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2012 record: 8-5
2012 Big 12 record: 4-5
Returning starters: Offense: 5; defense: 8; kicker/punter: 2

Top returners: WR Eric Ward, RB Kenny Williams, TE Jace Amaro, DE Kerry Hyder, DE Branden Jackson, LB Will Smith, CB Tre Porter, DE Dartwan Bush

Key losses: QB Seth Doege, S Cody Davis, S D.J. Johnson, WR Darrin Moore, OL La'Adrian Waddle, RB Eric Stephens

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Passing: Seth Doege (4,205 yards)
Rushing: Kenny Williams* (824 yards)
Receiving: Eric Ward* (1,053 yards)
Tackles: Cody Davis (101)
Sacks: Dartwan Bush*, Kerry Hyder* (5.5)
Interceptions: Cody Davis (3)

Spring answers

1. Springing to safety. Replacing Johnson and Davis at safety was a huge concern since that kind of experience and talent isn't easy to find. But J.J. Gaines and Tre Porter, had a strong spring and that position looks to be in good hands. There may be some trouble with inexperience, but defensive coordinator Matt Wallerstedt has to feel pretty good about the group.

2. More depth at quarterback. I don't buy that there's competition between Michael Brewer and Davis Webb. Brewer was consistently praised all spring, and coach Kliff Kingsbury remarked at how quickly he picked up the schemes and how well he kept the up-tempo pace. Webb, a true freshman, adds comfort as a backup, but this is Brewer's job.

3. A spring miracle in Lubbock. Injuries have just been a constant for the last few years. Every spring and fall, it's been surgery after surgery, injury after injury. Not this year. Apparently the Red Raiders' practice fields are not, in fact, cursed. Getting through the spring without any serious losses is a huge deal considering the school's recent bad luck.

Fall questions

1. Can they weather the storm? I've written about this in the past, but I'm curious to see how the young coaching staff handles the inevitable crises and issues that will come with a season of college football. Kingsbury's a first-time head coach in a big job and stocked Tech's staff with a ton of Red Raider alums. It's an interesting approach, but adjusting on the go in a season full of learning experiences will be interesting to watch.

2. Is there an identity crisis? Tech will air it out plenty, but the full identity on both sides of the ball is still forming and Kingsbury is still getting to know his team. The defense will play some three and four-man fronts and has a lot of strength on the defensive line, but both sides of the ball will adjust on the go to what works and what doesn't next season. Both sides could look different in December than it does in August.

3. Where will the running game factor in? Tech has a ton of strength at running back in Kenny Williams and SaDale Foster, along with DeAndre Washington and Quinton White adding some additional depth. The big question for any post-Mike Leach coach in Lubbock is how much they plan to run the ball. Kingsbury will throw it plenty, but can Tech break its streak of well over a decade without a 1,000-yard rusher? And how much will Brewer be asked/allowed to run? He's no Johnny Football, but he's got wheels and can keep Big 12 defenses on their toes.

Texas Tech played the first spring game of the Kliff Kingsbury era on Saturday. Here's a closer look:

What happened:

• Michael Brewer completed 26-of-43 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Davis Webb completed 17-of-30 passes for 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Brewer took two sacks but had 15 yards rushing on five carries.
• Kenny Williams and Quinton White rushed a combined 30 times for 130 yards.
• Jace Amaro led all receivers with 11 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown.
• The defense topped the offense, 34-28.
• For all you recruitniks out there, hyped receiver K.D. Cannon was in attendance, and called the experience "outstanding. He's the nation's No. 58 player and No. 5 receiver.

What we learned:

