Texas Tech football: The 5 defining moments of Graham Harrell’s career

No. 4: Upset of No. 4 OU in 2007

The foundation for the amazing run that was the 2008 season was actually laid a year earlier when the Red Raiders took down No. 4 Oklahoma 34-27 in Lubbock.  That was the night that a national television audience saw what Harrell and Crabtree were capable of, many for the first time.

That performance may not have been Harrell’s most statistically significant though.  He threw for 420  yards, 2 TDs, and 2 picks.  Those are modest numbers by his standards.

But the significance of the win was undeniable.  That’s because it turned the college football world upside down.

Earlier that day, No. 2 Oregon lost giving Oklahoma a clearer path to a potential spot in the BCS title game.  Many believed that if the Sooners would have won out, they would have been in great shape for a title game appearance.

But thanks to Harrell and Crabtree, that didn’t happen.  That duo hooked up 12 times for 154 yards and a TD.  And they provided the contest’s game-changing play in the first quarter.

With Tech down 7-6, Harrell hit Crabtree on a short pass that he took 60 yards to the OU one-yard-line.  Harrell would then sneak the ball into the endzone on the next play to put Tech ahead for good.

In fact, the Red Raiders would rattle off 24-straight points as Harrell hit Crabtree for a 13-yard score on the next drive and then found Morris for a 15-yard TD.  After that, Tech hung on thanks to some timely defense as the offense cooled off.

This game set the stage for 2008.  But stunning the college football world, Tech got the attention of people around the nation, and that opened the door for the Red Raiders to begin the next year in the top-15.