John Mabry: Tech's Leach knows how NU's feeling
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LUBBOCK, Texas — Life in the big city can be rough.
What that has to do with Saturday's game, I don't know. It's Lubbock, for crying out loud.
But speaking of crying out loud, what can you say?
I saw some of the TBS production crew after the game and asked if they thought about switching to a James Bond movie in the second half — "A View to a Kill" perhaps.
They said the thought did cross a few minds at The Blowout Station.
It's hard to believe it was just a few years ago that NU whipped Texas Tech 56-3 here at Jones SBC Stadium. But it's pretty obvious this Red Raider bunch, the 70-point version, is better than that Red Raider bunch. For one thing, Tech now has a defense of some ability.
Mike Leach has made some progress as head coach down here, 67 points of progress against the Huskers.
"It's unbelievable to me," said Texas Tech senior running back Johnnie Mack, who scored three of Tech's 10 touchdowns. "I don't think I've ever seen a team put up 70 against Nebraska."
That's because it had never happened, Johnnie.
"The line judge is now the referee," was the announcement over the press-box P.A. in the third quarter. Fine. I'm OK with cross-reffing officials.
And Nebraska is now Texas Tech, or at least the Huskers are going through what the Red Raiders went through for a few years.
"Oh yeah, I do," Leach said when asked if he felt Bill Callahan's pain. "I think they have pretty good players but sometimes it's just getting in a rhythm.
"There are some tough spots."
Yeah, those 70-spots can sting a little.
Leach said the result of the 2000 game in Lubbock never crossed his mind as Red Raider after Red Raider crossed the goal line Saturday night.
"Not really," Leach said.
But he also said, when asked about the score: "I didn't try to (run it up), but they put a beating on us the last time."
What Leach has accomplished since then should provide some hope to the Huskers.
Texas Tech is now averaging 70 points per home game this season — they beat TCU 70-35 in their other home game this fall — which would tend to be suggest the Raiders are having some success in the red zone.
Whatever. Leach, who looks and sounds like Ray Romano, said he just wants to win football games.
"I'm not battling for the red-zone efficiency award," Leach said.
The Red Raider offense had its way with the No. 5 defense in the country. The Huskers tried different looks, different attacks. It all added up to 523 yards of guns-a-blazin' offense.
"They came at us less early than I thought they would because I knew they would come after us at some point," Leach said. "There's no team that can really hide very much at this point in the season. You've got a bunch of film on them. You can't sit and save everything. What you do is what you do?
"We knew they'd try to pressure us and we knew they'd play some zone, and they did both. I thought they'd start out by pressuring us. They started out in the zone."
"Usually if you just see one thing, you're not playing very good."
In these strange times, the Huskers could take a lesson from Leach and the rising Red Raiders. They know the drill.
Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabry@journalstar.com.
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