Defense Starts Early, Offense Finishes Strong
April 08, 2006 | Football
April 8, 2006
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech secondary and defensive line wreaked havoc on the Red Raider offense early in the second scrimmage of the spring Saturday, limiting quarterbacks Graham Harrell and Chris Todd to 5-of-9 passing for 46 yards combined, while no Tech back rushed for more than six yards during the first two series.
Harrell opened the workout with the No. 1 offense, completing 3-of-5 passes for 22 yards, while Todd went 2-of-4 for 24 yards in the second series. The Red Raider defense applied pressure early and often and accounted for five total sacks on the day. The remainder of the workout turned into a battle of wills. Each side made big plays via sacks and short yardage tackles on defense and lengthy runs and pass completions offensively.
Sophomore running back Shannon Woods scored the first touchdown of the day on a 17-yard run as Tech scored four times on the ground, including two on runs of two and seven yards by redshirt freshman Kobey Lewis. Woods finished the day as the top rusher with 39 yards on five carries, while Lewis totaled a high of seven rushes for 26 yards. Redshirt freshman Pete Richardson added 20 yards on four carries.
Harrell finished the day 22-of-33 through the air for 284 yards and a touchdown, a 60-yard strike to senior Joel Filani on the final series of the day. Todd threw touchdown strikes - one, a seven-yard strike to sophomore Catron Houston and the second, a 65-yard score to sophomore L.A. Reed. Todd hit Reed 10 yards in the middle of the field and Reed scurried to the end zone, breaking two tackles along the way.
Reed totaled 107 yards on five catches, while Filani caught five passes for 104 yards. Purdue transfer Grant Walker led all receivers with six catches and finished with 76 yards.
Sophomore safety Anthony Hines had the big day, defensively, totaling nine tackles and getting a hand in on a few passes, including a would-be interception he brought down out of bounds. Junior linebacker Paul Williams had six tackles and a sack, while senior linebacker Kellen Tillman, sophomore safety Darcel McBath and redshirt freshman cornerback Brent Nickerson each recorded five tackles. Senior nose tackle Chris Hudler tallied another sack after posting two in last week's scrimmage. Redshirt freshman Rashad Hunt, sophomore defensive tackle Brian Jones and senior defensive tackle Dek Bake also logged sacks.
Sophomore defensive back Jordy Rowland grabbed the first interception of the spring, picking Harrell in the final series of the day.
The Red Raiders will culminate spring drills with the annual Red-Black Game on Sat., April 15, at 11 a.m. at Lowery Field in Lubbock.
Players Mentioned
