ESPN College Football

2009 overall record: 9-4

2009 conference record: 5-3

Returning starters: Offense (7), Defense (6) P/K (2)

Top returners: QB Steven Sheffield, WR Detron Lewis, QB Taylor Potts, RB Baron Batch, WR Alex Torres, CB LaRon Moore, DT Colby Whitlock, LB Brian Duncan, LB Bront Bird

Key losses: DE Brandon Sharpe, OL Brandon Carter, CB Jamar Wall, OL Marlon Winn, LB Marlon Williams, DE Daniel Howard

2009 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Baron Batch* (884 yards)

Passing: Taylor Potts* (3,440 yards)

Receiving: Detron Lewis* (844 yards)

Tackles: Brian Duncan* (87)

Sacks: Brandon Sharpe (15)

Interceptions: Franklin Mitchem*, LaRon Moore*, Jamar Wall (2)

Three spring answers

1. Business as usual. The offense will remain the same under new coordinator Neal Brown, like he said it would. Other than differences in terminology and how plays are relayed to the quarterback, the offense will be similar to former coach Mike Leach’s. One big difference is that quarterbacks will have the green light to tuck the ball and run if the opportunity arises.

2. Let's run this town. Brown says the Red Raiders will run more next season. The main reason is his offense’s depth at running back. Texas Tech has three running backs who could be factors in leading rusher Baron Batch, as well as sophomores Harrison Jeffers and Eric Stephens. The pass will still be king in Lubbock, but the running game will likely be featured more than it ever was under Leach.

3. Taking out their aggression. Former defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill is gone to East Carolina. He took with him his bend-but-don’t-break defensive approach. Now, Texas Tech will be dictating the action with former Alabama linebackers coach James Willis coordinating the defense. He helped the Crimson Tide win a national title in 2009 with his blitz-happy schemes that force defenses to make difficult throws instead of preventing the big play at the cost of giving up underneath passes.

Three fall questions

1. What happens once the QBs become healthy again? Steven Sheffield and Taylor Potts’ battle for the QB job ended early this spring when Sheffied re-broke his foot and Taylor Potts suffered a serious laceration to his throwing hand. Both underwent surgery midway through the team’s 15 practices and did little to settle the quarterback debate. Sheffield likely had a slight edge when the two were injured, but they’ll pick up where they left off—this time with more urgency—in the fall.

2. What happens if Brown’s offense stalls? The offense, even directed by two inexperienced quarterbacks, flourished late in the spring. But if Sheffield or Potts are unable to complete a high enough percentage of their passes or move the ball, will the Red Raiders depend even more on the run? If the offense doesn’t continue its run of piling up gawdy numbers against Big 12 defenses, will the spread return in 2011?

3. Will Tech fans embrace Tommy Tuberville? Mike Leach was perhaps the most beloved figure in the history of the program. Among the fans, at least. Will the fans cozy up to his less colorful, less quotable replacement? If he wins, it’ll be easy. Tuberville’s been historically more successful than Leach, but the bar in Lubbock has been set by Leach, who won more games than any coach in Texas Tech history.

Some of the nation's more underrated draft prospects will see action at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Challenge game at 2 p.m. ET Saturday at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.

The Big 12 will be represented by a group of players looking to make some pre-draft buzz.

Here's a look at the prospects representing the Big 12 schools, who will participate on the Texas team in the game.

Baylor

WR David Gettis

S Jordan Lake

Iowa State

P Mike Brandtner

Missouri

WR Jared Perry

Oklahoma State

S Lucien Antoine

G-C Andrew Lewis

Texas A&M

FB-H-back Jamie McCoy

C Kevin Matthews

Texas Tech

DE Brandon Sharpe

T Marlon Winn

Former Dallas Cowboys standout Bill Bates and Florida Atlantic University head coach Howard Schnellenberger will serve as the coaches at Saturday's game.

The day before signing day obviously is dominated by recruiting news.

But it's not all that is going on across the Big 12.

Check out these links along with your lunchtime respite. You'll thank me for it later.

