Football Makes Improvements
April 05, 2000 | Football
April 5, 2000
LUBBOCK, Texas - Continued improvement were the watchwords as the Texas Tech football team finished day 10 of spring drills with a workout in shoulder pads and head gear Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Raiders worked for almost three hours at the grass practice facility east of the Athletic Training Center, working on individual and position group fundamentals, special teams and finishing with a team period.
"We had a lot better day today. We got better," said Leach, who was not pleased with Tuesday's practice. "We are still battling some of the same things, but there is continued improvement.
"You know, the first day we had about four people executing, now we are up to about nine, so we are getting there," Leach said. "We played a lot better today before we got tired."
The end of Wednesday's work featured an extended team period of play polish, schemes and recognition. The work was devoted to the first and second offenses against the first and second defenses and consisted of more than 50 plays.
Defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said the Red Raider defense is "coming along, getting better every day." McMackin singled out the good work of defensive linemen Kris Kocurek, Devin Lemons, Robert Wyatt and Aaron Hunt. He was also pleased with the play of linebackers Lawrence Flugence and Dorian Pitts, along with safety Kevin Curtis.
The Red Raiders return to the practice fields Friday afternoon. Leach said the next full contact scrimmage is scheduled for Saturday morning if the squad is healthy enough. Several players have missed extended periods of work, including cornerback Antwan Alexander (strained quad) and running backs Shaud Williams (hamstring) and James Easterling (ankle).
Texas Tech's annual spring game is April 15 at Jones Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and there will be no admission charge. Red Raider players and coaches will be available on the field following the game for photos and autographs.