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Let’s Talk Hail State

Well Bulldog fans, we are officially at Defcon 5, and have pretty much lost all wiggle room for getting to a bowl game this season. Currently setting at a poultry 3-3 record on the season, and just 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference, things just keep getting worse as the seasons moves along.

Oh and by the way, just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, well, we have those damn LSU Tigers coming to town this weekend, and did I mention another day game? If last weeks loss wasn’t bad enough, this week we get to face the No. 2 ranked team in the country at Davis Wade stadium. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think this is going to do anything for our motivation moving forward, but we shall see.

I for one think LSU is overrated because they haven’t played anyone besides ninth-ranked Florida and 15th-ranked Texas. No big deal, right? Yep, this game could get ugly quick, but there’s that old saying after a big win like LSU got against Florida last week—this could be a trap game for those Tigers. But I wouldn’t bet on it, just Pray for It.

It’s true State fans, last week was difficult to digest, and I still get a little heartburn thinking about it,. But now it’s in the past, just like our hopes of having a winning SEC record this year. “Dang nab it.” Yet there’s still a few possibilities left to have a decent season, so let’s Talk Hail State, the Good the Bad and the Ugly (Tennessee).

THE GOOD!

We still have six games left on the schedule that give us a good chance to go bowling. The LSU and Alabama games seem to be pretty much out of reach at this point. I have high hopes that we can, and should, win games against Arkansas, ACU and Ole Miss. I must say that I have lost some confidence in a couple of those, but I still have us winning all three at this point.

I also see one last opportunity for State to pull off an upset, and that will have to come against Texas A&M on the road. A win here after three straight losses would be huge from a momentum standpoint moving into the last four games of the season. In saying all of this, I still see a possible 7-5 season, which would give us a 4-4 record in the SEC. Here’s to staying as positive as possible in our current situation.

The BAD!

The first half of last week’s game against Tennessee was bad on many fronts. The offense was stagnant with Stevens under center due to his lack of pocket awareness and inability to handle any pressure. No matter how much we State fans wanted him to succeed, I think this project has run its course, at least for now.

Once again, I have heard about the lack of discipline from the players toward the coaches on the sidelines during the game. If this is in fact true, then the performances, or lack thereof, could be a direct result of the climate of the team. As I stated above, these are just rumors so far, but I can share some of the signs I have seen for myself during the games.

Lack of physicality on both lines, it seems that the team has lost any desire to fight and win over the past few games. This could be due to lack of conditioning, preparation, or maybe some players just don’t really care anymore. I think it is a mixture of all three, and these players need to get together and have an intervention among themselves. This goes for the coaching staff as well. If you are going to call yourself a leader, then you need to damn well lead.

It would be nice to see just a little bit of emotion on the sideline when our defense misses three or four tackles in a single play. The same goes for the offensive side of the ball when we have players just standing around watching the game while others are trying to make a play.

By the way, the term ‘players’ coach’ is a way of saying that the coach does not hold the players to a high standard of disciple and performance. It is one thing to want players to like you as a coach, but it’s another to not demand respect!!

The UGLY!

This one is very personal to me, and I hope everyone reading this understands my point. I agree that the coaching staff has under-performed this season, and the current record shows it. I also agree that coach Moorhead deserved some criticism for the offensive woes and overall team performance. I mean, he makes a lot of money and we all expect a positive output for that kind of payout, I get it. I for one have been very hard on this coach so far this season, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s a bad person.

In fact, I have to say that from everything I have seen and heard about Coach JoMo, it sure makes him seem like great person that loves this sport and his family. I respect that of him and would never confuse his actions as a man and a father with his job as a football coach. But that is what happened after the Tennessee game last week, and it was not fair for our coach and his daughter.

Like I said, we pride ourselves on being a family. No matter where you go, we go with you. That stands for every player, coach and student that ever attended this university and coach Joe Moorhead is a permanent part of that family. Anyone that will disrespect him in front of his daughter or call him mean names not only hurts this university but truly hurts their own family. I am Truly sorry to the entire Moorhead family for what happened Saturday. I believe 99.9% of the Bulldog family feels the same way.

“Respect other people’s feelings. It might mean nothing to you, but it could mean everything to them.” — Roy T. Bennett

HAIL STATE AND GO DAWGS.

Brought to you by Run (up the middle), Run (up the middle), Incomplete Pass, Punt… ad infinitum!

