Leach to R-Kansas????

[AverageJoe]

Jim Donnan just said Mike Leach will be the next Arkansas Head Coach more than likely.

Intresting

AJ

[stoops the eternal pimp]

ML in the SEC will be great!

[sooneron]

He won't have to live in a dry town anymore.

[The Maestro]

Wow...his dry personality being forced to do that pig call...this could get real interesting.

I wonder if Mustain wants to transfer back now!

[AverageJoe]

I wonder if Mustain wants to transfer back now!
That would be justice would'nt it.

AJ

[stoops the eternal pimp]

He ll have to play with Dick

[aurorasooner]

Jerry better make sure he's got aTm's signature on that annual JerryDome aTm/Arkansas game before the Arkie's announce Leach as their head coach. That would funny. Leach says adios to the Big 12 and the Aggies still have to play them every year.

[AverageJoe]

He ll have to play with Dick
Don't start that thread again......:)

[Curly Bill]

Leach shaking up the SEC...I like the idea of it. :D

The Pirate Piggies?
The Pig Pirates?

[texas bandman]

Hey, that would be great news. I wouldn't have to listen to anymore ham/eggs to pig/chicken analogies. I wonder how long he spent thinking that one up?

[Civicus_Sooner]

Hey, that would be great news. I wouldn't have to listen to anymore ham/eggs to pig/chicken analogies. I wonder how long he spent thinking that one up?BS, he's the best coach Tech has ever had.

When Leach leaves, tt will be in competition with Baylor for the worst Big XII team.

[LittleWingSooner]

I don't know if they will like Leach at Arkansas. He won't more than 7 or 8 regular season games there.

[The Maestro]

We know Leach has never won the South, but how many times in his 8 years there has he even finished at least tied for 2nd?

His teams are cute and fun, but they don't bring home titles.

[SOONER STEAKER]

I cana't imagine ML with a defense. He could go HOG wild!

[Civicus_Sooner]

We know Leach has never won the South, but how many times in his 8 years there has he even finished at least tied for 2nd?

His teams are cute and fun, but they don't bring home titles.Agree to a point. I think there is a huge difference in the type of athlete that one can recruit to tt than you can to Arky. Leach with a defense will be scary.

[The Maestro]

That's assuming he will hire the right guy to get a defense.

[OU Adonis]

Leach will do worse in SEC. They play more physical there than in the Big 12. The best way to beat Finesse style teams is to out physical them.

Leach will never have a good defense due to the style of offense he has.

[85sooners]

:pop:

[texas bandman]

BS, he's the best coach Tech has ever had.

When Leach leaves, tt will be in competition with Baylor for the worst Big XII team.

I'm not commenting on his coaching ability - he is a great coach...I just won't have to listen to him all fall on my daily sportscast. Great coaching doesn't always translate well in press conferences.

[Civicus_Sooner]

Leach will do worse in SEC. They play more physical there than in the Big 12. The best way to beat Finesse style teams is to out physical them.

Leach will never have a good defense due to the style of offense he has.Hate to disagree but Urban Meyer's spread seems to have worked out pretty good in the SEC.

He's worked with Bob Stoops and understands the importance of defense. Again what coach worth a crap wants to go coach in Lubbuck for the perennial 4/5th best team in the Big XII South? He'll be able to hire pretty much anyone he wants at an upper tier SEC team.

[Civicus_Sooner]

I'm not commenting on his coaching ability - he is a great coach...I just won't have to listen to him all fall on my daily sportscast. Great coaching doesn't always translate well in press conferences.So you're more interested in the press conferences than the product on the field?

[TopDawg]

We know Leach has never won the South, but how many times in his 8 years there has he even finished at least tied for 2nd?

His teams are cute and fun, but they don't bring home titles.

How has he done compared to other Tech coaches? I'm asking honestly because I don't know.

Tech might just be hamstrung because they're Tech. Sure, the right coach can make a difference, but Leach shouldn't be discounted just because he never finished second in a division that consistently housed two Top 15 teams. If Jim Harbaugh doesn't ever finish second in the Pac-10 at Stanford, is he a failure of a coach?

[MojoRisen]

You would have to think that UCLA or Arkansas would be a step up for Leach -

I think that Kentucky has done pretty good with it's new coach - Arkansas would be better under leach.

