You kids today with your RPOs and your Air Raid spread. You don't know what real football is. I was watching some old film from the 1983 season, back when Coach Dykes was still an assistant and we ran the veer option out of the wishbone. We had a quarterback who would take the snap, read the defensive end, and either pitch it to the tailback or keep it himself. There was no throwing the ball 60 times a game. You lined up and you ran the option until the defense proved it could stop it. That was football. That was Texas Tech football before everybody got fancy.
The option offense was beautiful in its simplicity. It was about discipline, timing, and toughness. You had to be able to take a hit and get right back up. You had to execute the mesh point perfectly or you'd get blown up in the backfield. That's where you built character. These portal kids who jump ship the second they don't start would never survive a single practice in the old option system. They'd be crying to their agent after the first spring scrimmage. We didn't need five-star recruits to run the option. We needed tough kids from West Texas who loved football.