Aggies match wits with Mike Leach
By: Kyle Davoust
Issue date: 11/15/04 Section: Sports
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Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is known for running an imaginative offense. His Red Raiders spread the field like a flag football team, enabling his quarterbacks to rack up unbelievable stats. He passes when others would run. He passes when others would pass. Heck, he passes when others would punt. But, quirky as his offense may look, no one can argue with its results - Tech entered Saturday's game against Texas A&M leading the nation with 411 passing yards per game.
So how did the Aggie defense, which has been burned often by the pass this year, manage to control the Red Raiders' attack through three-quarters of Saturday's 32-25 win? It's simple, really. Aggie defensive coordinator Carl Torbush decided to put together a confusing defense to offset Tech's confusing offense.
The Aggies changed their attack from zones to umbrella coverages and just about everything in between.
"Some of that stuff had me worried, but I had faith in the defensive coaches' stuff and what we were going to do to stop them," said A&M senior defensive end Mike Montgomery. "It worked out for the best, as we just put our faith in the defensive calls and just went out and tried to execute to the best of our ability."
Last year's 59-28 loss in Lubbock was tough on Torbush. He couldn't do some of the things he wanted to do and was forced to drop back into zone coverages on every play. However, his faith in this year's players allowed him to become more creative and more effective.
"No question it helped us to put more speed and athleticism on the field. That's a factor," Torbush said. "Right now we're playing with a lot more confidence than we were at that time last year."
Tech was still able to gain 411 yards on offense, but all of those yards yielded only 25 points - 12 under their average and less than half of what they put up against the Aggies last year.
The Aggies were able to limit the Red Raiders by forcing turnovers and limiting big plays. Tech senior quarterback Sonny Cumbie looked uncomfortable for much of the day, as he forced several balls into coverage, resulting in three interceptions.
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