2008 Texas
Tech
Red Raiders
Jan. 2
2009 Cotton
Bowl
Ole Miss 47 … Texas Tech 34
Texas Tech appeared to be well on its way to an easy win with a 14-0
first quarter lead on a 35-yard Edward Britton touchdown catch and a
Darcel McBath interception return for a score, but Ole Miss came back
with two Jevan Snead touchdown passes, getting a brilliant catch from
Mike Wallace from 41 yards out. Snead connected with Gerald Harris for a
21-yard score on the way to a 24-21 first half lead, helped by Texas
Tech QB Graham Harrell coming up just short on a long run at the end of
the half. Marshay Green came up with a 65-yard interception for a
touchdown as part of a 24-point Rebel run of points, and then the
defense came up big with a safety while allowing just a 12-yard Edward
Britton touchdown catch in the second half before giving up a late
17-yard Eric Morris scoring grab when the game was out of reach. .
Player of the Game:
Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster ran 14 times for
97 yards and a touchdown, and he led the team with six catches for 83
yards.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell,
36-58, 364 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 6-46. Receiving: Eric Morris,
10-89, 1 TD
Ole Miss - Passing: Jevan Snead, 18-29, 292 yds, 3
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Bolden, 11-101, 1 TD.
Receiving: Dexter McCluster, 6-83
Inside The Box Score ...
5 Thoughts on the Cotton Bowl …Graham Harrell set the NCAA record
for most career touchdown passes, 134, and was the first player to throw
for over 5,000 yards twice. … Michael Crabtree caught four passes for 30
yards and a score. … Texas Tech’s Brandon Williams made four tackles
with two sacks and three tackles for loss … The two teams combined to
convert 16-of-29 third down chances … Red zone scores: Ole Miss 3-of-3 –
Texas Tech 4-of-7. … Total yards: Ole Miss 515 – Texas Tech 469
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2008 TTech Preview
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2007 TTech Season
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
11-1
2008 Record: 11-2
Aug. 30
Eastern Wash W
49-24
Sept. 6 at Nevada
W 35-19
Sept. 13 SMU W
43-7
Sept. 20 UMass W
56-14
Sept. 27 OPEN DATE
Oct. 4 at Kansas State
W 58-28
Oct. 11 Nebraska
W 37-31 OT
Oct 18 at Texas A&M
W 43-25
Oct. 25 at Kansas
W 63-21
Nov. 1 Texas W
39-33
Nov. 8 Oklahoma State
W 56-20
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE
Nov. 22 at Oklahoma L 65-21
Nov. 29 Baylor W
35-28
Cotton Bowl
Jan. 2 Ole Miss L 47-34
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
8-4
2007 Record:
9-4
Sept. 1
at SMU
W 49-9
Sept. 8
UTEP
W 45-31
Sept. 15
at Rice
W 59-24
Sept. 22 at
Okla St L 49-45
Sept. 29
NW State
W 75-7
Oct.
6
Iowa State
W 42-17
Oct.
13
Texas A&M
W 35-7
Oct.
20 at
Missouri L 41-10
Oct.
27
Colorado
L 31-26
Nov.
3
at Baylor
W 38-7
Nov.
10 at
Texas L 59-43
Nov.
17
Oklahoma W 34-27
Gator Bowl
Jan. 1 Virginia W 31-28 |
Nov. 29
Texas Tech 35
… Baylor 28
Baylor pushed hard early on as Robert Griffin ran for two touchdowns and
threw a one-yard scoring pass to Ernest Smith on the way to a 21-14
halftime lead. The Bears were back at it coming out of the locker room
as Jacoby Jones capped off the opening drive with a one-yard run, but
Texas Tech woke up and shut down the BU offense. The Tech offense became
the Tech offense scoring 21 unanswered points with two short touchdown
runs from Shannon Woods and Baron Batch to go along with a four-yard
Detron Lewis catch to finally give the Red Raiders the lead with just
over six minutes to play. Michael Crabtree left the game with a foot
injury.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
41-of-50 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Robert Griffin,
12-15, 91 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jay Finley, 15-105. Receiving: Thomas White, 4-39
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 41-50, 309
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 11-43, 1 TD. Receiving: Detron
Lewis, 9-68, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas Tech
didn’t wake up until the second half, but give Baylor credit for playing
a great game early on. The Bears weren’t going through the motions in
their season finale, and Tech didn’t appear to be over the haze of the
Oklahoma game until late. Now the stars are hurt. Graham Harrell injured
his hand and will undergo surgery, but he’ll be ready for the bowl game,
while Michael Crabtree will get over a month to heal after hurting his
foot.