• ESPN.com’s J.C. Shurburtt has high confidence that Owamagbe Odighizuwa will end up at Nebraska.
• The Denver Post’s Woody Paige wonders where Dan Hawkins has been the last few weeks.
• The Lincoln Journal Star’s Steve Sipple writes about Turner Gill’s diligent job of trying to cobble together his first recruiting class at Kansas.
• U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen blasted the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences for failing to adopt stricter policies on handling player concussions, the Associated Press’ Kristie Rieken reports.
• Baylor wide receiver David Gettis and Texas Tech tackle Marlon Winn struggled through the first day of practices at the Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Game at El Paso, Texas, the Sporting News’ Russ Lande reports.
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bill Coats catches up with Sheldon Richardson to talk about the pressures of recruiting. Richardson, who played at the College of the Sequoias last season, said he remains committed to Missouri for the spring semester next year.
• A Dallas Morning News recruiting day primer predicts that Texas is set to contend for championships for years with this year’s recruiting class. And the Morning News’ Chuck Carlton also provides extensive recruiting previews for Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Baylor.
• The Omaha World-Herald’s Tom Shatel is curious why Nebraska is competing with Western Kentucky for a potential starting quarterback.
• The Boulder Camera’s Kyle Ringo reports that attrition has cost Colorado nearly eight players per year from each recruiting class by the end of its eligibility at the school.
• New defensive tackle commitment Mike Jones tells the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams he was set to attend Fordham before receiving a late recruiting offer from Texas Tech.
• Kicker-punter Will Russ of Shreveport, La., is Texas’ 25th and final commitment of the recruiting class of 2010, the Austin American-Statesman’s Suzanne Halliburton reports.
• The Oklahoman's Jake Trotter reports that former Georgia defensive coordinator and Stanford assistant Willie Martinez appears headed to Oklahoma as a new defensive coach for the Sooners.

Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield played last week, only four weeks after undergoing surgery on a broken left foot.

While Sheffield could not complete last week’s game against Oklahoma State, his teammates were amazed as his courage by trying to play through the injury -- particularly as his injured foot was protected by material that coach Mike Leach described as “something Forrest Gump would have worn.”

Sheffield was fitted with an orthopedic shoe, but teammates marveled at his ability to run despite the injury and his equipment.

“To go out there on a broken foot, that says a lot about a guy,” Tech linebacker Bront Bird said. “His shoe looked like a clown shoe. It was about a size 16 with all kinds of padding and stuff like that. He was hobbling around out there.”

And senior tackle Marlon Winn, who is 6-foot-6 and more than 300 pounds, said his shoes aren’t nearly as big as those worn by the junior quarterback.

“I think it is an amazing thing. It’s something I’ve never seen anything like it,” Winn said. “The amount of work and craftsmanship that went into that thing is awesome. You have to see it in person. It’s really cool and it’s bigger than mine -- way bigger than mine.”

Quarterback Taylor Potts started the game and played the first four series in the Red Raiders’ 24-17 loss. Sheffield entered the game midway through the second quarter and played until the middle of the fourth quarter, completing 16-of-23 passes for 117 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He lost 19 yards on his only rushing attempt against the Cowboys.

Tech’s starting quarterback for Oklahoma is expected to be a game-time decision.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Calling Nebraska’s victory over Missouri stunning simply doesn’t do it justice.

The Cornhuskers’ 27-point fourth-quarter eruption was one of the most memorable comebacks in school history. It grabbed them much national attention and pushing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh high on many Heisman lists.

An encore of that performance might be just as difficult.

Nebraska will attempt to follow up what arguably is Bo Pelini’s greatest victory at the school since taking over as coach with another one against Texas Tech –- a team that has beaten Nebraska three consecutive times coming into Saturday’s game.

Pelini understands how important it is to maintain the momentum from last week’s victory, which boosted the Cornhuskers into a share of the early North Division lead and into the No. 15 spot in the Associated Press poll.

“It’s all about having that consistent approach and that’s something that we always do,” Pelini said. “Our guys understand that. We’re not talking about Missouri. Missouri is over. We put that to rest a long time ago and it’s time to get into the next thing.”

Suh’s breakout game notwithstanding, the massive defensive tackle is intent on returning back to action rather than basking in the national spotlight.

“It’s all good and gravy, but like Coach Pelini has said, it’s still early in the season,” Suh said. “We’ve just got to continue to stay focused and move on and get ready for this Texas Tech team.”

The Red Raiders arrive as a little bit of a mystery team after beating New Mexico and Kansas State after close, tough losses to Texas and Houston.

But their 66-14 beatdown over Kansas State has infused them with confidence for this week’s game.

“That’s something we’ve been wait on for a long time,” Tech tackle Marlon Winn said. “We experienced it for one game and I think everybody liked the way it felt. When we go out in confidence, we’ll have a little more boost of confidence to go out there and handle our business.”

