After practice on Tuesday, Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells spoke with the media with the recent news of Joe Wallace, Corey Fulcher, Da’Leon Ward and Demarcus Fields not practicing at the moment. Here are the takeaways from today’s availability.
Matt Wells
- Wells started off saying the four players could be back soon, could be back after a while or could never be back. “They’re not practicing right now. Got to get some things cleaned up off the field and we’ll get it done.” None of the incidents were related to spring break.
- Wells said the team’s return from the week-long break was a little bit better than he had anticipated. “I thought the energy was good. They know how to compete, and that’s respect to them, they know how to compete and practiced hard.”
- Dawson Deaton and Jack Anderson are limited coming off of surgeries.
- Wells said they are trying to dual-train quite a few offensive linemen. “Between guard and tackle, some between guard and center, and we believe in a lot of those guys playing dual positions, especially center.”
- Wells said the versatility between different positions and how that factors into the depth chart, will factor in more in August.
- Wells said there needs to be a little bit of better pace on the snap.
- In one of the team sessions, Adrien Cross picked off the ball and ran down the sidelines with the ball on the inside arm. “Today, he picked one off and he runs down the sideline with the ball in his outside arm. That’s maybe a broader example of learning how to practice. He’s taking coaching.”
- The tight ends that have stuck out to Wells are all of them as he has said they all give good effort.
- On the importance of turnovers, “You’ve got to stop possessions and the ways that you do that are turnovers, three-and-outs, fourth down stops. So, to create turnovers, we teach it, we coach it; rips, strips, interceptions, but we also coach how to score off of it. It just really became a peak for us last year at Utah State. We were second in the country in non-offensive touchdowns and that was not only special teams but defensive touchdowns and some of those were off scoop and scores. So, you’re teaching them the right technique on how to scoop. Coach Patterson and the defensive staff do a tremendous job at teaching that.”
- On the first four days of practice, “First four days, to me, have been good. Both sides of the ball are competing. They’ve got a big emphasis on going fast and playing fast. We’ll get there eventually but we just need to keep on stacking days.”
- Steele said the offense feels faster and is designed to go faster than last year.
- On discipline, Steele said the coaches monitor everything the players do and no one can leave their helmet on the ground and helmets have to be strapped up even on the side. “Stay alert, stay locked in.”
- Lonzell Gilmore and Broderick Washington are two defensive linemen that have stuck out to Steele. They give him good competition, he said.
- Steele, Madison Akamnonu, Gilmore and Malik Essilfie all went on a cruise over spring break. “It’s one of the great things about being in the locker room – you make some lifetime friends.”
- Today, Steele was moved to left tackle in case there are any injuries for the season.
