LUBBOCK, Texas—The gaudy offensive numbers have become routine at Texas Tech. Year after the year, the Red Raiders and their rubber-arm quarterbacks toss the ball all over the Big 12.
It’s the much smaller numbers that have Red Raiders more excited about the 2008 season.
Tech returns 18 starters, 10 on that marauding point-a-minute offense, from last year’s 9-4 team. With those kinds of numbers, it’s no surprise the Red Raiders are the dark horse pick to maybe break the Oklahoma-Texas stranglehold on the Big 12 South.
It’s about time the Red Raiders back up all those wacky offensive statistics with a league title. Even coach Mike Leach acknowledges this team “has a chance” to be the best team in blustery West Texas in many years.
“We’ll see,” Leach said.
“Got a good starting point, but that’s a starting point to improve from. If you don’t improve from there then you really haven’t accomplished much,” he said. “And if they quit working, then they’re just going to be a statistic.”
For Tech to finally break through, everything must funnel through quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, the most dynamic sophomore in the country.
Harrell led the nation in passing in 2007 with 48 touchdowns and 5,705 yards. His favorite target was Crabtree, a speedster who led the nation in receiving with 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns, good enough to win the Biletnikoff Award as the best pass catcher in the country.
“He’s a special player that doesn’t come around very often,” Harrell said.
Making Tech even more dangerous is that Harrell is just the second Tech quarterback to start a third season under Leach.
If anyone has learned how to master Leach’s offensive wizardry, it’s the lanky QB who is such a fiery competitor he’ll often engage in trash talking with defenses.
Tech’s problems usually come on defense. Leach says this year should be different.
After a 49-45 loss at Oklahoma State in its fourth game last season Leach changed defensive coordinators. The unit gradually improved under Ruffin McNeill and while it still gave up some big numbers, the defense played a key role in a late-season home win over Big 12 champion Oklahoma.
McNeill “creates a lot of energy and gets those guys fired up. He starts screaming and yelling, whether he’s happy or he’s mad, and it kind of picks you up. Just the energy flying through the air has a value, you know?” Leach said.
Harrell agreed, saying it could be the defense that finally boosts Tech to a title.
“Not only do we have an offense that we feel can put up points against anyone, we have a defense that we think can stop anyone,” he said.
“When you combine those two it makes for a special season if things can fall into place,” Harrell said.
Tech has been to a bowl game every season under Leach and won five of the last six. What the Red Raiders haven’t done is beat Oklahoma and Texas in same year. They also haven’t had a 10-win season in 32 years.
Leach was fined a a record $10,000 by the Big 12 for his harsh criticism of game officials following the 59-43 loss to Texas last season.
Tech’s season will likely be defined in a three-week stretch in November. The Longhorns go to Lubbock on Nov. 1 and two weeks later, Tech travels to OU.
Win those two and the Red Raiders could be position to play for that elusive Big 12 title.
“We’ve just to keep doing what we’re doing,” Leach said. “We played pretty good against Texas at times. We were just a shade away from winning that (game last season). It’s too bad we didn’t.”