Nov. 22
Oklahoma
65 … Texas Tech 21
In a complete and total obliteration, Oklahoma rolled out to a 28-0
lead on two short touchdown runs from DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown
and touchdown passes from Sam Bradford. Bradford hit Jermaine
Gresham for a 19-yard score and Juaquin Iglesias for a 28-yard
touchdown, and finished with four touchdown passes connecting with
Manuel Johnson on a 66-yard play in the third and with Ryan Broyles
on a 26-yard play in the fourth. Graham Harrell threw three
touchdown passes for the Red Raiders, but he was under pressure all
game long and his team was never in it. OU outgained Texas Tech 625
yards to 406.
Player of the game:
Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed
14-of-19 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for 18
yards on five carries.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham
Harrell, 33-55, 361 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 8-47. Receiving: Michael
Crabtree, 6-62
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 14-19, 304
yds, 4 TD
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 18-125, 2 TD. Receiving:
Jermaine Gresham, 5-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Regroup. Now. It doesn’t matter if it’s 65-21 or 22-21; a loss is a
loss is a loss. Losing to Oklahoma was bad, but losing to Baylor
next week would be worse. There’s still a very good chance that
Oklahoma State could upset OU in Stillwater, and if that happened,
Texas Tech is playing for the Big 12 title if it beats Baylor. This
week’s loss was a case of Tech running into a buzzsaw against a
pumped up team that had everything working. The Red Raider running
game never got going, the pass protection wasn’t there, and there
were dropped passes. This is still a great Red Raider team, but it
has to show it off again next week or else all the great things that
happened this year will be for naught.
Nov. 8
Texas
Tech 56 … Oklahoma State 20
Texas Tech rolled up 629 yards of total offense with Graham Harrell
and Michael Crabtree hooking up three times for scores, with Harrell
throwing for six scores overall. Oklahoma State had its chances,
getting up first on a two-yard Kendall Hunter touchdown run and
driving in the third quarter down just 14, but a Brandon Pettigrew
fumble paved the way to a nine-play, 48-yard drive finishing with an
eight-yard Crabtree score. Shannon Woods added three touchdowns for
the Red Raiders on a three-yard run and two short catches.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
40-of-50 passes for 456 yards and six touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac
Robinson, 16-28, 182 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kendall Hunter, 17-112, 2 TD. Receiving:
Brandon Pettigrew, 7-72
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 40-50,
456 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 11-79. Receiving: Eric Morris,
10-97, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
Texas win might have been the biggest in Texas Tech history, but the
win over the Oklahoma State was when everything came together. This
might have been the best performance in the Mike Leach era with the
quarterbacks (Taylor Potts came in late) competing 45-of-55 passes
for 516 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. The team
proved that there wouldn’t be a letdown after the Texas win, but now
there’s a week off before going to Oklahoma. Will the consistency
and explosion cool off? It’s unlikely. The team will have to be used
to playing in adverse situations; Oklahoma will be certain to keep
up the pace.
Nov. 1
Texas
Tech 39 … Texas 33
Graham Harrell connected with Michael Crabtree for a 28-yard
touchdown with one second left on the clock as Texas Tech fought
back to pull off the biggest win in school history. The Red Raiders
got up 19-0 starting out with a safety on the first Texas offensive
play, and Baron Batch ran for a three-yard touchdown and Harrell hit
Eric Morris for an 18-yard touchdown. Texas struggled to get back,
but was able to get a field goal at the end of the first half and
got a spark on a 45-yard Jordan Shipley punt return for a score
early in the second. Tech got the momentum back with an 18-yard
interception return for a touchdown from Daniel Charbonnet, but
Texas wasn’t done. Colt McCoy hit Malcolm Williams for a 37-yard
touchdown late in the third, and hooked up with Williams again for a
91-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth. Texas was able to
finally take the lead on a four-yard Vondrell McGee touchdown run
with 1:29 left to play, but after a big kickoff return from Jamar
Wall, Texas Tech had a short field to work with. With 11 seconds to
play, Texas appeared to have a sure interception, but Blake Gideon
let the ball slip through his hands allowing Tech one final shot.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
35-of-52 passes for 476 yards and two touchdowns, and WR Michael
Crabtree caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy,
20-34, 294 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Foswhitt Whittaker, 6-42. Receiving: Malcolm
Williams, 4-182, 2 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 35-52,
476 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 15-71. Receiving: Michael
Crabtree, 10-127, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... All of
a sudden, with one incredible pass and a phenomenal catch and
touchdown, Texas Tech is deep in the national title hunt with the
potential to make an even bigger statement over the next two games
against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. The offense will be the
offense, the production will always be there, but the key to winning
will be the improved play of a defensive front that knocked Colt
McCoy around all night long. As big as this win over Texas might
have been, don’t forget that it took a minor miracle to pull off the
win, and had that last play not clicked, everyone would be talking
about how McCoy pulled it off and how Tech blew a 19-0 lead.