I’m going to be honest with you… I still haven’t fully recovered from this past weekend. I’ve mostly been sort of mumbling to myself as I walk around the house listening to a looped Spotify playlist comprised entirely of Joy Division, The Cure, Elliott Smith, The Antlers, and late-era Nick Cave. All this is to say, I’m just not in a very college football-y place right now. So, if you’ll forgive me, I’m going to keep this short…

Your Week 8 College Football TV Schedule >>>>> CLICK HERE

Now, here are some thoughts about a few games you may decide to slog through over the course of what promises to be another weekend hellscape:

Wednesday

South Alabama Jaguars @ Troy Trojans, 8:00 pm, ESPN2

Ahh, yes… a game between two teams with a combined 3-8 record. Clearly we’re invested in starting off the festivities on the right foot.

Thursday

UCLA Bruins @ Stanford Cardinal, 9:00 pm, ESPN

An absolute slugfest in the PAC-12. If you thought Wednesday was special, these bad boys are a combined 4-8… LOOK OUT!

Friday

#4 Ohio State Buckeyes @ Northwestern Wildcats, 8:30pm, Friday

Yeah, that’s the ticket. Really twist the knife and then just jiggle it around a bit for good measure.

Noon

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Miami Hurricanes, 12:00 pm, ACCNetwork

I take solace in the knowledge that, no matter how bad things get, we will never have to live in the perpetual cloud of suck that Georgia Tech foists upon its fans.

Afternoon

LSU Tigers @ Mississippi St. Bulldogs, 3:30 pm, CBS

You know what will just really rub some salt in the wound? How about the dulcet tones of Gary Danielson extolling the virtues of the Tigers for 3 hours (in a surface level way, involving little to no actual analysis, as is his wont)?

Evening

Florida State Seminoles @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 7:30 pm. ACCNetwork

I’ll be watching Georgia/Kentucky, of course, but I’d be hard-pressed to recommend such a thing. And since misery loves company, take the Demon Deacons and the points.

Late Night

Air Force Falcons @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 11:00 pm, CBSSN

What better way to end the evening than on the sandy beaches of Hawaii… where we can lay back and imagine an existence that doesn’t so closely resemble this one…

That’s all for this week, folks. Until next time…

Jamil Burroughs | SB Nation Recruiting Flickr

Peach State lineman spurs home state school for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama picked up their 23rd commitment in 4-star DT Jamil Burroughs. The former UGA commit Tweeted out his pledge on Wednesday.

The Powder Springs, GA native is listed at 6’2” and 323 pounds.

“I think he’s a very dominant defensive lineman,” (Burroughs’ coach Franklin) Stephens told BamaOnLine. “He’s one of those guys that has the flexibility up front to play several different positions, so we kind of move him around. With his size, strength, speed, and agility, he’s hard for a lot of high school offensive linemen to deal with. He’s a 6-2 kid, a little over 300 pounds, he’s done a good job of actually losing some weight so he can be a little bit quicker, and I think that’s helping him on Friday nights on the football field.”

You will like his highlight reel:

In the clip above, he can be seen beating 4-star Texas commit Logan Parr (#71) and 4-star Tennessee commit Cooper Mays (#78).

Wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins was the primary recruiter along with defensive line coach Brian Baker. Burroughs chose Alabama over the Bulldogs, Clemson, Florida, and LSU.

SIDE NOTE: It is believed that the Tide could take around 27 players for the Class of 2020.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Was last week in Athens a fluke, or is there something to build on?

So that happened.

By now, we all know the story, although of course it’s fun to tell it and hear it again: The unranked South Carolina Gamecocks, a 25-point underdog left for dead by many in the college football world including their own fans, took down undefeated and then-No. 3 Georgia in Athens, prevailing 20-17 in double overtime.

What a difference a week makes — especially for coach Will Muschamp.

It’s fair to say Muschamp entered Georgia Week as a persona non grata for many in Columbia. The “most talented” USC team he’s had — in his own words — was 2-3 (1-2 SEC), and while the Gamecocks had finally beaten Kentucky for the first time in five years, the season was not exactly going as expected. A deflating opening loss to North Carolina rocked Gamecock Nation, especially with the resulting injury to veteran quarterback Jake Bentley, and a miserable defeat to Missouri soured the season further.

Seemingly right out of the gate, South Carolina had already dropped two of its most winnable games with a schedule that wouldn’t provide for many. The Gamecocks were in the difficult and unenviable position of needing to upset a ranked team just to reach a.500 mark and therefore bowl eligibility, with the most likely candidate being this week’s home game against Florida — and the Gators are a top-10 team.