I hope he goes to ARK - not the Pac 10

[Civicus_Sooner]

How has he done compared to other Tech coaches? I'm asking honestly because I don't know.

Tech might just be hamstrung because they're Tech. Sure, the right coach can make a difference, but Leach shouldn't be discounted just because he never finished second in a division that consistently housed two Top 15 teams. If Jim Harbaugh doesn't ever finish second in the Pac-10 at Stanford, is he a failure of a coach?
Spike Dykes was the best coach before Leach got there. Tech is in their golden age right now.

[SoonerBOI]

I love it. SEC defense will be all over his spread.:eek:

[TopDawg]

Spike Dykes was the best coach before Leach got there. Tech is in their golden age right now.

That's kinda what I thought.

Leach did lead them to two straight Top 20 finishes in '04 and '05. And they did finish second in '05, although they needed some help from the replay booth to pull it off.

[westcoast_sooner]

Seriously, wouldn't this be more of a lateral move for Leach? He'd be moving from the 4th or 5th best team in the Big XII to the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC. Arkie has a little more tradition than Tech, but ever since they left the SWC, their program hasn't had the swagger they did when they were beating Texas.

[LittleWingSooner]

I cana't imagine ML with a defense. He could go HOG wild!

His offense will never allow his team to have a good defense.

[AllAboutThe'O']

Seriously, wouldn't this be more of a lateral move for Leach? He'd be moving from the 4th or 5th best team in the Big XII to the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC. Arkie has a little more tradition than Tech, but ever since they left the SWC, their program hasn't had the swagger they did when they were beating Texas.
I think Arkansas is a sleeping giant, with the upgraded facilities and the population boom of northwest Arkansas. Most of the high schools up there favor the pass-happy spread attack so Leach should fit in right there with no problem. I would also love to see Leach go at it with the local media types and put some of them in their place.

[Chuck Bao]

I also believe that he'd be very dangerous at Arky. A lot of talent on both sides of the ball with his offensive "system" would be a pretty scary thing.

Okay, it would be fun to see Arky run up the score on Tenn, Bama and LSU. But besides that, NOT.

[MojoRisen]

Arkansas Campus and Facilities along with Fan base and Alumni is no comparision to Texas Tech it is way better.

Do I think Tech could beat Ark - absolutely but Arkansas could be a legit top 10 team every year with the right coaching nucleus- Last year they were right in the think of the National Championship hunt late in the year.

[The Maestro]

Seriously, wouldn't this be more of a lateral move for Leach? He'd be moving from the 4th or 5th best team in the Big XII to the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC. Arkie has a little more tradition than Tech, but ever since they left the SWC, their program hasn't had the swagger they did when they were beating Texas.

Arkansas--THE school in the state. The only one at that of any size.

Texas Tech--the forgotten west Texas school. No better than third best option for a Texas kid and that's not counting OU and OSU which are closer for a lot of kids.

[jwlynn64]

His offense will never allow his team to have a good defense.

Exactly how does the offense make the defense bad? Do they use the same players? :confused:

[AllAboutThe'O']

Arkansas Campus and Facilities along with Fan base and Alumni is no comparision to Texas Tech it is way better.

Do I think Tech could beat Ark - absolutely but Arkansas could be a legit top 10 team every year with the right coaching nucleus- Last year they were right in the think of the National Championship hunt late in the year.
Some of the Arkansas people don't want to think big. They still feel that it's a small state and that nobody wants to come up there and they're satisfied with going 8-4 every year. But, yes, the right coach can come up there and win. I think Leach would do a good job at Arkansas, IMHO.

[Civicus_Sooner]

Tech is 4th or 5th IN THE SOUTH.

There is no comparison between the two. It would be like taking the Michigan State or Illinois job in the Big 10 or the Oregon/Washington/UCLA type job in PAC 10.

[bluedogok]

I love it. SEC defense will be all over his spread.:eek:
Isn't that why Stoops hired him for OU from Kentucky? It was the most difficult offense for his defense at Florida to stop in the SEC. I consider A&M to be comparable to Arkansas, many possibilities that have been unrealized. Leach can make more at UofA than Tech is willing to pay. Would they compete for a NC every year? No, but I would imagine that if Nutt has been able to make it to the SEC-CCG, then Leach should be able to with more regularity.