Oct. 23
Texas
Tech 63 … Kansas 21
Graham Harrell threw five touchdown passes and ran for another, and
Darcel McBath picked off three passes as Texas Tech blew past
Kansas. The Jayhawks tied it at 14 in the first quarter on a 10-yard
Dezmon Briscoe catch, and then it was all Red Raiders as they scored
49 straight points with Shannon Woods running for two scores and
Eric Morris catching touchdown passes from seven and 10 yards out.
In all, the Texas Tech offense cranked out 556 yards of total
offense while the defense forced five turnovers.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
34-of 42 passes for 386 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran for 14
yards and a score. DB Darcel McBath made seven tackles and three
interceptions.
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing,
16-26, 154 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 13-80. Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe,
8-55, 1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 34-42,
386 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 14-79, 2 TD. Receiving:
Michael Crabtree, 9-70, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now
that’s the Texas Tech everyone has been waiting for. The offense
was flawless against Kansas, Graham Harrell was nearly perfect, the
defense swarmed and came up with the big play, and there weren’t
many mistakes. After a tight first quarter, Tech held on to the ball
for 10:53 in the second quarter and 13:41 in the third. Ball game.
This is the game that’ll serve notice that the Red Raiders belong in
the national title hunt with the really, really big games coming up.
Oct. 18
Texas Tech
43 … Texas A&M 25
Texas Tech opened up a tight game with a strong second half scoring
the first 23 points with A&M only able to get on the board with a
blocked kick return for a two-point conversion. The Aggies
controlled most of the first half with Stephen McGee throwing a
three-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Tannehill and Mike Goodson running
for a one-yard score, but Tech stayed alive with a 25-yard Michael
Crabtree touchdown catch and two scores from Baron Batch. Graham
Harrell finished with two short touchdown runs and three touchdown
passes. The Red Raiders outgained the Aggies 561 yards to 306.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
44-of-56 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns and two
interceptions, and ran for two short scores.
Stat Leaders: Texas A&M - Passing: Jerrod
Johnson, 26-39, 283 yds
Rushing: Mike Goodson, 8-18, 1 TD. Receiving: Mike
Goodson, 9-62
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 44-56,
450 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 13-87, 1 TD. Receiving: Detron
Lewis, 9-92
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas
Tech did what good teams are supposed to do. After struggling early
on against Texas A&M, the defense tightened up, adjusted, and
controlled the second half while the offense kept on rolling. Tech
held on to the ball for more than 22 minutes in the second half and
finished with 10-of-12 on third down conversions. Graham Harrell
spread the ball around well, and while he didn’t hit on much of
anything deep, he kept taking what the Aggies gave him. He did a
great job of keeping plays alive with his feet and his vision.
However, for all the positives, the Red Raiders committed 10
penalties and committed three turnovers.
Oct. 11
Texas Tech
37 … Nebraska 31 OT
Texas Tech got a one-yard touchdown run from Eric Morris in
overtime, but the point after attempt was blocked. Nebraska wasn’t
able to take advantage as Joe Ganz threw an ill-advised pass into
the arms of Red Raider DB Jamar Wall to end the thriller. The
Huskers had forced overtime with a 17-yard Todd Peterson touchdown
catch with just 29 seconds to play as a response to a great late
drive from Texas Tech that finished with a one-yard Graham Harrell
scoring plunge. Tech held a 24-10 with just over 12 minutes to play,
but Ganz ran for a touchdown and threw for two scores in a wild
fourth quarter. Michael Crabtree caught touchdown passes from 35 and
four yards out for the Red Raiders.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree caught five
passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Nebraska - Passing: Joe Ganz,
36-44, 349 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Marlon Lucky, 16-66. Receiving: Todd
Peterson, 8-77, 1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 20-25,
284 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 10-97. Receiving: Michael
Crabtree, 5-89, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
offense has been fine, but it’s lacking that certain explosive
element to put teams away. The Red Raiders should’ve put the
Nebraska game well out of reach in the third quarter. The running
game was working and Graham Harrell averaged an impressive 11.4
yards per pass, but when it came time to come up with the big plays
in the fourth quarter, the offense, outside of Michael Crabtree,
struggled a bit. With a bad Texas A&M defense up next, the offense
has to have everything working perfectly with the big boys (Kansas,
Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma) to follow.