• It's still Brewer's job to lose. Kingsbury has been slowplaying who his starting quarterback will be in the fall, but the long-held assumption by most is that Brewer would easily win the job on a roster with not much competition. Davis Webb has made things interesting, but Brewer's performance on Saturday -- just the third open practice of the entire spring -- made it look like it's hard to believe he won't be the guy come fall. Kingsbury, though, says the competition is "close." "It’s good competition and I think that’s good for everybody,” Kingsbury told reporters. “We’ll go through the summer, go into fall camp and get a starter named." I do think it's closer than most people realized, but I don't buy the prospect of Brewer legitimately not winning this job just yet. It might be "close," but there's a clear frontrunner. Webb did have a huge play on an 83-yard score to Dereck Edwards, but also threw an ugly interception after being flushed from the pocket.
• The defensive progress looked like it's continuing. I expect Texas Tech's offense to still be stellar next fall, but the defense opened up a 23-0 lead early on. That's got to be encouraging, even though it's still just one practice. There's a lot of firepower on Tech's offense, but this is the same team who was -13 in turnover margin last season, the worst mark of any Big 12 team in the last three years. The defense forced three turnovers on Saturday, and Kingsbury's been continually encouraged. It did all of that despite playing a pretty vanilla defense. "We addressed that going into this game," DC Matt Wallerstedt told reporters. "We just wanted to see guys run and hit, play your assignment, be aggressive, play with emotion and take the football away. I think we accomplished those things." Will Smith led the defense with 10 tackles and Branden Jackson made three tackles for loss, with a sack. Pete Robertson also had six tackles and a sack.
• The receivers are who we thought they were. Eric Ward sat out for good reason (he's got nothing to prove), but Amaro showed up big and Tech got some nice showings from unheralded receivers like Brent Mitcham (8 rec. 98 yards, TD) and Brad Pearson (six rec, 60 yards), while Jakeem Grant had a somewhat quiet day. He hauled in a short touchdown pass and a 22-yard grab.
• Tech is serious about The King. Only about 16,000 fans showed up on Saturday, but no autograph line in the Red Raiders' postgame meet-and-greet was longer than Kingsbury's. You don't have to look long for more evidence that he's got the people's vote in Lubbock these days. That was just another reminder.

Every year, we rank the top 10 players at positions across the Big 12 before the season and after. We kicked off our list with the quarterbacks on Tuesday. Today, we'll try to tackle the running backs.

This list is based only on what players did in the 2012 season, and you had to be a full-time running back to make the list. (That means no Tavon Austin, 'Eers. Sorry.)

1. Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State: Randle carried the torch as the Big 12's biggest standout all season long at running back. He was mostly consistent and led the Big 12 in rushing by more than 300 yards, racking up 1,417 yards and 14 touchdowns on 274 carries. Strong season from an experienced player who's leaving early for the NFL.

2. Lache Seastrunk, Baylor: Seastrunk wouldn't have even made this list heading into November, when he had just 181 rushing yards and was a non-factor in Baylor's offense. Then he sprinted ahead and near the top of this list by averaging more than 138 yards a game over the final six games of 2012. He ended the season as the Big 12's hottest player and helped Baylor finish the year 5-1 with the lone loss coming on the road against co-Big 12 champion Oklahoma. He says he's going to win the Heisman in 2013. We'll see.

3. James Sims, Kansas: Sims made a case for himself midseason as the Big 12's best back, racking up six consecutive 100-yard games and looking unstoppable, despite KU's passing game providing no balance for opposing defenses to respect. He's a physical runner who ascended near the top of this list despite missing the first three games of the season. He carried 218 times for 1,013 yards and led the Big 12 in rushing yards per game.

4. John Hubert, Kansas State: Hubert is criminally underrated because his partner in crime in the backfield, Collin Klein, attracts so much attention. He's got a low center of gravity at 5-foot-7 and 191 pounds, and is deceptively hard to bring down, despite his small stature. He's had nearly identical seasons the past two years, coming up just short of 1,000 yards in both seasons.

5. Damien Williams, Oklahoma: Williams broke out in a big way with a 65-yard touchdown run in the opener, and busted a 95-yard run against rival Texas. The juco transfer has a great balance of power and speed and provided a home-run threat that Oklahoma lacked after DeMarco Murray left. He finished with 946 yards and 11 scores on just 176 carries.

6. Tony Pierson, Kansas: Pierson proved himself early in the year when Sims sat, racking up a pair of 120-yard games. He's perhaps most valuable for KU in the passing game, though. His 760 yards came on just 116 carries, an average of 6.5 yards a touch. Only Seastrunk was higher among running backs with 75 carries. Pierson also caught 21 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns, which is no small number in KU's offense. KU's leading receiver, Kale Pick, had zero touchdown catches and just five more receptions and 99 more yards than Pierson.

