Texas Tech football: The most painful plays in Red Raider history

Crabtree drops game-winning TD vs. Ok State in 2007

Perhaps there was only one instance in his two seasons as a Red Raider that Tech fans were angry with Michael Crabtree.   That came in 2007 when he dropped what would have been the game-winning TD in the wild shootout in Stillwater that gave us some legendary moments for both the Texas Tech football program and Oklahoma State.

In the 49-45 OSU victory, the teams traded blows all afternoon.  And with 19 seconds to go, the Red Raiders faced a 4th-and-8 on the Cowboy 15.

QB Graham Harrell went for the win and hit Crabtree in the hands with a perfect strike but somehow, the ball bounced off of the future two-time Biletnikoff Award winner’s hands allowing the Cowboys to hang on.  (You can watch the full game here and the Crabtree drop occurs at the 3:00:53 mark.)

If something caused this drop, it might have been a diving OSU defensive back who tried to deflect the ball and in the process did just enough to distract Crabtree as the defender’s hands appear to cross Crabtree’s line of sight.

Unfortunately, it was a play that completely changed the way we will forever view what was the second most prolific game of his career.  With 14 catches for 237 yards and three touchdowns, Crabtree was dominant.  But Tech needed him to haul in a fourth TD in order to pull out that game.

We all remember that game as the day OSU head coach Mike Gundy went on his “I’m a man.  I’m 40” rant and Mike Leach had his own postgame tirade ahead of firing his defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich.  But the defining moment of that entire afternoon was the only time that Red Raider fans ever had a reason to cuss at Michael Crabtree.