Texas Tech football classics: Red Raiders hold off Nebraska in 2008
Tech hangs on 37-31 in OT
Today’s Red Raider fans may not believe it but there was a time when Tech was fantastic in games that were decided in the final few minutes of regulation or in overtime. But that didn’t keep the stadium from being overrun with a sense of fear when the Huskers battled back from a 24-10 deficit at the start of the 4th quarter to tie the game.
Building a 17-7 halftime lead, Tech got a 35-yard TD from Michael Crabtree and a 4-yard Shannon Woods TD run along with a Donnie Corona FG to take control. And when Harrell connected with Crabtree in the third quarter for a 4-yard TD pass to answer a Husker field goal on the first possession of the half, it looked like the Huskers might be dead in the water.
However, the fourth quarter saw all the momentum swing in the visitor’s favor. Joe Ganz ran for a one-yard TD early in the quarter to cap a drive that was kept alive by a successful fake field goal. That special teams play was what turned the momentum and gave the underdogs new life.
After a Tech punt, Ganz then hit Dreu Young for a 2-yard TD pass that tied the game with the extra point. But there was still six minutes left and that was an eternity for Harrell and Crabtree.
In fact, Tech needed only 2:21 to march down the field and score to claim a 31-24 lead. The drive ended with Harrell sneaking in from a yard out but the key play of the drive, and possibly the game, was a fourth-down gamble that went Tech’s way.
Facing a 4th and 5 at his own 36 with over three and a half minutes to play, Leach rolled the dice…well…sort of. Tech went to the line and tried to draw NU offsides. It appeared to work as a Husker jumped into the neutral zone but no flag was thrown. Seeing what they thought was going to be a penalty, Tech snapped the ball and Harrell lofted a ball down the sidelines to Crabtree, who was wide open, for a 47-yard gain the NU 17. It was actually an awful pass from Harrell because he threw it short forcing Crabtree to hold up and allowing the defenders to recover.
But according to the Tech QB, the play wasn’t supposed to happen at all. Talking to Fox Sports Southwest reporter Jim Knox after the game, Harrell said that Leach didn’t tell his team to snap the ball on that play but they did because they thought they had drawn a neutral zone infraction.
However, the Huskers answered with ease to tie the game. Driving 79 yards in 1:52, they sent the game to OT with a 17-yard TD pass from Gantz to Todd Peterson.
In OT, Tech scored on its first possession. But after a one-yard TD by Eric Morris off of a jet sweep on third down, Corona’s extra point attempt was blocked. But fortunately, the defense finally came up big as Jamar Wall picked off Gantz on the second play of the ensuing NU drive to seal the win.
Perhaps Tech was looking ahead to the next week’s game at Texas A&M, or perhaps Pelini just had a solid game plan, as we will discuss in a moment, but for whatever reason, a sneaky NU team that would finish the year 9-4 nearly derailed Tech’s special 2008 season. But back in those days, Tech came out on top in close games way more often than not and this was another case of Leach’s team pulling one out after causing all of us heart trouble.