7. Glasco Martin, Baylor: Martin is the thunder to Seastrunk's lightning in the Bears' backfield. He's fantastic at getting tough yards when they're needed and provides a lot of power to Baylor's offense. His 15 touchdowns were tied for third in the Big 12, and he added 889 rushing yards on 179 carries.

8. Johnathan Gray, Texas: Gray's got as much potential as anyone on this list, and looked good when injuries forced him into full-time duty. The true freshman didn't quite look like a gamebreaker, but there's lots of time left in his career to prove himself. He became the second true freshman to lead Texas in rushing in two seasons, with 701 yards on 149 carries.

9. Kenny Williams, Texas Tech: Williams emerged as the best back in a crowded Red Raiders backfield. He runs against a lot of soft fronts because of Tech's wide-open offense, but Williams is tough to bring down and rumbled for 824 yards on 143 carries, scoring five times.

10. Andrew Buie, West Virginia: Buie will be remembered a long time for his legendary 207-yard performance in a win over Texas. He had just one other 100-yard game that season, but there's no denying his overall production. His 850 yards on 181 carries were eighth in the Big 12.

Honorable mention: Joe Bergeron, Texas; Brennan Clay, Oklahoma

We're grading each Big 12 team's season right now, and we'll move on to the next team on the list: The Texas Tech Red Raiders.

OFFENSE: Texas Tech's offense goes as its quarterback goes. Seth Doege filled up the stat sheet this season, but his 16 interceptions were the most in the Big 12. The team raced out to a 6-1 start and 3-1 in Big 12 play, but the offense's inconsistency held the team back during its late-season slide. In three of their four losses to end the season, the Red Raiders failed to score more than 24 points. That's not good enough to win a ton of Big 12 games, and Texas Tech didn't. The offense rebounded and played well in the win over Kansas, but the defense's issues made it a dramatic overtime win. Eric Ward and Darrin Moore became the Red Raiders' first 1,000-yard receivers since 2008, and the Red Raiders' trio of backs combined for more than 1,700 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. That's pretty solid. The inconsistency and struggles late in the season make it hard to give this unit a great grade, but looking at the season as a whole, the Red Raiders still finished 14th nationally in yards per play and Doege's 39 touchdown passes were second nationally. The Red Raiders ranked just fifth in the Big 12 in total offense, which means that rank of 13th nationally looks a little different on a conference scale. GRADE: C

DEFENSE: This unit was the story of the Big 12 over the first half of the season. It led the nation in total defense for a time during the first half of the season after playing offensive juggernauts like Texas State, Northwestern State and New Mexico. The brunt of Big 12 play predictably brought the Red Raiders back down to earth. Nonconference schedule criticisms aside, there's no denying that this unit was much better. It was exposed in some spots in most of its losses, and didn't force a turnover from Oct. 20 until the final possession of the bowl win over Minnesota, a span of nearly six games. It's tough to win in the Big 12 when you do that, but you still have to give these guys credit for jumping from 114th in total defense a year ago to 38th this season. Kerry Hyder and Cody Davis had solid years, but besides that duo, there was little to write home about in regards to the personnel for this defense. GRADE: B-

OVERALL: The Red Raiders were aggressively average this season. They had Big 12 title hopes after romping against West Virginia in Lubbock and edging TCU in overtime, but K-State's 31-point win in Manhattan ended those pretty quickly. The late-season slide put a bad taste in the Red Raiders' mouths, but a bowl win helped. The pain over losing Tommy Tuberville was quickly healed by bringing home a program legend in Kliff Kingsbury. Last year's team got back to the postseason and didn't have to deal with an avalanche of injuries for once. We saw this was a better team, even if it was far from a great one. GRADE: C

More Big 12 report cards:

• Baylor
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma State
• Texas
• TCU

Let's take a look at three keys for tonight's Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

1. Grab a turnover or two. Texas Tech's defense has to be very, very frustrated by now. The last time the Red Raiders forced a turnover was all the way back on Oct. 20. Since then, the Red Raiders are 1-4 with the only win coming at home in overtime against 1-11 Kansas. That stretch has sent Tech to minus-12 in turnover margin, which is seven takeaways below any team in the Big 12 and tied for 110th nationally. If Texas Tech can't crack the streak and force a turnover, this one will turn into a game quickly.

