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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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Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders drum line get pumped up (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Members of the Texas Tech Red Raiders drum line get pumped up (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Hidden moments that helped Tech win

In any OT game, there are always hidden moments and overlooked factors that turn the tide.  That was certainly the case in this game.

First of all, Tech had a huge edge in penalties.  These two teams entered this game as the two most penalized teams in the nation that year but on this Saturday, almost all the flags went against the Huskers.

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The visitors were penalized eight times for 55 yards.  Among those was a personal foul for roughing the passer by junior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who has since earned a reputation for being one of the dirtiest players in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Tech was flagged just twice for 20 yards.  That included no penalties in the first half.

Flags played a huge role in a couple of drives that afternoon. Suh’s personal foul came on second-and-ten and gave the Red Raiders a first-and-goal at the four rather than having to face a third-and-five.  On the next play, Shannon Woods scored to put Tech up 17-7.

On the next drive, NU had a chance for points but back-to-back holding penalties pushed the ball from the Tech 24 to the Tech 44.  As a result, the Huskers had to settle for a 53-yard FG attempt to end the first half, a kick that came nowhere near splitting the uprights.  In a game that went to OT, that turn of events proved to be rather significant.

Another special teams play that went the way of the home team was when Corona banked in the extra point following Tech’s final TD of regulation.  In fact, had Corona not been a left-footed kicker the ball likely would have bounced the other way off the upright but because he had the slightest bit of a draw on it, he caught a break.  Had he missed, the game would not have made it to OT.

Though Corona would go on to a nice career at Tech, that year he was so bad that two weeks later, he would be replaced by walk-on kicker Matt Williams, who was literally plucked out of the student section to kick a FG for free rent at a local apartment complex.  But thankfully, Corona was good enough to doink in his last extra point of regulation against the Huskers.

In the end, most people forget about this 2008 win against Nebraska.  But it was one of four consecutive wins Tech had against the Huskers before they bolted for the Big 10.  In fact, Tech was the first school ever to beat Nebraska four times in a row.

Next. The all-time Houston area Texas Tech team. dark

The next week, Tech would go on to beat A&M 43-25 on the road and then a 63-21 win at Kansas set up the showdown with No. 1 Texas.  But were it not for this close escape against Nebraska, that legendary night against the Longhorns would have looked quite a bit different.

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