Red Raiders build a power with firepower

By: MARC FIGUEROA - Staff Writer | Wednesday, December 29, 2004 11:31 PM PST ∞

College football coaches are sometimes like mad scientists. In constant pursuit of a full-proof formula, they will try just about anything to perfect it.

Call him crazy, but it appears coach Mike Leach has built the perfect beast at Texas Tech. And it's an offensive one that includes every ingredient except the kitchen sink.

"It's sort of been borrowed and stolen from everybody," he said.

When the 23rd-ranked Red Raiders and their all-out aerial attack step onto the field at Qualcomm Stadium Thursday to face fourth-ranked Cal in the Holiday Bowl, be prepared to see a little bit of everything ---- a little West Coast offense, maybe a form of the run-and-shoot with some screen plays thrown in, a la the University of Houston. You may even see something that a high school team in Georgia runs.

For Texas Tech, everything is fair game.

"Every once in a while, you turn on a high school game and say, 'Gee, that seems pretty good, let's try that,' " Leach said. "I saw Valdosta High School while I was at Valdosta State University. Valdosta throws it eight times a game, but they have this play-action play that is probably three of their eight throws a game. It just looked good, and we tried it out, and it was really a heck of a play for us. You never know where you'll find something.

"I tried to get plays that complement each other, and that you can attack the whole field with. It's not too complicated."

Opposing defenses think otherwise.

The Red Raiders (7-4) possess the sixth-most productive offense in the nation, averaging 35.4 points. They have scored 70 points twice this season and more than 30 points six times.

Leach, who also serves as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has turned the Red Raiders into an offensive dynamo since his arrival in Lubbock in 2000.

They have scored 30 or more points in 36 games in the Leach era and have won 30 of them. The Red Raiders are 11-3 under Leach when they score more than 40.

How important is offense to this team? Consider that Tech is just 8-18 when scoring 29 points or less.

Under Leach, it all starts at the quarterback spot. He coached Tim Couch at Kentucky and Josh Heupel at Oklahoma. He turned Kliff Kingsbury into a Heisman Trophy candidate two years ago, and last year's pupil, B.J. Symons, set an NCAA single-season record with 5,833 passing yards.

It's more of the same this season as Tech quarterback Sonny Cumbie is leading the most prolific passing offense in the country. Cumbie's 4,222 yards is tops in the country.

Averaging a whopping 388.7 yards passing, that kind of production gets everyone involved.

"Being a wide receiver, you couldn't ask for anything more," said Cody Fuller, a productive fourth-option receiver with 41 catches and 473 receiving yards. "The ball gets spread around, so every time you hit the field, you know something is coming your way. Everyone gets involved and all that makes it click."

There's no doubting the ability of this bunch, but come Thursday, the Red Raiders are aware that there will be two offensive juggernauts on the field.

Cal, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tailback J.J. Arrington, actually produces more points per game (37.3) than the Red Raiders. Six times this season the Golden Bears (10-1) have cracked the 40-point barrier.

They also have a formidable defense that held eight opponents to less than 20 points this season with two shutouts.

"We just have to execute our type of football," Fuller said. "We know they're going to move the ball, we just have to answer."

Contact staff writer Marc Figueroa at marcfig@aol.com.