The new independent teams are as follows:
The Wild West | A West Texas Outlaws Dynasty
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WEEK TWO
-RIVALRY GAME-
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (0-0, 0-0)
VS.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (0-0, 0-0)
For a city with football so deeply ingrained in the culture, the high hopes were understandable. Perhaps an epic upset in their first game ever wasn't so far out of reach. With Texas idol Major Applewhite roaming the sidelines, maybe the Outlaws could put it all together in their first game ever, or at the very least make a game of it. But after week one, fans in Odessa were dealt a healthy dose of reality, and reminded of one thing: there's a long road ahead. Despite containing Texas Tech's prolific passing attack, West Texas was embarrassed in their football debut 52-0, thanks largely in part to seven offensive turnovers that destroyed any hopes the offense had of reaching the endzone.
Senior quarterback James Hartman appeared to be firing on all cylinders on the first two drives, completing four of seven passes for 49 yards until a jarring hit gave him a concussion, and knocked him out for the remainder of the game. Enter true sophomore backup Xavier Rouse, who showcased the fact that he was in no way ready for playing time. Rouse had a rough debut as he completed just five of his nineteen attempted passes for 28 yards, threw five interceptions, and was sacked three times in the loss. He also rushed for 20 yards off ten carries, but was the cause of the team's sixth turnover in the form of a fumble. Senior runningback Chaz Foreman didn't offer much help either, carrying the ball sixteen times for a measly 30 yards on the ground. All together, the Outlaws were held to 164 yards of total offense, and converted just two of their sixteen third down attempts. On the bright side, the defense performed pretty well considering the circumstances, allowing just over 200 passing yards and 31 offensive points. Senior cornerback McDaniel led the defense with eight tackles, one sack, and an interception. As a unit, West Texas recorded three sacks and two picks in the game.
"This is a ragtag group we have assembled here, it's going to take time," said head coach Major Applewhite following the game. "Some of these guys are local and some are transfers, but none of them have ever played with each other. We don't have that unity, we don't have the gameplan down pat, and we're lacking talent in a few key areas. We can't build a successful program overnight. The only thing we can do is go back to practice next week, improve on the things we did good tonight, work on the things we did poorly, and come out next week and try to get our first victory."
On the other side of the ball, junior quarterback Seth Doege had a shaky start to the season, completing just 39% of his passes for 180 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Fortunately, he received a good amount of help from the running game. Junior runningback Eric Stephens rushed for 46 yards off six carries before leaving the game with a mild ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for a few days. His backup, senior Aaron Crawford, rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown off 21 carries to give the Red Raiders a solid presence on the ground, something they have usually been lacking in the past. Defensively is where the team truly shined as they allowed less than 200 total offensive yards, and recorded three sacks, five interceptions, forced three fumbles, recovered two of them, and scored twice. They were spearheaded by senior linebacker Sam Earl Fehoko, who had eight tackles, one sack, and two picks. Next week, the Red Raiders will travel north to take on another FBS newcomer, the Montana Grizzlies (0-0), in what should be win number two for the team if their season opener was any indication.
Next week, the Outlaws will officially open New Ratliff Stadium for business when they host a team more in line with their skill level, the New Mexico Loboes (0-1), who lost to Colorado State 34-12 in their season opener this week. What the Loboes lack in offensive firepower they make up for with playmakers on defense like seniors Carmen Messina (MLB, 88 OVR) and Johnathan Rainey (DE, 80 OVR) to name a few. This might turn into a low-scoring affair where each drive could be the difference between a first win, or a second loss.
West Texas Outlaws at Texas Tech Red Raiders Sep 3, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE West Texas Outlaws (0-1, 0-0) 0 0 0 0 0 Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0, 0-0) 14 10 14 14 52 Team Stats Comparison WTU TTU Total Offense 164 390 Rushing Yards 87 182 Passing Yards 77 208 First Downs 8 17 Punt Return Yards 36 117 Kick Return Yards 189 16 Total Yards 389 523 Turnovers 7 2 3rd Down Converstion 2-16 (12%) 6-16 (37%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 0-0-0 (0%) 7-3-1 (57%) Penalties 5-40 9-80 Posession Time 25:36 34:24 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING WTU TTU 8:12 (TTU) TD: Darrin Moore, 15 yard pass from Seth Doege 0 7 3:17 (TTU) TD: Aaron Crawford, 4 yard run 0 14 SECOND QUARTER SCORING WTU TTU 3:51 (TTU) TD: Eric Ward, 10 yard pass from Seth Doege 0 21 0:06 (TTU) FG: Donnie Carona, 35 yard field goal 0 24 THIRD QUARTER SCORING WTU TTU 13:27 (TTU) TD: Derrick Mays, returned interception 65 yards 0 31 2:25 (TTU) TD: Tyrone Sonier, returned interception 38 yards 0 38 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING WTU TTU 13:41 (TTU) TD: Omar Ontiveros, 1 yard run 0 45 10:40 (TTU) TD: Austin Zouzalik, returned punt 70 yards 0 52 Comment
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