With the athletes he could recruit to Arkansas, he could have both a good offense and defense. Arkansas has some national championships, tradition, they play in the SEC, F'ville isn't dry and has hills and trees (for you H&T people), Tech/Lubbock has none of those. Even my Tech wife would choose Fayetteville over Lubbock.

Where you YOU rather go to play for Leach if you were an 18 y.o. recruit? Fayetteville or Lubbock?

[toast]

plus he can get away from knight (excuse me mr. knight)

[LittleWingSooner]

Exactly how does the offense make the defense bad? Do they use the same players? :confused:

His offense doesn't run clock so the defense tires easier. You'll never see his system with a good defense on the same team.

[stoopified]

BS, he's the best coach Tech has ever had.

When Leach leaves, tt will be in competition with Baylor for the worst Big XII team.Aren't you forgetting T.Boone State?

[The Maestro]

His offense doesn't run clock so the defense tires easier. You'll never see his system with a good defense on the same team.

I agree in some ways. Just see the last few minutes of the first half of the 1999 OU-Texas game.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Leach will do worse in SEC. They play more physical there than in the Big 12. The best way to beat Finesse style teams is to out physical them.

Leach will never have a good defense due to the style of offense he has.

Yeah, cause those Kentucky teams that he coached did nothing against SEC defenses.

[jwlynn64]

His offense doesn't run clock so the defense tires easier. You'll never see his system with a good defense on the same team.

I understand that when the ball is dropped, the clock stops but if he is throwing high efficiency passes, he can run as much time off the clock as a team that runs it. Of course the rub is that they have to make first downs while doing that.

I understand what you are saying but if the defense is good, they get off the field pretty fast on their own accord.

[OU Adonis]

Urban Myer runs the ball a lot. Leach doesn't. Just because you play out of the same formation doesn't mean you run the same plays. Its like saying West Virgina and Florida run the same plays. They don't. Florida and Tech aren't simliar at all. People nowadays overuse the term "spread" like they overuse the term "Wishbone".

Leach was with us one year. While his offense brought us points and won us some games, they also cost us games.

We led in I believe every game of 99 but still ended up 7-5.

[OU Adonis]

I understand that when the ball is dropped, the clock stops but if he is throwing high efficiency passes, he can run as much time off the clock as a team that runs it. Of course the rub is that they have to make first downs while doing that.

I understand what you are saying but if the defense is good, they get off the field pretty fast on their own accord.

If you are a team that throws the ball around a lot it makes it hard to defend physical teams because your not physical in practice. Also its harder to defend because you don't practice verses a normal style. Thats why OU in the 80s had more problems defending the pass than the run. They never practiced against it.

[jwlynn64]

I thought that we had a squad that tries to copy our upcoming opponent that the defense practices against. In that case, what does that have to do with what type of offense their team runs.

I understand what you are saying but I guess I'm still thinking that even with the pitfalls, he could also end up with a good defense as well.

Using the logic lined out above, he shouldn't be able to field a good offense because his defense is bad and that is all he has to practice against.

[OUstud]

Don't forget, in 2005 he went to the Cotton Bowl with a 10-2 record (yeah, they screwed us in Lubbock), good for #2 in the South that year behind The Best One Man Team Ever. He'd do well in the SEC I think.

[bluedogok]

I guess the prevailing wisdom is that Leach couldn't get enough decent enough players at Arkansas to run pretty much the same offense that Meyer runs at Florida. Meyer didn't run the ball as much at Utah as he does at Florida, it has to do with the level of talent you can attract. He would get players at Arkansas that he couldn't get at Tech, that includes running backs and receivers.

In 99 they had to pull Q out of redshirt just to have a RB, they didn't have a running game because they didn't have as much talent at the position. THat probably affected the running game more than the play calling. Sorry, but Q probably wouldn't be in the 3 back rotation of this season. He was a great back for the time and offense but the talent level improved and I think Leach would run more with guys like McFadden and Felix Jones back there. Just because he runs his offense a certain way now doesn't mean that if he got better players he couldn't modify and adapt that system to a higher level of talent.

