Texas Tech Tabs Talented Tommy Tuberville

*Editor's Note: This headline brought to you by Mr. T. Not the guy who played Clubber Lang in Rocky 3, but rather the puppet who made the same sound that starts "tall teeth". If you grew up in the midwest in the 70's or 80's, you get the reference.

After the Red Raiders ran off the most successful head coach in their history, it seemed likely that they'd have trouble finding someone as good to fill the spot. Instead, with the hiring of Tuberville they may have actually upgraded the position.

Tuberville managed a similar record at Auburn as the one Leach had at Texas Tech. Tuberville went 85-40 compared to Leach's 84-43. Along the way Tuberville managed to win two SEC West division titles, a Southeastern Conference championship, a BCS bowl victory, eight straight winning conference records, and a perfect 13-0 season. All of those things, Leach can't claim to have done.

On the flip side, Auburn did go 5-7 in his last season at the school, leading to his resignation. But to most outsiders, he seemed deserving of staying on as head coach, barring problems beyond wins and losses (like problems with compliance or the administration).

If you were going to criticize Auburn for one thing in his tenure, it would be that his offenses weren't usually that great. That's why it had to be good news for Red Raider fans that he'll seek to preserve the Air Raid offense that Texas Tech is so famous for. In fact, it was Tuberville's desire to move to a spread option offense at Auburn that seemed to be his downfall. It was the first year of that transition that largely led to the 5-7 record.

Tech fans have got to be excited by the possibilities. Having a coach with a proven record in a tough conference. A coach with so many good defenses at a school that's needed defense. To those in Lubbock thinking Tuberville's going to go 14-0 next year or have both a top five offense and a top five defense, it would be best to temper expectations just a bit.

First, he didn't have success with the wide open passing game before when he tried it at Auburn. Second, he's moving Tech to a 3-4 defensive front, which is different from the 4-3 that he had so much experience with. There's no guarantee that either transition will be smooth or easy for him. Next, there's the appreciation for the impact of the offense on the defense and vice versa. The best compliment to a dominant defense is a ball control offense. An offense that can chew the clock, minimize turnovers, and avoid big negative yards (like sacks) is going to make your defense look better. You could argue that Leach's defenses at Tech were better than they looked because he did so little to help them. The other piece is when you have a talented versatile athlete, which side of the ball does he end up on? Under an offensive coach like Bill Callahan a prospect like Baker Steinkuhler would end up on offense. Under Bo Pelini, he ends up on defense. Which side of the ball will win under Tuberville?

That said, Tuberville is a great hire. Honestly, you won't find five programs in college football this offseason that at least on paper did as well as Texas Tech in finding a new head coach. Provided Tech fans will be patient with what could be a bumpy transition, you'd expect Tuberville to get back to having a consistent winner and he might even finally be able to break through and win a Big 12 South title.