Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Pigskin Classic
2:30 PM EST Televised on ABC
(Commentators: Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Lynn Swann)
The first game of the season is finally here. The talk is finally over
and it's time to get some questions answered.
When fans think of Texas Tech, they may not regard the school as a football
powerhouse. Do not, however, think this is going to be a pushover. You can
see by all the bold-faced names listed above that the team has a lot of
experience, and there are some stars in there as well. This team could be
in for another 4 or 5-loss season because of their schedule and the tough league
that they are in, but if you put them in the ACC or Big East this
year, they could be at least the third best team in each conference.
All talk of Texas Tech begins with their quarterback, Kliff Kingsbury.
Kingsbury is a tough competitor who comes into this season as the preseason Big
12 Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman candidate. He threw for over
3500 yards in the regular season last year. He'll have some quality
receivers to throw to in Wes Welker, Mickey Peters, Anton Page, and Carlos
Francis. Francis can make things happen and led the WRs in yards last
year. He and Welker are small but dangerous. Page is a bigger target
at 6-5.
The big issue comes at running back. Will Foy Munlin be able to pick up
where departed standout Ricky Williams left off? Williams was a weapon
both running and catching the ball and he could be missed. Munlin does not
have a lot of game experience, but he has ability. The offensive line should be
good as four starters return, including standout Rex Richards.
Defensively, the Red Raiders are strong up front. Four starters return,
including pass rusher extraordinaire Aaron Hunt. Hunt will become the
school's all-time sack leader this year, and he is an All-America
candidate. He and the rest of the line will be a handful for this OSU
offensive line; the Red Raiders had 35 sacks last season, so the Bucks' will be
challenged. Another All-America candidate is at LB as MLB Lawrence
Flugence is back. He is a tackling machine and will make plenty of
plays. The secondary returns three starters, but that might be the area
OSU needs to pick on a bit.
The Red Raiders will come out in their spread offense, which will show four
and five receivers on the field. Seeing as how the perceived OSU defensive
weakness is at cornerback, this could be a trial by fire. Expect Tech to
put up some numbers through the air in this game. The key, of course, is
keeping them out of the end zone.
Offensively, OSU will need to execute and keep that Texas Tech offense off
the field. They should be able to move the ball offensively if the OL play is
solid, and they might be able to get some passing yards as OSU's WRs match up
favorably with TT's DBs. As everyone has been saying all summer, OL and QB
play is key for OSU.
This game will not be like last year's opener against Akron, where, I admit,
I almost fell asleep on the couch. This should be a good one, and it might
be decided late. Overall, Texas Tech from top to bottom does not have
quite the overall talent that OSU does, but there