Football Practice Report
September 01, 1999 | Football
Sept. 1, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - Optimism, albeit guarded, appeared to be the watchword as Texas Tech continued to prepare for its season opener at Arizona State with a two-hour practice in shoulder pads and helmets Wednesday.
Head coach Spike Dykes and Red Raider players alike were upbeat following the crisp workout, which was held at the grass practice fields just southeast of Jones Stadium on a relatively cool and partly cloudy West Texas afternoon.
?Things are going well,? said senior quarterback Rob Peters. ?I believe we are further along at this time of the year than we have been in a long time. We have a lot of guys, especially on the offensive side of the ball, who have been there before.?
Defensive end Taurus Rucker echoed the sentiments of his fellow co-captain, offering a perspective from the other side of the line of scrimmage.
?Yesterday (Tuesday) was really the first day of game week preparation so we spent a lot of time learning and in recognition of Arizona State schemes,? Rucker said. ?Today we came out, set a good tempo early and had everybody on the same page. We didn?t have people guessing.?
In addition to work on special teams and some individual position drill periods, the majority of the practice was devoted to recognition of Arizona State schemes and tendencies. Dykes said he liked the Red Raiders concentration and intensity, taking both as positive signs of progress.
?We still have some polishing we need to get done and we will look at a bunch of situational stuff Friday and Saturday,? Dykes said. ?We are anxious to play and are going about things the right way. I hope we?re ready. There?s a difference between being anxious to play and ready to play.?
The Red Raiders will practice through Saturday before taking Sunday off and traveling to Phoenix by charter flight Monday morning. Kickoff for Monday's nationally televised contest against the Sun Devils has been set for 7:08 p.m. CDT by Fox Sports Net, who will carry the game.