But then the Gamecocks achieved the impossible in Athens, netting the second-biggest win in school history (and tying their biggest accomplishment on the road, previously an upset of a No. 3 North Carolina team), and doing it all with a true freshman quarterback and then the third-string backup. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the path to the postseason looks easier. (As an aside, is there anything more Gamecockian than losing to a double-digit underdog and then later upsetting an undefeated, top-5 team as one? As ever, good luck figuring this program out.)

Muschamp’s future with the Gamecocks looks more clear, too, now that he’s finally captured that elusive signature win and ended his lengthy drought against Top 25 competition. Even the most bloodthirsty and jaded fan had to acknowledge that a Muschamp firing at the end of 2019 was likely impossible, unless the team took an unprecedented nosedive off a cliff. The much reported on and still hard to fathom $18 million buyout was the biggest reason, but also, football coaches are traditionally given a fairly long leash to figure things out due to the complexity of the sport. 2020 — Muschamp’s fifth year with the program — would be the true do-or-die season.

Now, there’s no longer any doubt Muschamp is safe in 2019, and depending on how the rest of the season unfolds, 2020 could be in the bag as well. It all starts — or continues, rather — with how South Carolina responds against Florida this weekend. Is it too much to ask for two top-10 upsets in as many weeks? Maybe, but as previously mentioned, most fans had the Gators pegged as the most achievable upset candidate before the season even started. Florida’s performance so far, even with a loss to LSU, likely diminishes that confidence. But it’s at least a home game, and for the first time this season, the Gamecocks have something resembling mojo in their corner.

Critics will point to a slew of baffling coaching decisions in the Georgia game — by both Muschamp and Kirby Smart — as proof of why retaining Muschamp is still a wait-and-see decision. The Gamecocks absolutely remain a work in progress, and the college football world needs to see more before any coronations. While the Georgia win is undoubtedly huge and has surprisingly granted USC some breathing room, the Gamecocks still can’t afford to get complacent and drop a game to Tennessee or Appalachian State if the program wants to continue its upward trajectory. South Carolina — and more importantly, Muschamp — needs to prove the Georgia game wasn’t just a freak accident or dumb luck of catching the Dawgs on a bad day. They can do that by pulling another upset this week.

Photo by Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As the Dawgs look to right the ship, let’s look around and check-in on the other 13 schools in the conference.

Here’s what’s happening around the SEC:

• Alabama receiver Devonta Smith will be suspended for the first half of this week’s game against Tennessee after he was ejected from last week’s game against Texas A&M for throwing a punch.
• After some debate, Auburn will not switch to a slightly modified logo. This is probably a good call, as in my opinion, the new logo is a definite downgrade.
• South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski returned to practice is should play this weekend against Florida.
• LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is now the Heisman frontrunner in ESPN’s Heisman Watch. Just like we all thought before the season started.

Until next time… GO DAWGS!!!

The last couple weeks leading up to the “Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” there was a lot of talk from UF fans taking offense to UGA talking about the infamous “3rd and Grantham”. It appears it lives on. As Coach Mullen pointed out in the post game press conference, UGA scored 4 touchdowns on 3rd down. I think Grantham has done a good job bringing in a new attitude to UF and the defense is much improved from last year. However, after yesterday’s game I’m pretty sure there is some UGA fans rubbing in that 3rd and Grantham to their SEC East foes and UF needs to prepare to hear it for at least another year. That now makes Grantham 0-3 against his former employer since leaving Athens.

For the second time in a matter of weeks, Katy Cinco Ranch linebacker David Gbenda made his way to Austin for an unofficial visit. This time, the trip produced an offer from the Texas Longhorns, Gbenda revealed on Sunday evening:

The 6’0, 212-pounder is one of the hottest commodities around the state, in part because the in-state linebacker class isn’t particularly strong at the top in the 2019 cycle. In recent weeks, Gbenda has picked up offers from Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri, TCU, and Texas A&M.

The Horned Frogs and the Aggies are at the top of his list, along with the Longhorns, who picked up three 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions in the immediate aftermath of the offer. Another projection is now cloudy.

As a junior, Gbenda produced 56 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two sacks. At The Opening Houston Regional camp in February, he ran a 4.74 40-yard dash, a 4.34 shuttle, and posted a 32-inch vertical, all good results. Since Gbenda relies on his athleticism to range from sideline to sideline and doesn’t have ideal size, the easy Texas comparison is to Gary Johnson, though Gbenda isn’t nearly as fast.

