If there’s a coach in the country as good as Tommy Tuberville, someone needs to point him out. The fact is that he, alone among NCAA coaches, has the potential to really revamp and repair the broken state of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football program. Without delving into the controversial year that the Red Raiders had last season with their recently fired coach, Mike Leach – and who hasn’t heard all about that sordid tale by now – let’s spend our time in a more productive manner: evaluating the future prospects for Tommy Tuberville and his new Red Raiders team.

Rebuilding Tech

There is absolutely no disputing that the current season of TTU football will be centered on a massive rebuilding effort. Is there a coach anywhere who could be expected to do a more successful job than Tuberville when confronted with the type of mess Leach left behind? The answer is an unequivocal absolutely not! Even with the size of the obstacles with which he is currently confronted – a triple rebuilding job in effect – Tommy is up to it. He must revamp the team’s overall morale and focus, the Red Raiders playing performance, and the reputation of the team, its coaching staff, and the University.

Not as lonely as it sounds

Of course, he is fortunate to have some assistance in his quest. With a retooled staff of assistant coaches and new players who should help to instill a new perspective both on the field and in the locker room, there is little doubt that the new Red Raiders team will look distinctly different from those that came before. Many of these changes are likely to cause distress among fans and alumni, but there is little doubt that they will all be for the better in the long run.

Changing the scheme

The running game will almost certainly be the biggest change on the field. Before Leach left, his team was already offensively depleted with a run attack that was less than what one might call successful. It was so bad that many analysts credit the Tech run offense – or lack thereof – with being a key factor in the wins of many of the schools who played against the Red Raiders. Some have even suggested that the staff of TTU deserve a nice group of thank you messages from the coaches and players of the other teams around Division 1 football. It is clear that Tuberville and his staff will need to focus on the run if they are to have any hope of being successful and competing for a championship at any level. Tommy’s reliance on the adage about not winning games wearing just your jockstrap – you’re supposed to have all of your equipment in place – is an apt one when it comes to the running game. In fact, for Texas Tech, running the ball with success may just be the one ingredient they need to be a championship level team.

Can they contend?

There is, of course, an outside possibility that the Red Raiders can reorganize quickly enough to make themselves a possible choice for national champion. That is an outside shot, however, and the more likely result is that this season will see Tech focused on improving the run and once again learning to win games. The good news is that Tommy Tuberville is definitely the one man who can give them a chance to accomplish those goals.

Author Bio: Ivan Jamison is a big sports fan. You can check out his Texas Tech Watch or his Chicago Cubs Watch or his Detroit Tigers Watch

Category: Sports
Keywords: Texas Tech Red Riders