[SoonerGM]

i think this move would be a lateral for the most part. you can say that tt is the third best texas team and even get leftovers from OU and OSU, but lets be real, there are plenty of athletes to go around in texas. and just because rivals or whoever picks a few to be ranked as top 10 atheletes, that doesnt mean that the rest in the state do not have just as much potential.

the biggest differences that i can see are the environment, and the fanbase. the fans alone would be enough to make anyone jump ship i think. but to me, they kind of match up well with leach.

i do think that his offensive scheme can compete in the SEC. part of the reason that the SEC has such great defense is because most of the teams have such a lousy offense.

[LittleWingSooner]

I agree in some ways. Just see the last few minutes of the first half of the 1999 OU-Texas game.

Look at the game we played against them this year. If we played an offense like Texas' or Mizzou's and played like that in the first half they run the clock out on us and we lose by 20+. Leach nearly gave us a win.


Don't forget, in 2005 he went to the Cotton Bowl with a 10-2 record (yeah, they screwed us in Lubbock), good for #2 in the South that year behind The Best One Man Team Ever. He'd do well in the SEC I think.

They were 9-3. 9-2 in the regular season it's the only time under Leach they have won more than 8 games in the regular season. And it should be 8-4 that year because they really lost to us. That was the biggest screw job ever.

[bluedogok]

10-2 may be the best season record ever for Tech. I know the Tech alumni at my office don't want to see him go. My wife is indifferent, she expects good coaches to leave Lubbock but she graduated in 87, the co-workers graduated in the early 2000's.

[LittleWingSooner]

10-2 may be the best season record ever for Tech. I know the Tech alumni at my office don't want to see him go. My wife is indifferent, she expects good coaches to leave Lubbock but she graduated in 87, the co-workers graduated in the early 2000's.

Leach isn't the most successful coach in their history. Neither is Dykes. Jim Carlen and Steve Sloan are up there. Both coached in the 70s. They won about 65% of their games. And both had 10 win seasons. Leach has never had a 10 win season and has won 62% of his games. Dykes won 55% of his games. But none of these compare to Pete Cawthorn in the 30s. He won 69% of his games.

Mike Leach 6th in win% in Tech history.

[bluedogok]

2005 was a 10-2 season in the records books, no matter what we say that is what is listed. He has been very successful for what that program traditionally has been.

From NationalChamps.net - Texas Tech Football History Database (http://www.inside99.net/NCAA/database/texastech_database.htm)
COACH YEARS #YEARS GAMES WON LOST TIED PCT.
Ewing Y. Freeland 1925-1928 4 37 21 10 6 .649
Grady Higgenbotham 1929 1 10 1 7 2 .200
Pete W. Cawthon 1930-1940 11 114 76 32 6 .693
Dell Morgan 1941-1950 10 107 55 49 3 .528
DeWitt T. Weaver 1951-1960 10 105 49 51 5 .490
J.T. King 1961-1969 9 92 44 45 3 .495
Jim Carlen 1970-1974 5 59 37 20 2 .644
Steve Sloan 1975-1977 3 35 23 12 0 .657
Rex Dockery 1978-1980 3 33 15 16 2 .485
Jerry Moore 1981-1985 5 55 16 37 2 .309
David McWilliams 1986 0.9 11 7 4 0 .636
Spike Dykes 1986-1999 13.1 150 82 67 1 .550
Mike Leach 2000-Current 7 89 56 33 0 .629
Total (13 coaches) 82 897 482 383 32 .555

David McWilliams coached games 1-11 in 1986 (7-4 in 1986)
Spike Dykes coached game 12 in 1986 (0-1 in 1986)

[LittleWingSooner]

2005 was a 10-2 season in the records books, no matter what we say that is what is listed. He has been very successful for what that program traditionally has been.