Since the Texas defense relies on a nose tackle and consistent slanting to keep the linebackers free, Gbenda is a good fit — like Johnson, he’s at his best when able to make plays without an offensive lineman climbing into his face at the second level.

Early on, it seems as if Texas is in excellent position to eventually land a commitment from Gbenda, which would provide a good start to the 2019 linebacker class as defensive coordinator Todd Orlando pursues higher-rated prospects like De’Gabriel Floyd and Lakia Henry.

Gbenda is a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 332 player nationally, the No. 10 inside linebacker, and the No. 43 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Our final 2018 Spring Football Preview focuses on the quarterbacks. This looks like it could be a rebuilding year as UCLA is absolutely loaded with freshmen. However, the collective talent of this unit and Chip Kelly’s ability to use it will be the tipping point.

Who’s Gone?

Well, yes, the obvious. Josh Rosen is making his way to the pros this year, most likely with the New York Giants. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that I’m quite disappointed in the wasted opportunity we had with Rosen to move onward and upward when he took the offensive reins from Brett Hundley. The crazy thing is when you look at what Rosen accomplished at UCLA, something doesn’t add up:

• 9,341 career yards
• 59 touchdowns
• All-American honors as a freshman
• Pac-12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year in 2015
• Second-team all-conference honors as a junior
• Set a new school record for single-season passing yards (3,756) in 2017.

How could we have a quarterback with a resume that looks like this and such crappy on-field results? I saw him going to Rose Bowls and maybe even the playoffs, but instead, we’re sitting here with a new head coach and six Mora years with no real accomplishments.

In addition to Rosen, redshirt junior Craig Meyers is eligible to return for a senior season, but he did participate in Senior Day last season. So, it’s not clear if he will be back for another year. If he does come back, he will be the oldest quarterback on the roster. If he chooses to move on, we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Who’s Back?

Well, we definitely have a lot of sophomores in the wings. Take a look:

Don’t get me wrong—this is not to say that these guys don’t have talent. Quite the opposite. But when it comes to experience and leading an offense and a team into the valley of the shadow of death, we don’t have a whole lot going for us.

Right now, Devon Modster is the lone man with the most playing time. It might seem that he’s the obvious choice as the starter, but Chip Kelly is not loyal to a fault like Jim Mora was. If he feels someone looks better, I have no doubt he’d start someone else. Right now, the competition this spring is wide open, especially since Matt Lynch also saw limited action last year and actually looked pretty good. Kelly will have a lot to experiment with and will no doubt choose the best man for the job.

Who’s Coming In?

Here’s where is gets really interesting. University of Washington backup quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels announced on January 18 that he would be transferring to UCLA as a graduate student, and he will actually bring some much needed experience to the quarterbacks unit. He was given a full release by UW head coach Chris Peterson, will enroll in spring, and will immediately be eligible to play this fall. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school, and may be a dark horse in the quarterback competition this spring. He spent the last two years watching Jake Browning sling the ball at UW, and saw some limited game time with a total of 310 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how the competition plays out between Carta-Samuels, Modster, and Bishop Gorman alum Dorian Thompson-Robinson, when he shows up for fall camp. It’s actually nice to see that there is more than one viable man for the job.

Outlook

While we don’t have a superstar on the roster anymore, I have a lot more confidence in Chip Kelly than I did in Jim Mora to coach these guys up. The one thing UCLA has not been able to do in recent years is develop players—take the three star guys and help them reach their potential, don’t let the four- and five-star guys flatline as soon as they get on campus. This is where we see wasted opportunities. We have plenty of talent—now, we just need to use it.

That’s a wrap for our 2018 UCLA Football Spring Previews! UCLA Spring Practice begins at 7:15 am tomorrow with new head coach Chip Kelly’s first practice.

Go Bruins!

The Michigan State Spartans began spring practices this past Tuesday, and have released their spring football roster.

The roster, which includes just under 100 total players, returns 49 letterwinners and 19 position starters from the 2018 campaign, according to the Spring Preview on MSUSpartans.com

In addition to the returning players, the Spartans also have seven early-enrollees from the 2018 recruiting class: Javez Alexander (WR), Theo Day (QB), Dimitri Douglas (OL), Kalon Gervin (CB), Xavier Henderson (DB), Julian Major (WR) and Edward Warinner (LB).