Nebraska did a good job of keeping the ball away from Tech in last season’s game in Lubbock, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes as they maintained a 78-48 edge in plays. But Tech made just enough plays to escape with a wild 37-31 overtime victory that wasn’t sealed until Jamar Wall’s interception on Nebraska’s second play from scrimmage in the extra period.

And despite Tech playing a spread offense like the one that Missouri plays, Pelini said there’s little similarity between the two offenses.

“It’s a totally different offense,” Pelini said. “Everybody wants to loop these spread offenses into one category. It’s not even close. They’re all unique in their own ways.”

Tech’s offense also could be scrambled depending on who starts at quarterback. Steven Sheffield blistered Kansas State for seven touchdowns. He’s more of a scrambler when compared with Taylor Potts, who has missed the last 1.5 games because of a concussion.

Tech coach Mike Leach has been coy about his starter and isn’t expected to make a determination until shortly before game time.

Pelini said that both Tech quarterbacks are alike in many ways, but doesn’t expect much change depending on the starter.

“I think they are pretty similar guys,” Pelini said. “I think the second guy who’s come in (Sheffield) might be a little more mobile, but they both can move their feet. They’re both similar players. They both have good arms. They both run the system well. There’s really not much of a difference.”

And he expects their presence to make Tech a difficult test after the victory over Missouri.

“This is going to be a unique challenge,” Pelini said. “They are a good football team. They were right there with Texas until the very end. That speaks for itself.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Brandon Carter's teammates missed him last week.

The Texas Tech offensive line wasn't the same without the 6-foot-7, 344-pound Carter to play his prominent role at guard after he was indefinitely suspended following the Red Raiders' loss at Houston two weeks ago.

The season-high five sacks the Red Raiders allowed against New Mexico, including one that knocked quarterback Taylor Potts out of the game, were a testament to Carter's importance on the team.

Carter has switched between left and right guard all season. He started his last three games at right guard next to tackle Marlon Winn, who said he's relieved that Carter will be back for the Red Raiders' lineup Saturday against Kansas State.

“I missed him more than anybody else ‘cause I’m used to playing next to him,” Winn said during Tech’s weekly news conference Monday. “I’ve played next to him for two years straight. It was a little different working out chemistry with (Tech guard Chris) Olson next to me. But we’re glad to have him back this week, and we’re just excited to get back to what we were doing.”

Carter painted his face and wore his typical spiked, multi-colored Mohawk hairstyle while he sat with other classmates in the stands last week. And for good measure, he dusted off a new nose ring especially for the occasion, along with face paint to reflect tears streaming out of his eyes.

The preseason All-American selection returned to practice on Sunday night and has been working his teammates this week.

Sophomore Mickey Okafor started at right guard against New Mexico. Olson started at left guard.

Tech coach Mike Leach has not included Carter in the Red Raiders' most recent two-deep roster, but is ready for his return.

“I think he is a solid player," Leach said."Brandon has played well here in the past and I am sure he will play well this week.”

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin
Here's a look at how I rank the Big 12 offenses heading into the season.


1. Oklahoma State – The conference’s most balanced offense also features the best rushing/receiving combination in Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant and one of the Big 12's best offensive linemen in Russell Okung. Zac Robinson still has meltdown moments, but he’s gotten much better with experience. The big questions will be finding a No. 2 receiver and a tight end to replace Brandon Pettigrew.


2. Oklahoma: The Sooners have the most productive quarterback in school history in Sam Bradford with the conference’s best backfield combination in Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray and college football’s best tight end in Jermaine Gresham. The offensive line, however, isn’t nearly as good as some from the program's past. The line's development will largely determine if the Sooners can claim four-straight Big 12 titles.


3. Texas: Colt McCoy is back for his fourth season as starter and Jordan Shipley seemingly has been around long enough to collect a pension. That’s a great start. Vondrell McGee has emerged as a steady back who might end up earning the majority of carries running behind a deep offensive line. It will be interesting to see if they can find a tight end who will block consistently enough to keep the team from running multiple wide-receiver sets down the stretch. Developing that bruising running game will be the biggest challenge for the Longhorns.


4. Kansas: Todd Reesing might be the nation’s most underrated quarterback and the development of a tandem backfield in Jake Sharp and Toben Opurum will provide balance to the conference’s best receiving corps. It will be interesting to see how much better Kerry Meier can become by concentrating on offense. He adds with top deep threat Dezmon Briscoe, the underrated Jonathan Wilson and freshman addition Bradley McDougald. The Jayhawks’ title hopes will hinge on better pass blocking, particularly from new left tackle Tanner Hawkinson, a converted high school tight end.


