First Day In Pads
August 19, 1999 | Football
Aug. 19, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech head football coach Spike Dykes pronounced Thursday?s first day in pads as ?pretty good? following the second practice of the day at the grass fields just southeast of Jones Stadium.
?It was just medium-rare. There was not a lot that was too good, but there wasn?t a lot that was too bad either,? Dykes said. ?We were a little sluggish, but the legs are getting tired after eight practices in four days.?
The Red Raiders practiced for just less than two hours Thursday morning in shells before putting on full gear for the first time since spring drills in the afternoon. Both practices consisted of positional skill work, team periods and the kicking game.
Offensive and defensive skill position players worked against each other in pass skeleton drills, while the linemen from both sides of the ball worked against each other in live pass protection drills to highlight the afternoon practice.
At his preseason Media Day press conference between practices, Dykes praised the early work of senior quarterback Rob Peters, along with receivers Derek Dorris and Tim Baker.
?I had forgotten what a good quarterback Rob Peters is,? Dykes said of his signal caller who played all of last season with a broken thumb and missed spring drills recovering from surgery to repair the fracture. ?It?s a lot easier to play quarterback when your thumb is not broken. That makes it pretty tough to throw the football.?
Texas Tech will continue two-a-day drills with a pair of workouts Friday. Practice times are scheduled for 7:30 and 1:15 p.m. at the grass practice fields. The Red Raiders will continue to work twice a day next week before ending two-a-day drills with Meet the Raiders Day Aug. 28.
Meet the Raiders Day will get underway at 5 p.m. Aug. 28 at Raider Alley. Also featured in the festivities will be the Texas Tech volleyball, tennis, golf, cross country and soccer teams. Texas Tech fans will have the opportunity to meet and have their picture taken with some their favorite Red Raiders.
Texas Tech opens the season Sept. 6 at Arizona State. Kickoff for the Fox Sports Net telecast is set for 7 p.m. CDT.