The Morning Stake: August 18th

Lady Raider Basketball

The Lady Raiders continue their trip through Portugal and Spain. They have their first game today.

Soccer

Get to know Jade King and Jordie Harr, two freshmen on the team:

Basketball

RRS’s Will McKay is doing a Q&A with the newcomers and maybe returning players, this one is one Brandone Francis, the transfer from Florida:

Q: What was it about Chris Beard and Texas Tech that made you decide to transfer here?

“I really like the fact that coach Beard has always been a winner everywhere he’s been, every level he’s been at. I have no doubt that he’s going to do great things here. The first thing I noticed when I got here was that it was a college town, that everything was all about Tech. That’s why I came here, and I’m here to play basketball and go to school. When I met with him, the things he told me, the confidence I felt coming here was big.”

Football

24/7 Sports’ Chris Hummer has the story of Patrick Mahomes from his high school days as a pitcher and safety to quarterbacking for Texas Tech. He’s always been so danged good:

A decision faced Mahomes entering his junior year. Mahomes wanted to play quarterback, the demands and responsibility just as alluring as a place on an elevated mound, but there would be no assurances. Fall baseball beckoned as an alternative – a way to get additional exposure in front of scouts.

McFarlin thought he might lose Mahomes, but ultimately Mahomes decided he’d continue to play football. The responsibilities of quarterback – making calls, checks at the line and reads – were too tantalizing to not at least try.

“I just like how hard it is,” Mahomes said.

It took a few games, but ultimately Mahomes secured the job and thrived. Mahomes threw for 3,839 yards, 46 touchdowns and only nine interceptions as a junior, launching him onto the national radar as a football recruit.

DMN’s Brandon Soliz has the best case and worse case scenarios, eventually evening out at 8-4, which would be respectable for me and I’d be totally happy with that.

Now Moore is a physically healthy, 240-pound junior who is poised to be a starter on opening day. That mind boggling athleticism is still there—defensive line coach Kevin Patrick recently called his speed “spectacular”—and with several promising lineman set to assist on the defensive line, Moore could be on the verge of a breakout season. And a strong pass rushing line would cure a few of the ills that have plagued the Red Raider defense for well on an eternity.

FOX Sports’ Stewart Mandel predicts a 7-5 finish for Texas Tech, which would be tied for 5th in the Big 12.

RP’s Joe Yeager is running down the 20 most critical players for Texas Tech and has DE Gary Moore as the 8th most critical:

Now Moore is a physically healthy, 240-pound junior who is poised to be a starter on opening day. That mind boggling athleticism is still there—defensive line coach Kevin Patrick recently called his speed “spectacular”—and with several promising lineman set to assist on the defensive line, Moore could be on the verge of a breakout season. And a strong pass rushing line would cure a few of the ills that have plagued the Red Raider defense for well on an eternity.

We’ll try to wade through some Big 12 conference expansion news. FOX Sports Stewart Mandel answers his weekly mailbag and thinks there is a 40% chance the Big 12 stays at 10. I have no idea how you arrive at that percentage, but there you go.

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