5. Texas Tech: There are more questions with the loss of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, although Mike Leach seems very happy with Taylor Potts and his current group. The Red Raiders might be deeper at wide receiver with a collection of players than when Crabtree commandeered most of the catches. Baron Batch’s recovery from an elbow injury will be critical, but the Red Raiders have a big nasty offensive front keyed by All-Big 12 candidate Brandon Carter and the underrated Marlon Winn.


6. Baylor: Robert Griffin makes these guys go and he should be even more comfortable in his second season as a starter. Jay Finley might be one of the least-appreciated backs in the league and a deep collection of wide receivers will help boost production. The biggest concern will be the play of tackles Danny Watkins and Phillip Blake, who will be replacing decorated former starters Jason Smith and Dan Gay.


7. Missouri: This offense will be different from the attack in the Chase Daniel era. Look for new coordinator David Yost to utilize a strong running game keyed by Derrick Washington, who is finally healthy after being hurt most of the second half of 2008. New quarterback Blaine Gabbert obviously doesn’t have the experience in the Tigers’ offense as Daniel, but he might have a better deep arm which will give Yost more chances to attack with long passes. It’s a typically deep collection of receivers with Danario Alexander poised for a breakout season if he can stay healthy.


8. Colorado: Other than the fact that Dan Hawkins can’t decide on a starting quarterback, this unit might be a little underrated and ready to blossom. I really like their collection of running backs with Darrell Scott poised to fulfill his recruiting promise. Rodney Stewart and Demetrius Sumler add different running styles behind a nice line keyed by Ryan Miller, Nate Solder and Mike Iltis. The passing game might sputter early as Markques Simas misses the first two games and Andre Simmons plays his way into the rotation after missing most of fall practice. But it might be surprisingly productive by the time conference play rolls around.


9. Nebraska: Lack of an experienced quarterback and tested running backs behind Roy Helu Jr. cause them to drop a little after Quentin Castille’s dismissal. I’m hearing the Cornhuskers will feature more deep passing with Zac Lee, which might allow receivers Menelik Holt and Niles Paul a chance to go deep. The best part of their offense is their five-headed monster at tight end keyed by Mike McNeill and Dreu Young. Ricky Henry’s emergence at right guard has enabled Jacob Hickman to stay at center where he’ll anchor a developing line.


10. Texas A&M: Jerrod Johnson won the starting quarterback job this summer, but I was surprised that Ryan Tannehill will remain behind him as a backup rather than a wide receiver where he was the team’s leading receiver this season. Jeff Fuller might be one of the Big 12’s most underrated wide receivers and Jamie McCoy is a productive, pass-catching tight end. A bigger, stronger Cyrus Gray will get the start at tailback, although heralded freshman Christine Michael will push him for playing time. The biggest question remains an offensive line that struggled with injuries and produced only 89 yards rushing and 39 sacks. If they are healthy, they might be a surprise after last year’s consistent struggles.


11. Iowa State: New coordinator Tom Herman will attempt to retrofit his no-huddle attack that was so successful at Rice for the Cyclones. He has a tough, savvy quarterback in Austen Arnaud and a multi-talented running back in Alexander Robinson. Keep an eye out for Darius Reynolds who has emerged as the team’s slot receiver as Darius Darks overcomes a training-camp injury. The largest offensive line in FBS will be protecting Arnaud, but needs to do a better job of dominating at the point of attack.


12. Kansas State: Carson Coffman and Daniel Thomas were named as starters today by Bill Snyder. Coffman was effective at times last season as Josh Freeman’s backup, but remains a question mark as he takes over the starting job. The position changes of Lamark Brown and Logan Dold opened up the running back job in training camp and the 227-pound Thomas took advantage. Brandon Banks is a strong player who belies his size as a receiver and kick returner. The offensive line remains a question after a season-ending injury to Brock Unruh leaves only Nick Stringer and a cast of unknowns to share playing time.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

IRVING, Texas -- The most interesting appearance of Big 12 media days came from Texas Tech offensive lineman Brandon Carter, who enlivened the festivities by showing off a brand new tattoo on the shaved left side of his head.

	L. Scott Mann/Icon SMI
	Brandon Carter returns as one of Texas Tech's most valued leaders.

Playing off his greenish-tinted Mohawk, the newest of Carter's seven tattoos featured an angry looking skull sitting atop an intricate spider web.

Carter said the tattoo was developed from a sketch he took to a tattoo artist earlier this week.

His menacing look and numerous tattoos on both arms and his head have helped make the 6-foot-7, 354-pound senior one of the most noticeable players in the Big 12.

