Postgame Notes
November 02, 2008 | Football
Nov. 2, 2008
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | AP Photo Gallery 
GETTING STARTED
- Texas Tech won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. Tech is now 5-4 on the year in the opening toss.
- Today's game was televised nationally by ABC Sports and marked Tech's sixth televised game of the season and the second on ABC. Tonight's commentators were Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters.
- Texas Tech introduced its 2008 Hall of Honor class prior to tonight's game. The class included women's basketball player Alicia Thompson, golfer Robert McKinney, baseball players Mark Brandenburg and Joe Dillon and football players Robert Hall and Don King.
- Tonight's attendance of 56,333 is a new Jones AT&T Stadium record. The previous record was 56,168 set in 2006 against Texas.
Starters - (Offense) - (LT) Rylan Reed, (LG) Jake Johnson, (C) Stephen Hamby, (RT) Marlon Winn, (RG) Brandon Carter, (QB) Graham Harrell, (F) Shannon Woods (Y) Detron Lewis (Z) Michael Crabtree, (H) Eric Morris (X) Lyle Leong (Defense) - (LE) Jake Ratliff, (NT) Colby Whitlock, (DT) Richard Jones, (RE) Brandon Williams, (SAM) Bront Bird, (MIKE) Brian Duncan, (WILL) Marlon Williams, (LC) Jamar Wall, (SS) Daniel Charbonnet, (FS) Darcel McBath, (RC) Brent Nickerson
TECH'S WIN. . .
- Gives Texas Tech a 9-0 record to start the 2008 season and their first 9-0 start since 1938.
- Gives Tech an 11-game win streak (Big 12 best) dating back to the 2007 season and five-straight at home.
- Gives Tech a 5-0 start in conference play for the first time since 1953 when the Red Raiders were members of the Border Conference.
- Snaps a five-game losing skid to Texas. Prior to tonight, Tech's last win over Texas came in 2002 here at Jones AT&T Stadium.
- Marks Tech's first win over an opponent ranked No. 1 in the nation. Prior to tonight, the highest ranked team that Tech had ever defeated was No. 3 Texas in 2002 and No. 3 Oklahoma last season.
- Gives Mike Leach a career record of 74-37 and a 40-29 record against the Big 12 Conference.
- Gives Mike Leach a career record of 23-18 against the Big 12 South Division.
- Gives Mike Leach a career record of 2-7 against Texas.
HARRELL/CRABTREE COMBINATION LIFTS TECH TO HISTORIC WIN
Texas Tech's Heisman Trophy candidates Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell combined for their only touchdown of the game with one second left to give the Red Raiders their biggest win in school history. Harrell found Crabtree down the Texas sideline for a 28-yard touchdown reception with one second remaining and that gave the Red Raiders a come-from-behind 39-33 win over No. 1 Texas in front of 56,333 fans at Jones AT&T Stadium. The two have connected for touchdown passes 37 times (Big 12 record) in the last two years and No. 37 will forever be remembered in the Tech history books as it gave the Red Raiders their first-ever win over a team ranked No. 1 in the nation. Prior to tonight, the highest ranked team had beaten was No. 3 Texas in 2002 and No. 3 Oklahoma last year. For more information on Crabtree and Harrell, log on to www.passorcatch2008.com.
HELLO 9-0
Texas Tech's 39-33 win over Texas gave the Red Raiders a 9-0 record for the first time in 70 years as the last Tech team to accomplish this feat was the 1938 squad. Coincidentally, the only living member of that team was introduced to the crowd in a pre-game ceremony. Lonnie "Primo" McCurry was an offensive and a Little All-American and was offered contracts by the Chicago Bears and the Brooklyn Dodgers right as World War II broke out. He ended up enlisting the Marines and was awarded the Purple Heart for bravery and also fought in the battle of Iwa Jima.
MATT WILLIAMS COMING THROUGH FOR THE RED RAIDERS
Sophomore placekicker Matt Williams, the AT&T All-America Player of the Week, continues his storybook journey on the Red Raider football team as he connected on two field goals in tonight's game. Williams made his Red Raider debut last week at Kansas and kicked nine extra points and that earned him AT&T All-America Player of the Week honors.
- Gave the Red Raiders a 5-0 lead with 6:47 remaining in the first quarter when he kicked a 29-yard field goal. The field goal was his first career attempt.
- Made his second field goal of the game from 31 yards out with 1:37 remaining in the first half.
DEFENSE COMES UP BIG
Nearly every pundit in the nation said that the defenses would settle tonight's game and that was certainly the case for Ruffin McNeil's unit. The Tech defense held a potent Texas offense to 110 yards under the season average while also scoring nine points of their own to help lead the Red Raiders in a 39-33 win over No. 1 Texas. The Tech defense got a safety by Colby Whitlock and an interception return for a touchdown by Daniel Charbonnet to aid the effort along with four sacks.
NOTING THE RED RAIDERS
- Texas Tech scored its first two points of the game on a safety due to a defensive blitz on Texas' first offensive play of the game. Colby Whitlock took down Chris Ogbonnnya in the end zone for what was Tech's first safety since the Northwestern State game in 2007.
- Edward Britton's 46-yard reception in the first quarter was his third 40-plus yard catch in the last two games (tonight and last week at Kansas).
- Sophomore running back Baron Batch gave the Red Raiders an 11-0 lead with no time remaining in the first quarter when he scored on a three-yard rush. The rushing touchdown was his fifth of the season and capped off a 10-play 96 yard drive by the Red Raider offense and was the longest drive given up by the Texas defense this season.
- Graham Harrell's 14-yard pass to Lyle Leong in the second quarter (3rd and 14) made him the school's career completions leader. He surpassed Kliff Kingsbury who completed 1,231 passes between 1999-02.
- Senior receiver Eric Morris caught his fifth touchdown catch of the season when he hauled in an 18-yard touchdown reception from Graham Harrell with 9:39 remaining in the second quarter. The 18-yard touchdown capped off an 80-yard drive by the Red Raiders and was only the fourth 80-plus yard drive given up by Texas this season.
- Junior defensive end Brandon Williams picked up his team-leading 10th sack of the season midway through the second quarter. With two sacks tonight, DE Brandon Williams moved from sixth place to a fourth-place tie on the Tech career sacks list with 19.5 (Keyunta Dawson, 2003-06).
- Junior linebacker Marlon Williams then followed suit behind Williams on the very next play with a sack (his second of the year) for a loss of four yards that forced the Longhorns to settle for a 43-yard field goal.
- The Texas Tech defense held the Longhorns to just six points in the first half on two field goals and well as 108 yards of total offense. Of those 108 yards, 72 came on the final drive of the half.
- Texas' Jordan Shipley returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown at the 10:26 mark of the third quarter and that marked the first time an opponent had returned a punt for a TD against the Red Raiders in 15 years. Chris McCranie of Georgia was the last player to do so against Tech back on Sept.18, 1993.
- Daniel Charbonnet picked off his fifth pass of the season midway through the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown (18-yard return) to give the Red Raiders a 28-13 lead. The last Red Raider to return an interception for a touchdown was Darcel McBath earlier this season against UMASS (45-yard return).
