Tulsa World: Tech's Leach has changed face of Big 12

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Tech's Leach has changed face of Big 12

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 11/7/2008 2:11 AM
Last Modified: 11/7/2008 3:07 AM

If you love watching Big 12 college football, then send a thank you note to Texas Tech's Mike Leach.

Leach, more than any other coach in the league, changed the face of the Big 12.

Big 12 schools have long been known for running backs. The faces of the league have been Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers, Earl Campbell and many more.

Big 12 schools are known for defense. Lee Roy Selmon, Mike Singletary and Nebraska's Blackshirts symbolize a rugged history.

But, in recent years, the Big 12 has been trending toward wide-open, no-huddle, throw-it-all-over offense.

No coach has been more influential in that trend than Leach.

That transformation goes back to when Leach was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was the defensive coordinator at Florida.

In 1998, when Stoops was hired at OU, he made it pretty clear that he wanted Leach to install that Kentucky "Air Raid" offense in Norman.

Stoops said it was simple. As a defensive coordinator, the hardest offense he ever prepared to face was Kentucky with Leach.

So, he brought Leach to Norman and Oklahoma went from one of the worst offenses (101st) in the country to 11th (and 11th to first in the Big 12) during their first season in 1999. A year later, after Leach exited for Texas Tech, the Sooners won the national title by throwing and running the ball all over the place.

Since then, most of the Big 12 schools have gone through several transformations. However, all of them have gravitated toward what Leach took to Texas Tech.

The Big 12 has slowly adapted the Leach model. Most schools have variations. Some run it more. Some like to throw it deeper more often, They use different formations. But, the bottom line is the same. Spread defenses out. React to what the defense does. Throw first and run second (except maybe at Oklahoma State).

The result is the same. Points. Yards. Lots of points and yards.

During his first eight years in Lubbock, Leach's teams threw for 43,177 yards (24.5 miles). During that same period, the Red Raiders threw for 340 passing touchdowns (232 in the previous 20 years).

Before the Texas game, the Red Raiders had gone for it on fourth down as often as they had punted the past two seasons.

It could be argued that since 2000 no team has been more feared in the league than Texas Tech.

Sure, Tech has not won any Big 12 titles. However, we're talking about the fear of being embarrassed on any given Saturday.

The Red Raiders have been far too inconsistent to win Big 12 titles, up until this season anyway.

However, every team in the league knows one brutal fact. If you play bad defense or Tech is hitting everything on the day the Red Raiders come to your town, or you go to Lubbock, then you could get wiped out by 50 or 60 points.

Need proof? Check with Kansas. The Jayhawks have been enjoying a pretty good season, with some ups and downs, until Tech went to Lawrence and thoroughly embarrassed them in front of the home folks.

That's the fear that grips every team. Sure, Tech is just as capable of losing at home to a lower division team like it nearly did to Nebraska earlier this season. Then, they are just as likely to beat the No. 1 team by completing the most memorable pass of the football season.

And, the spread of wide-open offense isn't limited to the Big 12. Tulsa led the nation in offense last year and may do it again this season by following Tech's lead.

TU isn't alone. Other schools in this region are on board and heading toward an all-out offensive assault. SMU, Houston and Southern Miss all have new coaches and new variations of the spread offense.

It isn't likely to end at the Big 12 borders. The athletes are so good in the Southeastern Conference it seems a natural fit for SEC schools. Imagine the kind of receivers and runners that play at Tennessee being put in Tech's offense.

That's why Leach is rumored to be headed to a lot of places.

The knock on Leach is that you never know what you are going to get. Both on the field and at alumni functions. So, there is some reluctance by some traditional powers to hire Leach.

But, if those schools are smart, here's what they should remember. You are hiring a football coach. Not a marketing director.

And, the other Big 12 coaches would love it if you'd get him out of the league. That, more than any other reason, is why you should want to hire him.

As Stoops explained 10 years ago, he hated facing Leach. So, he hired him. And, the Big 12 has never been the same. By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

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