With the high speed and the remarkable tempo at which offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich’s offense can operate, it’d be fair for some to worry about whether or not the Texas Tech Red Raiders would play a little sloppy as they try to get used to the new system.
It can be a lot to adjust to. Operating at a high tempo can cause an opposing defense to get worn out and make mistakes. However, if a team isn’t used to a particular system, then it might take a while for them to operate in a way that is free from mistakes and mental errors.
Nobody wants Texas Tech’s offense to have issues because the Red Raiders are trying to go too quickly. So, as Texas Tech gets used to what Leftwich wants to do on offense, it’s incredibly important to know that he won’t just abandon care in favor of moving up and down the field at a certain pace.
During a recent press conference, Leftwich was able to discuss just that.
Mack Leftwich makes it clear what is important for his offense as the Texas Tech Red Raiders continue to install it
“We want to play fast, but like I’ve said before, I never want to sacrifice our execution for our tempo,” Leftwich noted. “Now, I think we’ll be able to do both just because that’s the way we’ve been training for the last six to seven months.”
That’s encouraging to hear. And it’d also be great if the Red Raiders were completely and totally up to speed on that particular speed that Leftwich wants to operate at.
“Be able to put our foot on the gas and go,” Leftwich said.
I, for one, would appreciate being able to see just that.
“We want to play clean and so, you know, we don’t want to have our communication, pre-snap alignments, you know, talking from the quarterback to the receiver, everybody, like we don’t want to go out there and have a bunch of penalties,” Texas Tech’s OC said.
That assurance is good to hear as well. It’ll be interesting to see the pace that Texas Tech is capable of operating at in this first week versus at the end of November. Is that going to be the same thing? Or will it be different? How much better will this offense get as the season wears on?
“I think the execution is definitely going to be at the forefront of what we’re doing this week,” Leftwich said. “That’s going to be the focus.”
Something tells me that’s exactly what most Texas Tech fans want to hear.