CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, October 6, 2004 7:00 pm
Texas Tech defensive end Adell Duckett might sack the next guy who tries to convince him getting a sideline perspective of Oklahoma last week could help him in the long run.
"I was upset, and I tried to get the coaches to throw me in there a couple times,"
Duckett said about the Red Raiders' contest in Norman, Okla. "They wouldn't do it."
Duckett's teammates did an admirable job of slowing down the Sooners, holding them well below their season averages for points and yardage. But with their most disruptive force out of action for the first time in 30 games because of an injury, the Red Raiders failed to get a turnover for the first time all season
For Duckett, the 28-13 loss was almost too much to stomach.
"Really, what I did was watch the D-line, and when they came off I gave them tips when I saw something," he said. "But it was tough. Big game looking forward to it all summer, all season. I tried to practice, but there was too much soreness in the legs."
Duckett was hurt in Tech's 31-30 victory at Kansas, a game in which the Red Raiders rallied from a 30-5 deficit.
On Saturday, they'll go for another monumental accomplishment their first win against Nebraska so don't bother asking Duckett his status.
"I'm back," he said.
And the 6-foot-4, 265-pound senior co-captain is intent on unleashing the kind of venom that led him to be a preseason all-Big 12 selection.
As a junior, Duckett led the league with 14 sacks and 23½ tackles for loss. His next dumping of a quarterback will be his 26th and put him No. 2 on Tech's career list. This year, Duckett has just one sack as Tech's first four opponents put a premium on keeping him out of the backfield.
"Whatever they're doing, it's working now. I'm struggling, man," he said. "I'm getting there; I'm just not getting the sacks like I used to.
"I just have to stay with my fundamentals (and) speed rush. Sacks usually seem to come in bunches."
Tech defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich said Duckett is being nicked more by running backs flashing out on a pass route, "but it's something you have to deal with."
If Duckett approached Saturday's game off his memory of Tech's last contest against Nebraska in 2001, he probably wouldn't be expecting many sack opportunities. Back then, the Huskers chopped their way to a 41-31 win behind an option-based ground game (that did produce three Eric Crouch TD passes). Now, Bill Callahan's West Coast offense drives the Huskers, and even though Duckett still considers them to be a running team, he knows the ball will be in the air a lot more often.
"It's kind of different. I'm turning on the film watching them and watching three-step quick passing, the option pass. It's cool," Duckett said. "But they still run the ball. They've got a good running back, and their offensive line, they haven't lost a step. It'll be a big challenge for us."
Since Tech enters the game ranked No. 4 nationally in total offense, the effort of its defense often is back-page news. But the improvement from a year ago is hard to miss.
Six times last season, the Red Raiders allowed 43 or more points while ending up ranked 106th in defense. Tech actually won one of those games and nearly beat Texas and Oklahoma State in other shootouts.
This year, the defense has looked a lot less like a basketball team getting beat in transition and ranks No. 47.
"We're playing harder than we did last year," Setencich said.
The Red Raiders gave up 30 points to Kansas but shut out the Jayhawks in the second half.
They also allowed 35 in a blowout of Texas Christian, but four of the Horned Frogs' five TD drives began on Tech's half of the field. Two of those came after turnovers and two more after the Red Raiders failed to convert fourth-down plays. After getting behind 21-0 because of the early mistakes, the defense gave the team the chance to rally by allowing no first downs over seven straight possessions.
"Offense, any time they get mentioned they deserve it. It's hard to outshine them," Duckett said. "But we're getting better.
"We had a good offseason in spring and got our mentality going. It's the same package, the same calls. Last year, we had about eight freshmen out there. Now, everybody's more comfortable. We've got the physical part of it down, and we're working hard at the mental part. We've got to get better at sudden change, off a turnover or a big kickoff return, and just step up and stop that momentum."
Of course, if Duckett gets his wish, the Red Raiders will be running downhill throughout Saturday night's game, one that represents just their second at home this season.
"We made it through 3-2. It could've been better," Duckett said of playing four of the first five on the road. "Those two losses are learning experiences. We lost to New Mexico in the final seconds, and Oklahoma is a great team.
"But it's good to be back home. Now, we're going to try to get back in the win column."
Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeever@journalstar.com.