From NationalChamps.net - Texas Tech Football History Database (http://www.inside99.net/NCAA/database/texastech_database.htm)
COACH YEARS #YEARS GAMES WON LOST TIED PCT.
Ewing Y. Freeland 1925-1928 4 37 21 10 6 .649
Grady Higgenbotham 1929 1 10 1 7 2 .200
Pete W. Cawthon 1930-1940 11 114 76 32 6 .693
Dell Morgan 1941-1950 10 107 55 49 3 .528
DeWitt T. Weaver 1951-1960 10 105 49 51 5 .490
J.T. King 1961-1969 9 92 44 45 3 .495
Jim Carlen 1970-1974 5 59 37 20 2 .644
Steve Sloan 1975-1977 3 35 23 12 0 .657
Rex Dockery 1978-1980 3 33 15 16 2 .485
Jerry Moore 1981-1985 5 55 16 37 2 .309
David McWilliams 1986 0.9 11 7 4 0 .636
Spike Dykes 1986-1999 13.1 150 82 67 1 .550
Mike Leach 2000-Current 7 89 56 33 0 .629
Total (13 coaches) 82 897 482 383 32 .555

David McWilliams coached games 1-11 in 1986 (7-4 in 1986)
Spike Dykes coached game 12 in 1986 (0-1 in 1986)

He was 9-3 in 2005. Played 11 regular season games beating Florida International, Sam Houston State, and Indiana State. That's right 2 Div 1AA teams and one of the worst div 1a teams that year. They lost to Texas and Oklahoma State in conference. Also should have(DID) lost to OU making them 8-3 in the regular season. They lost to Alabama in the Bowl in a game that really wasn't as close as the score indicated.

Here's a link to the schedule.

http://texastech.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/text-m-footbl-sched-2005.html

[r5TPsooner]

From an OU fans perspective I'm glad to see him go, as OU has trouble against the pass these days. But as a personality, I'll miss his "Pirate" attitude and his off the wall interviews. I honestly thought he'd wait for a better job on the West Coast but maybe he has become fond of this part of the country?

Off course, $$$$ talks.

[KingBarry]

i think this move would be a lateral for the most part. you can say that tt is the third best texas team and even get leftovers from OU and OSU, but lets be real, there are plenty of athletes to go around in texas. and just because rivals or whoever picks a few to be ranked as top 10 atheletes, that doesnt mean that the rest in the state do not have just as much potential.

Are you kidding me? Going from Lubbock to F'ville is closer to moving from Stoolwater to Norman than it is to a lateral move. Arkansas is a very solid program, with lots of money (can you say WalMart?), rabidly fanatic fans and MUCH MORE attractive locale for recruiting purposes. Ark has at least one national championship, has been in big bowls and was a perennial power in the SWC. I don't think Tech has ever even won its conference -- they claim a share of one but that's just because aTm was ineligible.

Have you ever been to Lubbock? Dude, it is like the end of the earth. No offense to West Texans, and frankly I kind of like the dry, natural surroundings, but to kids from cities or leafy suburbs on their first trip away from mom and dad -- it must just be a huge challenge to even get their attention. Norman, which is indeed a prairie town, looks like Eden by comparison.

Why do you think Tech is always featuring undersized overachievers? Think about it......

[bluedogok]

My wife grew up in West Texas (Monahans) and graduated from Tech. She went to grad school at SWT (now Texas State) in San Marcos, she hasn't moved from the Central Texas area since (hills and trees here) and has no desire to move back to West Texas even with all of her family still there. We went to a motorcycle meet in Eureka Springs, she loved it up there, hills, trees and great roads. She would choose Fayetteville over Lubbock 10 times out of 10, pretty much what she said last night when I told her about this discussion.

A friend who works for Austin/Travis County EMS played for Tech in the early 80's. He grew up near Tyler and to a boy growing up in the Piney Woods of East Texas, Lubbock was like a foreign country to him. He said it had its charms but he would never live there by choice. He said flying him in/out in the dark was smart move on their part.

[kevpks]

The SEC West is tough but it is a heck of a lot easier for Arkansas to win that division than it is for Tech to win the Big XII South. If Leach wants championships, he'll take the job at Arkie.

[bluedogok]

Listening to WEEI in Boston they just had a report that Lane Kiffin of the Oakland Raiders (formerly of USC) seems to be in the mix for the Hog job.

[BudSooner]

Listening to WEEI in Boston they just had a report that Lane Kiffin of the Oakland Raiders (formerly of USC) seems to be in the mix for the Hog job.

They also want his dad Monte(DC for the Bucs)to run the D, dammit..it better not happen.