Texas Tech University Athletics
Crabtree Sets School Record, Ties NCAA Mark
September 29, 2007 | Football
Sept. 29, 2007
By Matt Dowdy, Texas Tech Media Relations
Considering the Red Raiders are only five games into the 2007 season, redshirt freshman Michael Crabtree's 14 touchdowns can only be described in one word - impressive.
Extending his multiple touchdown game streak to five, Crabtree hauled in three Graham Harrell touchdown passes in the Red Raiders' 75-7 victory over Northwestern State setting a new single-season school record, while also tying the NCAA freshman mark.
Crabtree finished the game with eight receptions for 135 yards, despite leaving the game midway through the third quarter.
"I really didn't know until close to the end of the game when coaches started coming up to me and telling me," Crabtree said. "I was like, `freshman record? I didn't know anything about it.' I was kind of shocked at the end."
Crabtree joins Florida's Jabar Gaffney (2000), Mike Williams (2002) of USC, and Devone Bess (2005) from Hawaii atop the NCAA freshman touchdown reception list.
He now has 920 yards on the season and is three touchdowns from tying Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods for the Big 12 record.
"He is definitely better than average," Tech Head Coach Mike Leach said. "I think one of the greatest catches I have ever seen was the one that was negated, and that is about as good as you get."
Crabtree's first touchdown came midway through the first half on a 34-yard strike from Harrell giving the Red Raiders an early 13-0 lead.
Early in the third quarter, Crabtree hauled in a 30-yard touchdown reception that tied him at the time with Jarrett Hicks and Joel Filani for the school's single-season record. He broke the record on a six-yard touchdown catch with 8:01 left in the quarter.
"You know he's going to get his catches, and he made some great catches," Northwestern State head coach Scott Stroker said. "What a great athlete. He's going to be a special player here for a very long time because he's hard to match up against with either a zone or man-to-man."
Crabtree now has three touchdowns in four of five games this season and 100-plus yards in all five games.
Only one question remains ... how many touchdowns will Crabtree finish with at the end of the season?
"I set my goals to break the freshman record, but I did that in five games, so now my goal is to win the Big 12," Crabtree said.
