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Texas Tech football classics: Red Raiders hold off Nebraska in 2008

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot "Masked Rider" runs down the field before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 29, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia defeated Texas Tech 42-34. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 29: The Texas Tech Red Raiders mascot "Masked Rider" runs down the field before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on September 29, 2018 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. West Virginia defeated Texas Tech 42-34. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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A Texas Tech Red Raiders fan holds up a sign reading “Raider” (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
A Texas Tech Red Raiders fan holds up a sign reading “Raider” (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Inside the play of the game

Jamar Wall, the cornerback from Plainview, got credit for making the game-winning play.  But the reality is that his part in the interception was simple.

He had to merely catch a softly thrown ball that floated right into his hands.  The real credit should go to a pair of Red Raider pass rushers, Daniel Howard and McKinner Dixon, as they flushed Ganz from the pocket and harassed him into an awful decision.

At the snap, Howard got just enough of a pass rush upfield to force Ganz to notice him.  Rushing from the QB’s front side, he was in Ganz’s field of vision and that seemed to prompt Ganz to leave the pocket when he didn’t need to.

Rolling to his right, Ganz was then tracked down by Dixon, who peeled off of his blocker and dove for the QB.  With Dixon wrapped around his legs, Ganz tried to get rid of the ball and it looks like his hope was to simply throw the ball out of bounds as Wall was the only player within a 10-yard radius.

What’s important to understand is that Gans was so close to the line of scrimmage that he would have saved only about two yards if he had been able to throw the ball away.  It wasn’t worth the risk and the result of this play was a classic example of how pressure on the QB can force mistakes.

When the ball reached Wall, it seemed like he was stunned that Ganz even threw it because he actually bobbled it before securing the grab.  Fortunately, the former high school running back made the play and helped keep Tech’s undefeated season alive.

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