North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: Texas Tech
9/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 17, 2003
TEXAS TECH (2-0) at NC STATE (1-2)
DATE: Saturday, September 20, 2003
TIME: Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. (EDT) Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC (53,800)
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network. AIRTIME: 11:00 a.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: espn2
OPPONENT----Texas Tech did not play last week and will enter the NC State game with a 2-0 record after wins over SMU ( 58-10) and New Mexico (42-28). Against the Lobos on September 6th, quarterback BJ Symons was on fire. He completed 37-of-54 passes for 418 yards, with eight throws each to Mickey Peters and Nehemiah Glover for a combined 237 yards. Symons tossed five touchdown passes and ran for another score. Peters finished with 121 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
After New Mexico pulled within 35-28 on a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, Symons engineered one last drive. He took the Red Raiders 66 yards in 12 plays and ran the ball in from the one-yard line on a quarterback sneak with 2:43 left.
The Lobos (1-1) turned the ball over four times in the game, but gained 584 total yards (235 rushing). Quarterback, Casey Kelly, who threw for a career high 349 yards, was intercepted three times, but Tech turned only one of those picks into a score.
Symons' performance in his first two starts for Tech has already brought him more yards (715) and passing touchdowns (eight) than he compiled during his three years as a backup (545 yards and seven touchdowns) to record-setting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury.
Texas Tech returns 15 starters, including nine on offense, from last season's 9-5 team that crushed Clemson 55-15 in the Tangerine Bowl. The offensive line is a veteran group that is missing only one starter from 2002. Senior center, Toby Cecil (6-4, 290), in his fourth season as a starter, is the leader of that group. The team's top rusher is Taurean Henderson (5-10, 190 So.) with 73 yards on only 12 carries and 2 touchdowns. Last season, Henderson, caught a team-leading 98 passes to set an NCAA freshman record. He rushed for 142 yards on 21 carries in Tech's loss to NC State.
Peters and Glover are the Raiders leading receivers this season combining for 24 catches, 337 yards and 6 touchdowns. Other capable receivers are senior Carlos Francis (11 catches) and senior Wes Welker (9 catches).
The Red Raiders offensive experience is reflected in this year's statistics. After two games, Tech is averaging 50 points and 447 yards of total offense per game with 366 yards coming through the air. Tech is converting 48 percent of its third-down opportunities.
Defensively, Texas Tech, has had to rebuild its front line and has three redshirt freshman listed as first-teamers. The lone returning starter is end, Adell Duckett (6-4, 261, Jr.) who has a sack, an interception and two tackles for loss this season. However, Duckett and the other starting end, Seth Nitschmann are battling knee injuries. All-America linebacker, Lawrence Flugence, is gone, but his replacement, true freshman, Brock Stratton, is the Raiders leading tackler this season (19 stops). Outside linebackers Mike Smith (6-2, 235, Jr.) and John Saldi (6-5, 215, So.), both starters last season, have combined for 26 tackles in two games this year.
Tech's defensive backfield lost both corners from a year ago, but the Red Raiders have surrendered only two TD passes this season. Safties Ryan Aycock (6-0, 208, Sr.) and Vincent Meeks (5-11, 187, So.) return as starters and are off to a good start in 2003. They've combined for four interceptions and 26 tackles.
While giving up a lot of yards per game (432), the Tech defense has been able to make some big plays. The Red Raiders have come up with four turnovers in three consecutive games dating to last December's Tangerine Bowl.
Some key special teams positions are lacking experience. True Freshman, Alex Reyes (6-1, 200), has won the job as starting punter for Tech and has a 37.8 yard average in five attempts. Redshirt freshman walk-on Keith Toogood (6-1, 180) has made his only field goal attempt of the season (31 yards) and has kicked 13 of 14 PATs. With a 31 yard return against New Mexico, Welker became school's punt return yardage leader with 1,470 yards. He's averaging 15.3 yards per return this season and has one touchdown. Johnnie Mack (5-7, 178 RJr.) has a whopping 150 yards in kickoff returns on only three attempts.
Texas Tech and NC State are third and 14th nationally in scoring per game with averages of 50 and 40.3 points, respectively. The Wolfpack is the nation's top passing team and quarterback, Philip Rivers, is the NCAA's leading passer and has thrown for 10 touchdowns in State's first three games.
Last year, NC State beat Tech 51-48 in overtime in Lubbock - a game in which the Pack's T. A. McLendon ran for 150 yards and five touchdowns. With the exception of Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, many of the same offensive personnel are back. The scoreboard operator at Carter-Finley Stadium could be very busy.
INJURIES--NC State: WR Andy Bertrand-Probable, groin; OT Chris Colmer-Doubtful, brachial plexus; WR Sterling Hicks-Out, knee; TB T.A. McLendon-Probable; patella tendon strain. Texas Tech:DE Adell Duckett-No Report, right knee strain; DE Seth Nitschmann-No report, knee. (Texas Tech coach, Mike Leach, does not release injury information.)
