Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: The strangest endings in Red Raider history

By Matthew Conner

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Trent Nickerson #30 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Danny Amendola #20 celebrate after scoring the winning field goal at the Gator Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Trent Nickerson #30 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Danny Amendola #20 celebrate after scoring the winning field goal at the Gator Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on January 1, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)
(Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech gets a gift from Nebraska in 2005

Douglas Coleman’s mistake in Lawrence immediately reminded Texas Tech fans of the crazy finish to the Red Raiders’ trip to Nebraska in 2005.  That day, it appeared that the Cornhuskers would take down the No. 15 Red Raiders when defensive lineman LeKevin Smith picked off Cody Hodges at the Nebraska 5-yard-line with 1:51 to play.

But instead of just falling down to preserve what would have been a 31-27 win, Smith tried to run the interception back.  He was stripped of the ball by Red Raider backup guard Brian Kegans and when Danny Ammendola pounced on the loose ball, Tech had new life.

Four plays later, Hodges found Filani for a touchdown on 4th-and-2 to give Tech the improbable 34-31 win.  It was the first time in the storied history of Cornhusker football that the folks in Lincoln had suffered defeat on homecoming.

Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions.  This game was brutal on the nerves of both fan bases.

Tech jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to precision offense and a surprisingly effective defensive showing.  But for the bulk of the game, the home team controlled the style of play and the Huskers slowly chipped away at Tech’s advantage until they took the lead for the first time with just over ten minutes to play.

We took a deep look at this game a few months ago and it’s worth a look if you missed it because it was an unforgettable afternoon.  But when we were looking back on that classic finish, little did we know that we would soon know how it feels to be on the other side of the equation thanks to a surprisingly similar play.

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