tech will have to find ways to generate pressure without blitzing... which has been tough so far this year. The D Line has to get some pressure. Maybe Fred Dean has some eligibility left? (may he rest in peace)
#3 Play Our Game
Look. We're not going to run the ball all that well. I won't sugarcoat it for ya. Rice isn't THAT good against the run (81st in the nation), but Tech just isn't built to take advantage of that this year. So rather than do what UAB and FAU tried to do against the Owls - running the football at nearly twice the rate they threw it - let's continue to be creative in the passing game. Sonny Cumbie has shown an ability to create interesting wrinkles around guys like Smoke Harris and Tahj Magee, and I think this is the perfect scenario to keep that going. Tech will be throwing into the teeth of a pretty good pass defense (ranked 22nd in the nation), but I wonder how much of Rice's success against the pass is due to the fact that teams will abandon their pass-first identity and get into a slugfest with the Owls? Like I said, Tech's not that team, and we shouldn't be. Let it fly, Parker!
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Evan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter, play the gtpdd Contest and CUSA Fantasy, and listen to the gtpdd Podcast!
