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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/hythloday1 on 2025-12-31 15:03:46+00:00.

For more than a decade I’ve been posting write-ups to /r/CFB after watching an upcoming Oregon opponent’s full season, and I’ve been delighted with the responses to my questions that I get from fans of each team. Eight years ago I started writing for SB Nation’s Oregon site, Addicted to Quack, but I’ve continued to post them here along with my questions for fans. Here’s my film study preview of Texas Tech in 2025, including video documentation, a podcast interview with Cotton Club Crew, and charting data from the entire season:

addictedtoquack.com/…/duck-tape-film-analysis-of-…

My questions for Texas Tech fans:

  1. Any trends I’ve missed, or players I’m being unfair to?
  2. I’d watched the Texas State offense in 2024 for a different project and came away with a certain impression of the scheme, especially the run concepts, so I was a little surprised that OC Leftwich’s offense at Tech in 2025 was so similar to what I was seeing from Zach Kittley in 2022-23 (though I generally like the play sequencing better). In the podcast interview, Mike told me that was deliberate and Coach McGuire was trying to connect things back to the previous offense - what do you think?
  3. After doing a bunch of statistical work to try and control for the effect of the QB situation on the offense, my thinking is that Morton’s injury history has probably interfered with his development as a passer, unfortunately - I think we would have seen more efficiency and better field reads at this point in his career if he had been playing full seasons. Do you think that’s out of line?
  4. My read of the run game was to give effusive praise to the backs and very little to the blockers, do you think that’s right?
  5. I traced the redzone issue to the tight end room, and not having (or not playing) a traditional body type who can block inside running and box out for point-blank throws in the endzone. Do you think that’s too simplistic?
  6. The WR usage really had me stumped, I thought Eakin is a total stud and a better fit for a lot of the throws that are instead going to Carter or the backs, and the volume going to the outside receivers was too high given their success rates and separation outside of the sideline routes. I also didn’t understand the lack of rotation, there seems to be a lot of talent which doesn’t see the field until garbage time. Can you help me out as to what’s going on?
  7. Mike told me that Gill-Howard isn’t expected to play tomorrow, though maybe later in the playoffs if Tech’s run continues. I thought his loss was unfortunate but DT, particularly the 3-tech, was the one position the defense was well situated to handle the loss of a starter, both because Holmes and the rest of the backups who’ve stepped up have played well and because fundamentally the job is eating combos so the edges can do their thing. What do you think?
  8. My diagnosis of how other offenses schemed up against this defense was that they talked themselves into a trap – they looked at big DTs and fast edges and said, “go to the outside!” – but this was a huge mistake because of the LB speed and DB involvement in the run game and blowing up screen passes. Running the numbers didn’t help me out much because not enough teams committed to the inside run sufficiently to do a comparative analysis so this is more of a gut feel from watching tape, but I thought the better way to do it was just forget about explosive rushing altogether and keep it between the tackles for efficiency rushing. Do you think that’s off base?
  9. In our podcast interview, Mike seemed lower on the secondary in coverage than I was, I thought they played zone as the perfect complement to what the front was doing and unlike a lot of defenses which have a great pass rush and that’s all (this was my diagnosis of Penn State for years) Tech’s secondary will hold up on 3rd & short. My only real gripe with the secondary was all the PI flags. What’s your read?
  10. I thought I had identified a couple of ways that offenses could get a leg up on the defensive scheme – unbalanced formations, late motion, certain RPOs and cutback runs that suck in the backers – and then was surprised that once one team put something on film, subsequent OCs didn’t seem very interested in picking that ball up and running with it. What’s your assessment of the quality of opponents, in particular the quality of coaching, that Tech has faced in the Big-XII?