Oct. 4
Texas Tech 58 … Kansas State 28
Graham Harrell threw six touchdown passes and ran for a one-yard
score in a blowout win. It took a quarter for things to get ugly.
Kansas State tied it at 14 early on in the second quarter with a
one-yard Josh Freeman run before Texas Tech broke it open with a
24-point run. Lyle Leong caught three touchdown passes and Michael
Crabtree grabbed a 29-yard strike. Ernie Pierce scored for KSU on a
33-yard catch in the first quarter and on a return of a blocked punt
in the final minutes. Texas Tech gained 626 yards to Kansas State’s
296.
Player of the game: Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
38-of-51 passes for 454 yards and six touchdowns, and he ran for a
score.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham
Harrell, 38-51, 454 yds, 6 TD
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 18-70. Receiving: Michael
Crabtree, 9-107, 2 TD
Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 13-28, 170
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Lamark Brown, 25-64. Receiving: Deon Murphy,
4-42
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The offense is
just starting to hum at the right time. Kansas State was supposed to
be a dangerous trap game in Tech’s first real road test of the
season, and it was a joke. Graham Harrell was on point from the
start, the running game was solid, Shannon Woods and Baron Batch
keep on rolling, and the defense kept the middling Wildcat offense
in check. Nebraska is struggling, so next week’s game needs to be
another blowout, and Texas A&M is a mess, so there’s no reason to
expect anything less than a 7-0 start before the meat of the
schedule kicks in starting with a date at Kansas.
Sept. 20
Texas Tech 56 … Massachusetts 14
Texas Tech had few problems against UMass getting out to a 42-7
halftime lead thanks to help from the running game. Graham Harrell
threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns, while Shannon Woods ran for
108 yards and three scores. UMass got its first half score on a
53-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Brian Ellis, but that
only seemed to sharpen up the Texas Tech attack that much more.
Harrell threw two touchdown passes to Eric Morris and connected with
Michael Crabtree for a four-yard score, while Woods scored from two,
38 and 18 yards out. The defense got into the act on the first drive
of the third quarter when Darcel McBath took a Liam Coen pass 45
yards for a score.
Player of the game: Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed
27-of-34 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UMass - Passing: Liam Coen, 13-20,
145 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Korrey Davis, 15-51, 1 TD. Receiving:
Victor Cruz, 5-54
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 27-34, 322
yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Shannon Woods, 10-108, 3 TD. Receiving:
Baron Batch, 5-68
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas Tech got
the ground game involved a bit more in the win over UMass, and while
Graham Harrell and the passing game did its thing without a problem.
It was Shannon Woods and Baron Batch who provided the balance with
163 yards and three scores. Woods got all the touchdowns, but they
showed that it’s not always going to ball about Harrell. Finally the
team gets a real game with a trip to Kansas State up next.
Sept. 13
Texas Tech 43 … SMU 7
The Texas Tech offense worked, and SMU’s didn’t. Michael Crabtree
scored from 23, 47 and 50 yards out, and Graham Harrell threw
touchdown passes to Edward Britton and Detron Lewis as part of a
43-0 Red Raider run. SMU finally got on the board with a seven-yard
Aldrick Robinson touchdown catch late in the fourth. The Mustang
attack was outgained 693 yards to 274 with the Red Raiders throwing
for 513 yards.
Player of the game: Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree caught eight
passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham
Harrell, 31-48, 418 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Baron Batch, 10-98, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Crabtree,
8-164, 3 TD
SMU
-
Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 13-24, 155 yds, 5 INT
Rushing: DeMyron Martin, 10-33. Receiving: Emmanuel
Sanders, 8-125
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The penalties
keep on coming. Yes, the offense needed to show it really does work
with a blowout game against SMU, and yes Graham Harrell appeared to
be back on track again, but there were 8 penalties for 61 yards for
a team that’s having issues at keeping the mistakes to a minimum.
