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Texas Tech Puts on Show in Midland
March 28, 2015 | Football
March 28, 2015
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Texas Tech TV Recap
Kingsbury Post Practice
Gibbs Post Practice
Marquez Interview
MIDLAND, Texas -- Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury said earlier this week he wanted to see some intensity out of his players and a much cleaner type of football during Tech's spring scrimmage on Saturday.
It appears what the King wants, the King gets.
The Red Raiders showed explosiveness on offense, aggression on defense and drew only a handful of penalties during the Spring Scrimmage presented by Pro Petro on Saturday at Grande Communications Stadium in Midland.
"I thought they did a pretty good job," Kingsbury said. "We played clean without a ton of penalties. We had a few, but for the most part there was high effort, high energy and we protected the football, which was exciting to see."
Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes shined on the offensive side of the football during the two, 15-minute team periods. He led three scoring drives overall, completing 12 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahomes started the game off slightly shaky before scoring on 75 yards on six plays, including a 9-yard strike to Dylan Cantrell in the end zone. His second touchdown toss took a little creativity as Mahomes hit Jakeem Grant 38 yards downfield for the senior's only catch of the day.
Mahomes had only a few costly throws during the scrimmage, one of which wound up in the arms of defensive player Micah Awe, before being negated by a defensive penalty. Overall, his coach appeared to be impressed by his sophomore quarterback considering the workload he's had this semester.
"He had a couple of throws and decisions he would like to have back," Kingsbury said. "But I've been very impressed with the way he's handled going to baseball one day and then going to football the next. And that's hard on an 18-year-old kid -- especially one with a 4.0 (GPA). But he's really done well and will continue to get better."
The fans packing Grande Communications Stadium not only were excited to see Mahomes once again but also get a look at Tech's new defense after a couple of months working with new coordinator David Gibbs. The Red Raiders' interior line appeared quicker, getting to quarterbacks Mahomes and Nic Shimoneck three times. Josh Outlaw and Branden Jackson led the charge with Awe and Nigel Bethel getting plenty of pass break ups in the secondary.
"They've picked it up quick," Kingsbury said. "Coach Gibbs has done a tremendous job working with them and I'm sure they're going to continue to progress."
Gibbs said he was happy to see the bodies flying around the football and knows that time will continue to help this squad adjust and improve.
"We made some bad plays and we made some good plays," he said. "We're in transition right now. We're a work in progress but I wasn't disappointed. I've been telling them that all spring. They practice hard, they play hard, they come in to learn and study and we'll just keep grinding."
