TEMPE, Ariz. – After an especially disastrous Saturday 13 years ago at Missouri, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach spluttered for 40 seconds – somebody timed it – in his post-game analysis and retreated in a huff into the locker room.
I don’t know if Leach sent him out or a publicist fetched him, but defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich emerged a while later to do the explaining for a 62-31 loss. On that gray afternoon, Missouri’s Brad Smith rushed for 291 yards, 17 short of the NCAA record for a quarterback, and a school-record five touchdowns.
Back then, the defensive coordinator talked through a few good days and faced the music for a lot of bad ones.