Overall, through, this was the wipeout needed to get Michael
Crabtree rolling and to open up the passing game. Now it all has to
continue.
Sept. 6
Texas Tech
35 ... Nevada 19
Texas Tech sputtered a bit by its own high standards, but it came up
with the big play with Eric Morris returning a punt 86 yards for a
touchdown and Michael Crabtree catching an 82-yard scoring pass to
finally pull away. The Red Raiders never trailed after getting down
3-0, but the Wolf Pack stayed alive on four Brett Jaekle field goals
and Marko Mitchell caught a 48-yard scoring pass in the fourth.
Shannon Woods ran for two Tech touchdown runs and Morris added a
13-yard scoring run to stay one step ahead in the second half.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech LB Bront Bird made 14 tackles with
a sack and two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Nevada - Passing: Colin Kaepernick,
24-35, 264 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Colin Kaepernick, 17-92. Receiving: Marko
Mitchell, 9-147, 1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 19-46, 297
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 6-47. Receiving: Michael Crabtree,
7-158, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Is it time
to worry that it's only game two and the machine isn't firing on all
cylinders? Chalk up the win over Nevada to a defense that bent, but
rarely broke as it held the Wolf Pack offense to field goals instead
of touchdowns until the fourth quarter. When the offense needed the
big play, it got it from Michael Crabtree. In the end, it might be a
good sign that the team didn't play well and still one, but the
penalties are still a problem committing nine for 81 yards.
Aug. 30
Texas Tech 49 ...
Eastern Washington 24
Graham Harrell bombed away for 536 yards with Eric Morris and Detron
Lewis combining for 18 catches for 327 yards, but it was the running
game that came up with most of the points with Shannon Woods running
for two shore scores and Harrell, Aaron Crawford and Baron Batch
each getting into the end zone. EWU hung around down 28-17 at
halftime, but the Red Raiders put it away on a one-yard Edward
Britton touchdown catch. Michael Crabtree made nine catches for 73
yards and a score.
Player of the game:
Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell completed 43
of 58 passes for 536 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
He also ran for a score.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Washington - Passing: Matt
Nichols, 36-51, 335 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Dale Morris, 9-17. Receiving: Tony Davis, 13-114,
1 TD
Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 43-58,
536 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Baron Batch, 5-40, 1 TD. Receiving: Eric Morris,
9-164
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Eastern
Washington is one of the best FCS teams going into the year with a
high-octane offense, so there's no real need to get worried quite
yet about the defense having a few problems. Penalties were the
biggest problem with the Red Raiders committing 18 for 169 yards.
Fortunately, the team has four games to work on tightening up before
dealing with Kansas State.
2008
Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
McKinner Dixon
DL 6-3 265
Lufkin, Texas (Cisco JC)
Returns to the program after earning freshman All-America honors as
a standout pass rusher for the Red Raiders in 2005 ... an
aggressive, physical presence up front, he racked up 26 total
tackles, including six for loss and two sacks, appearing in 10 games
during his rookie season at Tech ... played the 2007 season at Cisco
Junior College, finishing with 68 total tackles (45 solo) and
leading the defense with nine sacks, while also forcing two fumbles
and recording an interception in just nine games ... an honorable
mention All-Conference choice for a Wrangler team finished with a
7-3 record and an average margin of victory of 17.3 points ... rated
a four-star prospect and the No. 11 junior college defensive end by
Scout.com ... listed as the No. 12 defender and No. 18 overall
player on the SuperPrep JUCO 100 for 2008 ... chose Tech over
Louisville and TCU, but held offers from Arkansas, Oklahoma and
Texas as a prep in 2005.
Potential Instant Impact Players
Broderick Marshall
DL 6-5 280 Austin, Texas
(Tyler JC)
Initially a member of Texas Tech's 2006 signing class, his size
makes him a candidate to play either defensive end or tackle for the
Red Raiders ... totaled 43 tackles (16 solo) two behind the line,
and one and a half sacks, earning first-team All-Southwest Junior
College Conference honors following his sophomore season at Tyler in
2007 ... a four-star prospect and the No. 7 junior college defensive
tackle prospect in the nation according to Scout.com ... also
the No. 91 overall player on the SuperPrep 'JUCO 100 for 2008' ...
was the District 25-4A Defensive MVP as a high school senior in
2005, finishing with 47 tackles, three sacks, four forced fumbles
and three pass break-ups on a McCallum defense that held opponents
to just 14.9 points per game ... originally chose Tech over offers
from Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma State coming out of
high school in 2006.