2. Force the tempo. It might be a little odd for Texas Tech without offensive coordinator Neal Brown in charge of things. Offensive line coach Chris Thomsen has taken over as interim coach and receivers coach Sonny Cumbie is stepping up to call the plays. There aren't a lot of teams in the Big Ten who run with the tempo that Texas Tech wants, but Cumbie's got to be quick on the trigger and keep the Tech offense rolling. Schematically, Minnesota can slow down the Red Raiders, but going with a lightning pace in Brown's absence will give the Golden Gophers problems.

3. Don't forget about Kenny Williams and Eric Stephens. Texas Tech didn't win the game, but its 208 rushing yards against Baylor was nearly enough to knock off the Bears and helped Tech put 45 points on the board. Minnesota ranks 77th nationally in rush defense, and though Tech loves to throw it around the yard, some balance would no doubt help the Red Raiders. Against Kansas and Oklahoma State, Tech averaged fewer than three yards a carry, but the team posted nearly seven yards a touch against Baylor. Williams, Stephens and SaDale Foster all average nearly five yards a touch and combined for more than 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cumbie's not a very experienced playcaller, but he's got to keep those guys active, too.

Time to look back on the week that was in the Big 12 on Saturday.

Best offensive performance: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State. Klein dominated in the Wildcats' 52-13 win over Miami, showcasing an improved arm and the same toughness that made him a franchise player for K-State a year ago. He finished with three rushing touchdowns and 71 yards on 22 carries, while completing 9 of 11 passes for 201 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Honorable mention: Tracy Moore, WR, Oklahoma State, Damien Williams, RB, Oklahoma

Best defensive performance: Adam Davis, DE, Kansas State. Davis was a wrecking ball on the defensive line for K-State, the game's most consistently disruptive force. He finished with just four tackles, but he had two sacks and forced two fumbles, one of which was scooped up by Arthur Brown. Honorable mention: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State

Best performance by a freshman: Devonte Fields, DE, TCU. The Horned Frogs' hyped defensive end was all over the place against Grambling, making five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss for a total of 10 yards lost. Heck of a debut for the most touted member of TCU's 2012 recruiting class.

Best play: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State. Knott clinched the Cy-Hawk Trophy for Iowa State by tipping a James Vandenberg pass to himself for a game-ending interception, cutting off a promising Iowa drive in the final minute of the Cyclones' 9-6 win over the Hawkeyes. Honorable mention: Cody Davis, S, Texas Tech; Kenny Williams, RB, Texas Tech

Worst play: Kansas State's ... something. It was half jump pass, half behind the back Statue of Liberty ... or something. Bill Snyder called a timeout and the Wildcats ran the trick play at the goal line. However, Klein's behind the back pass to Chris Harper ended up going for a 19-yard loss and the Wildcats missed a field goal on the next play.

Second-worst play: Calvin Barnett, DT, Oklahoma State. It's been a long time since I've heard of a player getting two personal fouls on the same play, but Barnett pulled it off in the first quarter, getting flagged for two personal fouls to take care of 30 yards for Arizona on a 75-yard touchdown drive. He was flagged for roughing the passer and again for unnecessary roughness, and finished with 45 penalty yards, 18 more than Arizona's entire team. Oklahoma State finished with a school-record 167 penalty yards on 15 flags. Dishonorable mention: Dayne Crist's fourth-quarter interception to set up Rice's game-winning field goal.

Best team performance: Kansas State. We saw a complete game for 60 minutes and complete domination from the Wildcats. K-State sent a pretty decent statement with one of the best all-around games we've seen all season from anybody in the league, routing Miami 52-13, and outmuscling a pretty athletic Hurricanes squad.

Worst team performance: Oklahoma State. The Jayhawks gave OSU a run for its money in this one, but when you add up the aforementioned penalties, four turnovers and zero forced turnovers and the fact they came against a middling Arizona squad, the 21-point game was a pretty jarring wake-up call. Yes, it was the first time on the road for a young passing game, but OSU has a lot of experience elsewhere. This year won't be an easy one for Oklahoma State, but making Wes Lunt throw the ball 60 times a night isn't the answer. Dishonorable mention: Kansas.

