Texas Tech Football: Top 10 Plays of 2015

No. 5 Jakeem Grant’s record-breaking reception vs. Texas

The No. 5 play from 2015 is a moment when an underdog became the top dog.

This catch from the heart-stopping Thanksgiving evening game was one of the most important plays Jakeem Grant made at Texas Tech. His 41-yard fourth quarter catch against Texas helped the Red Raiders defeat the Longhorns in Austin for the first time in 17 years while putting him atop an elite list of Texas Tech Red Raiders.

While there are other plays Grant made in this game, plays that will be talked about forever, do not dismiss the importance and the brilliance of this play.

With less than six minutes to play in the game and after trailing by two scores earlier in the quarter, Texas had stormed back to take a 4-point lead against the Red Raiders. Momentum was riding with Bevo at that point and Texas Tech desperately needed someone to make a play.

From just inside mid-field, Texas Tech sent Grant on a fly route from the slot position.

He was able to get a step on the defender and quarterback Pat Mahomes threw a perfect pass that Grant brought in at the two-yard-line. This play set Texas Tech up to regain the lead, which they did in short order on a run by DeAndre Washington.

But aside from the importance of this catch, appreciate the skill involved. Remember that the game was played in a downpour and Grant had to look back over his shoulder and up into the rain to see the ball. He was also right against the sideline so his body positioning had to be perfect to ensure he got a foot down in bounds.

Furthermore, the catch was historically significant because with this grab Grant became Texas Tech’s all-time leading receiver. The former 2-star recruit who was considered too small to play major college football by almost every school in American became the leading receiver in the history of the Big 12 program that produced Michael Crabtree and Wes Welker.  When Grant broke the school receiving record he did so with a catch that turned out to be one of the most important plays of the season.

Grant struggled with drops in 2014 but in 2015 he was as sure-handed of a receiver as there was in the Big 12. This difficult late-game grab put the Red Raider in position to score and was the momentum swing Texas Tech needed at that point of the game.

Next: Washington goes 80