"Opposing fans throw batteries," Carter said. "It's kind of fun."

Tech coach Mike Leach said that Carter's unconventional look belies his true nature as one of the Red Raiders' most valuable leaders.

"He's got the highest test score on our team and he's a ridiculously articulate person," Leach said. "I remember he hadn't had German or anything and he had the class, so he was taking something like German II because it fit his schedule better. And then, of course, he did real well."

Carter will be one of the key players as the Red Raiders try to rebuild from last season's 11-2 team that shared the Big 12 South title with Texas and Oklahoma.

He'll be one of two returning starters along with tackle Marlon Winn. The Red Raiders gain a lot of their energy from Carter, Leach said.

"He's a real intense guy before the game," Leach said. "He's one of those guys that wishes we were playing a doubleheader instead of one game. Brandon plays really intense. And he's disappointed the game's over. You're talking about just a huge, gigantic person ambling around, diving at stuff, hitting stuff, wrecking stuff and then looks up at the clock and he's upset that it's over."

Carter said that the tattoos are occasionally painful, but he's willing to go to great lengths to get the right look.

"I like the one on my back," Carter said. "It took me eight months to get it. I had to be dedicated to that. But once you get a tattoo over your spinal cord, you don't ever want to get a tattoo again. It's brutal, but I got through with it."

More tattoos are likely in his future and Carter even suggests that Leach consider getting a tattoo or a body piercing.

"I think he should get a septum pierce in the nose or maybe get a cheek pierce," Carter said. "It would really help his look."

But Leach didn't sound ready.

"It's really not my cup of tea," Leach said. "He asked me if I want to get one. But as I've pointed out, it looks very good on him."

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

After unprecedented success last season, Mike Leach will be facing the biggest rebuilding job of his coaching tenure at Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders notched a share of their first South Division title and posted an 11-2 record that tied for the school's single-season record for victories. But Leach will be facing the challenge of replacing many of the key components from that team.

The Red Raiders lose seven starters from the offense, including record-breaking quarterback Graham Harrell and two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree.

The Red Raiders also lose the left side of their starting offensive line -- All-Big 12 tackle Rylan Reed and three-year starting guard Louis Vasquez -- along with underrated center Stephen Hamby and starting running back Shannon Woods. Senior starting guard Brandon Carter and starting tackle Marlon Winn both will be seniors next season, emphasizing the need for immediate help inside from this recruiting class.

Junior Taylor Potts is penciled in as Harrell's replacement at quarterback. Baron Batch should be Tech's next running threat and the Red Raiders have a slew of receivers who should be able to replace Crabtree's production -- at least in quantity.

But the Red Raiders' biggest aim will be an improvement of the defense's production. The unit appeared to wear down late in the season in disappointing performances against Oklahoma and Mississippi,  games in which the Red Raiders were torched for an average of 56 points and 570 total yards per game.

And the departure of defensive end Brandon Williams, who led the Big 12 in sacks last season before declaring for the NFL draft, along with starting defensive end Jake Ratliff will definitely weaken the Red Raiders' pass rush.

Immediate help also will be needed at safety. The Red Raiders lose all four safeties from their two-deep roster, including starters Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet. Both McBath and Charbonnet ranked among the top 20 nationally in interceptions, providing some playmaking for a secondary that ranked 94th nationally in pass defense.

It will be interesting to see if Leach can capitalize on the success of his memorable 2008 season. But matching that season will be an immediate challenge for this recruiting class because of all the talent leaving the program.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

One of the biggest strengths of Texas Tech's 7-0 start has been its offensive line. The Red Raiders have allowed only one sack in 343 pass attempts. Tech is tied with Air Force for the fewest sacks allowed this season, even more remarkable considering the Red Raiders have thrown the ball 272 more times than the Falcons this season.  

But even neater than that statistic is how each member of the line has earned a nickname from his teammates in the trenches.

Here's a look at them, according to an interview on Lubbock television station KAMC with tackle Rylan Reed.

• Tackle Marlon Winn: Fat Albert, like the old-school cartoon character 
• Guard Brandon Carter: Mankind, like the wrestler.
• Center Shawn Byrnes: Kool-Aid, like the refreshing drink's symbol
• Center Stephen Hamby: Mr. Incredible, like the cartoon character
• Guard Louis Vasquez: Super Hero Indian
• Reed: The Incredible Hulk

That unique cast of characters will have to step up in order to help the Red Raiders win their next game Saturday at Kansas, keeping alive their hopes for a first Big 12 South title.