Worst quarter: Oklahoma State's fourth quarter. The Cowboys were still in it after a Quinn Sharp field goal cut Arizona's lead to 37-31 entering the quarter. However, turnovers and an inability to stop the run turned it into a borderline embarrassing loss. The Cowboys were outscored 22-7 in the quarter and left the desert as losers in their first major test. Rough way to close the outing. Dishonorable mention: Kansas' fourth quarter, when the Jayhawks entered with an eight-point lead and lost.

Best quarter: TCU's first quarter. The Frogs scored on the very first time they touched the ball in the rebuilt Amon G. Carter Stadium. Not bad, eh? Deante' Gray scooted 70 yards to return a punt for a score, and by the end of the first quarter, the Frogs led 28-0, with a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown, a special-teams score and a defensive score on a 28-yard Elisha Olabode interception return. That'll work.

Oddest performance: Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas. Brown's not exactly a bell cow, but he's the featured runner for the Longhorns. Mack Brown said Malcolm Brown was healthy, but the sophomore and Longhorns leading rusher a season ago carried the ball just two times for 5 yards on Saturday. Three other players, including QB David Ash and freshman RB Johnathan Gray, had more plays called for them. What's up there?

Fun weekend of games across the league. This is heavily influenced by how each team plays the previous week, so when there's a logjam of teams, you'll see a ton of movement. Teams 1-2 are super close, and teams 3-6 are nearly interchangeable. Don't get too bent out of shape this early. The body of work is tiny, and can look markedly different this time next week.

Here's how I sort out the league after Week 1:

1. West Virginia (1-0, last week: 2) The Mountaineers were the league's most impressive team in Week 1, and grab the No. 1 spot ahead of Oklahoma after the Sooners' near disaster in Week 1. You heard plenty about West Virginia's offense Saturday. Everybody on that unit, from the QBs to receivers, backs and O-line, validated it. Just have to do it every week. If that happens, this squad's winning the Big 12 title -- and maybe more.

2. Oklahoma (1-0, last week: 1) Be very concerned, Sooners fans, but don't come anywhere close to writing this team off. The offense was awful, but the defense was strong. For now, chemistry on offense can be a legitimate excuse, with room to grow. Landry Jones entered the night with one receiver who had ever caught a ball from him in a game, and the offensive line was still trying to replace a pair of three-year starters.

3. Kansas State (1-0, last week: 3) The Wildcats started slow, but where the heck did that 35-point fourth quarter come from? A pretty good performance from Collin Klein, but it seems clear that Bill Snyder is trying to limit the punishment Optimus Klein takes when he doesn't need to take it. He had 12 carries Saturday night. He got 25 carries in the opener last year, and 13 in a rout over Kansas. Twelve was a new low for him as a starting QB.

4. Oklahoma State (1-0, last week: 6) Don't overreact to this one, folks. The one encouraging thing you can take from Saturday? Even though his receivers were constantly wide open, Wes Lunt looked really good, connecting with Isaiah Anderson on a deep ball downfield for his biggest highlight of the night. Who figured OSU would win a game by 84 points and its starting QB wouldn't throw a TD, though?

5. Texas (1-0, last week: 4) The Longhorns started slow, and were one of just three teams to trail on Saturday, along with Iowa State and Oklahoma. Still, this won't be the first time Texas grinds out a win, or the last time it notches two 100-yard rushers.

6. Baylor (1-0, last week: 7) The Bears didn't look much different with Nick Florence at the helm, but the Big 12's no joke. The defense looks much improved, but tougher tests await than a Garrett Gilbert still trying to get his sea legs in a new offense. I was impressed, and the upside with this group is high, but the battle among this league's top eight teams is going to be brutal. Somebody's got to be really disappointed eventually. The Bears know how to win tight games, though. That helps.

7. TCU (0-0, last week: 5) The Frogs held a fan appreciation day on Saturday, but get to christen the sparkling new Amon G. Carter Stadium, fresh off a $164 million upgrade, against Grambling State next week. The place looks nothing like the old stadium. No shame in dropping two spots. Baylor and Oklahoma State played well enough to hop over the Frogs.

8. Texas Tech (1-0, last week: 8) Good day from Tech with the 44-6 win over FCS Northwestern State. It needed to experience a win pretty badly. The Red Raiders ended their five-game losing streak, but this set of backs is sneaky underrated. Eric Stephens, SaDale Foster and Kenny Williams will be fun to watch. Is there a budding star in Lubbock in TE Jace Amaro, too?