Douglas will sit out spring ball with an Achilles injury, however. As will redshirt freshman Weston Bridges with an “undisclosed” injury.

There were some notable absentees on the roster, starting with Jalen Watts-Jackson. He was the hero of the 2015 game against Michigan, but has dealt with injuries since, and didn’t see the field much in 2017 (appearing in just six games).

Defensive back T.J. Harrell and defensive tackle Kyonta Stallworth were also not listed on the roster. It is possible that these players could be on the summer roster, however.

Overall, the Spartans will be returning 10 starters on offense, nine starters on defense and three specialists (placekicker, punter and long snapper).

MSU has the most returning production returning in the country, as it returns 100 percent of its passing yards from the quarterback position, 82 percent of its receptions, 81 percent of its receiving yards, and 71 percent of its rushing yards on offense, according to MSUSpartans.com.

Defensively, the Spartans return 23 letterwinners. Of the nine returning starters, five of which started all 13 games last season — Khari Willis, Raquan Williams, Mike Panisiuk, Andrew Dowell and Joe Bachie. The unit ranked top-7 in the country in both rushing yards allowed (No. 2) and total defense (No. 7).

The Green-White Spring game takes place at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, April 7 at 5 p.m.

Check out the full spring practice schedule below:

No. 1 – Tuesday, Feb. 27
No. 2 – Thursday, March 1
No. 3 – Tuesday, March 13
No. 4 – Thursday, March 15
No. 5 – Friday/Saturday, March 16/17
No. 6 – Tuesday, March 20
No. 7 – Thursday, March 22
No. 8 – Friday/Saturday, March 23/24
No. 9 – Tuesday, March 27
No. 10 – Thursday, March 29
No. 11 – Tuesday, April 3
No. 12 – Thursday, April 5
No. 13 – Friday, April 6
No. 14 – Spring Game, Saturday, April 7, 5 p.m.
No. 15 – Tuesday, April 10

In the very recent pass, Texas Tech beginning spring practice was king. Now, it’s taking a back seat to the basketball team eyeing a deep March run in the NCAA Tournament and a baseball team that is undefeated through their first nine games. But, spring practice is here and like with all things in the spring, hope springs eternal this time of year.

Despite the concerns about Kliff Kingsbury as head coach for 2018, following a 6-6 regular season and bowl loss to South Florida, Texas Tech is in great position to get over the mid-tier hurdle in the Big 12. Texas Tech is returning 10 of 11 starters on defense that proved to be a takeaway machine and shouldn’t miss a beat this year with an abundance of depth joining the ranks. Texas Tech’s offense was good, but not to the same standards Tech and its fans have been used to in the past, including during the Kingsbury era. Most of that, once again, coming from their struggles in the red zone that will undoubtedly be addressed this spring.

Key Dates:
March 3 – Start of Spring Practices
March 24 – Midland Scrimmage
April 7 – Frisco Scrimmage
April 14 – Spring Game, Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock

Key Losses:
QB Nic Shimonek – Graduation/Draft – 328/493, 3963 yards, 66.5%, 33 TDs
RB Justin Stockton – Graduation/Draft – 132 att, 797 yards, 6.0 avg, 4 TDs
WR Keke Coutee – Draft – 93 recs, 1429 yards, 10 TDs
WR Derrick Willies – Graduation/Draft – 18 recs, 304 yards, 3 TDs
WR Cam Batson – Graduation/Draft – 59 recs, 487 yards, 5 TDs
WR Dylan Cantrell – Graduation/Draft – 71 recs, 816 yards, 7 TDs
DT Mychealon Thomas – Graduation/ Draft – 41 tackles, 25 solo, 1 sack, 1 INT

2017 Redshirt players and returning from injury:
DL Houston Miller – Injured
DL Lonzell Gillmore – Injured
WR Xavier Martin – Redshirt
DB Quincy Addison – Redshirt
DB John Davis Jr – Redshirt
DB Adrian Frye – Redshirt
FB Henry Howard – Redshirt
DL Aaron Calcote – Redshirt
OL Casey Verhulst – Redshirt
OL Dawson Deaton – Redshirt
OL Will Farrar – Redshirt
DL Nelson Mbanasor – Redshirt