Brandon Sesay
DL 6-6 273 Atlanta, Ga.
(College of the Sequoias)
The premier defensive prospect to have signed with Texas Tech during
the Mike Leach era ... a dominating pass rusher with tremendous size
and strength, he appears primed to make an instant impact at the
Division I level ... also listed as a four-star prospect and the No.
6 junior college defensive end by Scout.com ... registered 28
tackles (23 solo) including seven for loss and four sacks in six
games for Sequoias in 2007 ... racked up 63 tackles and an
impressive 12 sacks in eight games as a freshman in 2006 at
Northwest Community College in Mississippi ... originally signed
with Georgia out of high school in 2005 after totaling 50 tackles,
including 15 for loss, 17.5 sacks, 24 hurries and eight forced
fumbles as a senior at Douglass ... a member of the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Super Southern 100 following his final prep
season ... reportedly received over 70 written scholarship offers
during his final junior college season ... has two years to play two
... chose Tech over California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi,
Michigan, Oregon, and Tennessee amongst others.
Rest of the Class
| Donnie Carona |
P/K |
6-0 |
210 |
Beaumont, Texas (Kelly) |
| Omar Castillo |
OL |
6-6 |
285 |
Roswell, N.M. (Goddard) |
| Cody Davis |
DB |
6-2 |
205 |
Stephenville, Texas
(Stephenville) |
| Seth Doege |
QB |
6-2 |
200 |
Wolfforth, Texas (Frenship) |
| Cornelius Douglas
|
ATH |
5-9 |
180 |
Lawton, Okla. (Lawton) |
| Joey Fowler |
DL |
6-4 |
271 |
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Westmoore) |
| Deveric Gallington
|
OL |
6-4 |
320 |
North Richland Hills, Texas
(Richland) |
| Ryan Haliburton |
DL |
6-4 |
234 |
Wolfforth, Texas (Frenship) |
| Harrison Jeffers
|
RB |
5-9 |
210 |
Lawton, Okla. (Eisenhower) |
| Joe King |
OL |
6-6 |
297 |
Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam
City North) |
| Terry McDaniel |
OL |
6-7 |
330 |
Diana, Texas (New Diana) |
| Brandon Reid |
ATH |
6-2 |
208 |
El Paso, Texas (Canutillo) |
| Jarell Routt |
DB |
6-0 |
205 |
Texas City, Texas
(Coffeyville CC) |
2007 Recap
Recap:
It was a familiar tale for Texas Tech in 2007, highlighted by plenty
of offense, a bowl invitation, and an inability to break through the
glass ceiling in the Big 12 South. The Red Raiders did add one
twist this season, a rare New Year’s Day bowl game against Virginia
that they rallied to win with 17 unanswered points in the final four
minutes. QB Graham Harrell continued his assault on the record
books, throwing 48 touchdown passes and uncovering a new partner in
crime, freshman WR Michael Crabtree.
Offensive Player of the Year: WR Michael Crabtree
Defensive Player of the Year: S Joe Garcia
Biggest Surprise: For the second time in three years, the Red
Raiders upset Oklahoma in Lubbock, knocking the nation’s No. 3 team
out of the national title hunt. Yeah, it helped that Sooner QB Sam
Bradford lasted less than a quarter, but the way Harrell and
Crabtree were hooking up all night, Tech might have won the game no
matter the circumstances.
Biggest Disappointment: Even 646 yards from Harrell and a
pair of 200-yard receivers weren’t enough for the Red Raiders to
outscore Oklahoma State on Sept. 22. Tech held the lead late in the
final quarter, but relinquished it for good when Cowboy TE Brandon
Pettigrew rambled for a 54-yard touchdown reception with 1:37 left
in the game.
Looking Ahead: The Red Raiders lose very little from last
year’s Gator Bowl team, and developed a lot of young kids, so
they’ll be thinking real big in 2008. The offense is fine, but to
win that elusive Big 12 South crown, Tech must plug up some holes on
defense, especially against the run.