9. Iowa State (1-0, last week: 9) The Cyclones' flaws were on display early with some offensive troubles and a defense getting picked apart by a passer not as skilled as what ISU will normally see in Big 12 play. Its strengths were on display late, though. This team is underrated along the offensive line, and Shontrelle Johnson teams up with James White to make a really good backfield. Good win. Not enough to leapfrog Texas Tech.

10. Kansas (1-0, last week 10) KU looked a little shaky at times, and Dayne Crist's stat line (17-36, 169 yards, TD, INT) won't wow anybody. Still, his level of skill at the position is obvious, and an upgrade over what KU's used to seeing these past few years. Still some work to do defensively, though. Can't get away with giving up 99-yard rushing touchdowns in the Big 12.

2011 overall record: 5-7
2011 conference record: 2-7
Returning starters: Offense (9), Defense (10), P/K (1)

Top returners: QB Seth Doege, S Cody Davis, WR Alex Torres, S D.J. Johnson, S Terrance Bullitt, RB Eric Stephens, WR Eric Ward, WR Darrin Moore

Key losses: DE Scott Smith, TE Adam James, DB Brett Dewhurst

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Eric Stephens* (565 yards)
Passing: Seth Doege* (4,004 yards)
Receiving: Eric Ward* (800 yards)
Tackles: Cody Davis* (93)
Sacks: Scott Smith (5.5)
Interceptions: D.J. Johnson* (2)

Three spring answers

1. An answer in the middle: When you recruit junior college talent, you never quite know what you're going to get. That was a good thing for Texas Tech this spring, which found a starting middle linebacker in Will Smith. He's already the team's best at the position, according to coach Tommy Tuberville. They found him while recruiting running back SaDale Foster in California, but Tech found a hidden gem that made a huge impact.

2. Depth developing at running back: Texas Tech was thin at running back during the spring with DeAndre Washington and Eric Stephens sidelined by knee injuries. Stephens' return in 2012 isn't guaranteed, but the spring gave Tech a nice chance to see what it had at running back. Newcomer SaDale Foster played well, as did Kenny Williams. The position's in good shape, even though Ronnie Daniels transferred.

3. Familiar unfamiliarity on defense: Art Kaufman arrived in Lubbock this spring to install his 4-3 defense, which on its own wouldn't be all that notable. What makes it notable? He's the fourth defensive coordinator in four years at Texas Tech. The biggest task in front of him is building depth and developing his linebackers, who were among the Big 12's worst in 2011, ranking dead last nationally in rush defense.

Three fall questions

1. Will Eric Stephens be back in time? Stephens' dislocated knee against Texas A&M looked ugly, but the impact was even bigger than anyone could have imagined. Stephens had tons of experience, and was not only the team's best runner, but was the best pass-blocking back (a huge deal in Tech's offense) and pass-catching back. Tech is hopeful he'll be back by the beginning of the season, but he'll be limited in fall camp.

2. Who's the top receiver? Is Eric Ward the most talented receiver on the team? I'd vote more for Alex Torres and Darrin Moore. Still, you can't deny Ward's production in Torres' and Moore's absence with injuries in 2011. They'll be in a derby this fall to catch passes from Doege, and look out for guys like Tyson Williams and Marcus Kennard, too. Hyped freshmen Dominique Wheeler and Reginald Davis are on the way, too.

3. Can Texas Tech stay healthy? Nothing's hurt Tech more the past two seasons than injury. They've been everywhere on defense, and last year, the team's top two receivers and running backs both suffered big injuries. There hasn't been a clear reason Tech seems to have been snake bitten so badly, but the injuries exposed the lack of depth in 2011. Reasons aside, Tech has to stay healthy to get back into a bowl after ending a nearly two-decade streak of winning seasons with the 5-7 campaign in 2011.