Incoming Players:
QB Alan Bowman – 3 Star
OL Troy Bradshaw – 3 Star
WR Sterling Galbon – 3 Star
LB Case Gatlin
QB Nick Gerber – Transfer
DL Jaylon Hutchins – 3 Star
RB Andre Johnson – Transfer
RB Ta’Shawn Henry – 3 Star
WR Miller Royals – 3 Star
RB Shadrick Thompson – 3 Star
WR Erik Ezukanma – 4 Star
WR Corey Fulcher – 3 Star
WR KeSean Carter – 3 Star
LB Xavier Benson – 3 Star

With more than enough reinforcements coming to replace key losses in 2018, the only question is, who will be able to separate themselves before entering the season? Kingsbury recruited speed, speed and more speed in his WR’s this past recruiting cycle and if anyone thinks that Henry will be red-shirted because of the players in front of him, I would’t count on it. Ta’Shawn Henry was a huge get for Kingsbury who needed to stabilize the running back position and is versatile enough to line up in the backfield or in the slot. I think Kingsbury will use him right away if he shows what he showed in high school namely, tough running and play-making ability in space. Seeing as how Texas Tech struggled so much in the red zone last year, Kingsbury won’t hesitate to use any personnel that will give him an edge.

Key Position Battle: Quarterback

The Favorite – McLane Carter, Jr
Carter started the last game of the season, vs Texas, in place of a struggling Nic Shimonek. In the first quarter he showed that he could be the quarterback going forward, going 11/15 for 175 yards. Some concern came after he struggled the following two quarters going just 5/22 before being replaced in the 4th quarter by Shimonek. Carter has the most experience and has shown his capability especially when considering he’d get most first team snaps in the spring and fall.

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

The Fan Choice – Jett Duffey, So
Duffey has the backing of most of the Tech fan base due to his Mahomesian style of play and ability to move the pocket under pressure. Duffey was highly acclaimed out of high school and heir apparent to Mahomes, before being suspended from Texas Tech in the spring of 2016. With Shimonek’s good, but not great numbers especially late in games, fans are even more wanting to see what Duffey can do in the Red Raider offense, despite his limited sample size.

The Dark Horse – Alan Bowman, Fr
Some believe that Alan Bowman has a real shot at the job. Seeing as this is the first full on QB battle since the great Mahomes/Webb battle of 2015, it’ll be interesting to see if Bowman plays well enough to beat out Carter and Duffey for the job. Bowman had a fairly good high school career and has gotten praise from Kingsbury and recruiting experts throughout the recruiting cycle leading many to believe he can be the guy for the next four years in Lubbock.

Key Group: Special Teams

The special teams group left a lot to be desired in 2017. Beginning with an injury to Clayton Hatfield that led to kicking issues throughout and at key points in the game to inconsistent punting by transfer punter Dominic Panazzolo, all culminating in the dismissal of special team’s coach Joe Robinson.

Kingsbury waited until March 1st to make the hire of Adam Scheier, his new special teams coordinator. Scheier previously was a special teams quality control coach at Ohio State.

John Gutierrez-USA TODAY Sports

The special teams group doesn’t need to be phenomenal to be an improvement from last year, it just needs to be sound on coverages and consistent on kicks. No one will fault the place kicker for missing a 50 yarder, but from 35 and in has to be money. Panazzolo had great moments and bad moments and was illustrated perfectly in Tech’s bowl game against South Florida. In the 2nd quarter, Panazzolo had a 43 yard punt downed at the South Florida 1 yard line and nearing the end of the half, while deep in their own territory, had a punt of just 15 yards to set up a South Florida score.

Key Coaching Hire: Clay McGuire

McGuire, at Texas Tech grad, previously coached at Texas Tech under Mike Leach from 2006 to 2009. He started as a video intern and worked his way up to running backs coach before following Ruffin McNeil and Lincoln Riley to East Carolina. When Mike Leach got hired at Washington State in 2012, McGuire served Leach as offensive line coach.

McGuire is a huge get for Kingsbury and it’s a move that irked Mike Leach, further proving how good McGuire is. With his experience as both a running backs coach and offensive line coach, he is uniquely suited to handled and improve the running game for Texas Tech. Something Tech has desperately needed since losing Mike Jenks and DeAndre Washington after the 2015 season.

McGuire will also serve as co-offensive coordinator along with Kevin Johns who will coach inside wide receivers. The move by Kingsbury to have two offensive coordinators, presumably shows his willingness to move play calling duties to one of them and at the very least shows an upgrade to have a coach specifically handle the passing game coordination and running game coordination.