Got a chance to catch up with Red Raiders coach Tommy Tuberville this week, and if you missed it earlier this week, here's a look at a couple stories from that conversation:

• Lessons learned in Tech's forgettable flop
• Juco duo fills needed roles for Red Raiders

He had plenty more to say, though.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Eric GayTexas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville came away encouraged with spring practice despite having to deal with numerous injuries.
• Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are the Big 12's only teams without indoor facilities, so Tuberville readily admits the Red Raiders roll the dice every year with weather when they start spring. This year, Tech began practice on Feb. 17, before any other Big 12 team. They only missed two practices, and made up the time before last Saturday's spring game. Tech is already finished with spring practice, but Kansas State hasn't even started.
• You know football teams have 22 starters, right? Texas Tech was missing six to seven starters this spring from injuries suffered during the season. Nobody got beat up last year like Tech did. Mizzou was a distant second. Oklahoma had big-impact injuries (Ryan Broyles, Dominique Whaley), but had nowhere near the volume Tech did.
• Texas Tech has hauled in top 25 recruiting classes in each of the past two years, two of the best in school history. But for the players even in the 2011 class, it's easy to forget most are entering their first spring. Tuberville thought this spring was really valuable for guys like DL Delvon Simmons, LB Branden Jackson, DE Kindred Evans, QB Michael Brewer, RB Kenny Williams and OL Le’Raven Clark. "They didn’t know what to expect but that’s where you can get better. That’s where you work on a lot of fundamental techniques, so that was the main objective, trying to bring up the level of the young guys on the team," Tuberville said. "Some ended up playing, but we didn’t have a lot of time to spend with them on fundamentals because of game planning in the fall."
• Tuberville loved what he saw from juco transfer Rashad Fortenberry out of Mississippi. "He’s going to be a real solid left tackle behind LaAdrian Waddle, and that was a big concern with him coming out of junior college," Tuberville said. "He had a very good spring, but I think we really readied ourselves there in terms of depth on the offensive line."
• Looking for leadership? Tuberville feels like he identified it during the last 15 practices. Defensively, S Terrance Bullitt, S D.J. Johnson, S Cody Davis and DE Kerry Hyder emerged this spring. For the offense, Tuberville saw leadership out of offensive linemen Waddle and Deveric Gallington.
• There was plenty of hype around Brewer at quarterback this spring, and Tuberville loves what he's seen from the apparent heir to the Red Raider QB throne. "He’s got the ability and the luxury of playing behind [Seth] Doege and learning from him and how he handles himself and how he’s worked through adversity. Seth’s been a very good coach," Tuberville said. "He’s got a lot of room for improvement, but the main thing is his leadership and his knowledge of the offense were much, much better this spring."
• The offense had a rough spring at times, but Tuberville pointed to his reliance on a lot of different players and combinations at receiver and on the offensive line that produced some short-term struggles he hopes are long-term advantages. "We’ve got so many receivers that we’re looking at," Tuberville said. "There wasn’t one day that we had the same guys playing the same position at the same time, so timing was off a little bit, but that’s a luxury for us." Among the receivers who made great strides during the spring: Javon Bell, Tyson Williams and Derek Edwards.
• Art Kaufman is Texas Tech's fourth defensive coordinator in four years, but Tuberville says his scheme isn't much different from the 4-2-5 Texas Tech ran under Chad Glasgow in 2011. "We’re pretty much running our same things, we just changed a little of our philosophy and some of our techniques that we’re playing in the secondary and at linebacker," he said.
• From my estimation, Texas Tech may have the best special teams duo of any squad (outside of do-everything Quinn Sharp at Oklahoma State) in the Big 12 next year. New kicker Ryan Bustin "picked up right where Donnie Carona left off." Tuberville estimates he made 90-95 percent of his kicks in game action this spring. Punter Ryan Erxleben averaged about 48 yards on his eight punts in the spring game, and Tuberville called it some of the best punting he'd ever seen. "I think Ryan has finally bought into the situation that golfers and basketball players and a lot of skill guys finally come to the conclusion of, 'I’ve gotta get stronger.' A lot of kickers and punters don’t believe that," Tuberville said. "They believe in more flexibility, but Ryan’s bought into the fact that he’s got to get his leg stronger and in the last eight or nine months, he’s worked on that, and I’ll tell you, he had a really good spring."
• Tuberville was disappointed in his secondary for good reason in 2011, but likes what the unit showed during the spring, especially after moving receiver Cornelius Douglas to defense and keeping him there. "We’re much better with him and Eugene Neboh and Derrick Mays who, I think, is making a lot of progress. We still don’t have the depth we need at defensive line," Tuberville said. "It’s a work in progress, but we’ve got two more coming in from the high school ranks."