2008 Texas Tech Football: The Air Raid Reaches Its Peak
Mike Leach came to Lubbock in 2000, bringing with him a high-powered passing offense that spread the field and blew out scoreboard lights. It was not necessarily accompanied by stingy defense, and while Leach’s teams played consistent winning football, they had not been a national contender. In 2008, Texas Tech football had one of the best seasons in program history, won a memorable prime-time game and ran with the national elite much of the year.
THE AIR RAID HITS FULL SPEED
Graham Harrell was the trigger man for this year’s edition of Leach’s “Air Raid” attack that typically used four wide receivers and a single running back, eschewing the traditional tight end. Harrell put the ball up 626 times in 2008 and threw for over 5,000 yards. Lest you think this was all about volume, Harrell was also efficient—he completed 71 percent of his passes, generated 8.2 yards-per-attempt, and posted a 45-9 TD/INT ratio.
Michael Crabtree was the main target. With 97 catches and 1,165 yards, Crabtree made All-American and had an NFL career ahead of him. Detron Lewis and Eric Morris added 70-plus catches.
And while the running game may have been more of a side act, it was an effective one. Brian Batch and Shannon Woods each went over 700 yards and averaged better than five a pop. The offensive line was anchored by All-American Brandon Carter and All-Big 12 Rylan Reed.
With all this weaponry, Texas Tech’s offense ranked third in the nation for points scored.
The defense had its issues, and Big 12 football in general at this time was extremely wide open. But even ranking 75th nationally for points allowed, Tech still had some talent on this side of the ball. Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet were both All-Conference players in the secondary and combined to intercept twelve passes.
Up front, Brandon Williams was another All-Big 12 player, leading the conference with 13 sacks. He got help from McKinner Dixon, who got home eight times.
In a Big 12 that was defined by Texas and Oklahoma at the top, Texas Tech was still respected and ranked #12 in the preseason polls.
BUILDING MOMENTUM
The early part of the schedule was a time for tuning the machine. The Red Raiders rolled past Eastern Washington to start the season. They went to Nevada and beat a respectable Wolfpack team 35-19. Blowout wins over lowly SMU, and then-Division II UMass pushed their record to 4-0.
Texas Tech had scored 183 points in the four non-conference games. They began Big 12 play now ranked #7 in the nation with hopes of breaking into the Texas-OU power structure at the top.
PREPARING FOR THE SPOTLIGHT
Tech went to Kansas State for their first league game and hung a 58-28 beating on a mediocre opponent. Back home against Nebraska, facing a Cornhusker team that was headed for eight wins, the Red Raiders got their first real test. It took overtime, but a 37-31 win kept the undefeated season going.
Texas A&M was on a bad year, and Tech rolled into College Station and came out with an easy 43-25 win. Kansas, after a spectacular run to the Orange Bowl in 2007, slid back to the middle of the pack in 2008. Texas Tech helped them along the way, pouring on 63 points in an easy win at Lawrence.
The schedule hadn’t been noteworthy, but the results were there. The month of October concluded with the Red Raiders at 8-0 and ranked #6. November would open with a prime-time visit from Texas, who stood at the top of the polls. Now it was time to find out if they belonged.
PANDEMONIUM IN LUBBOCK
Red Raiders-Longhorns was the game the nation was talking about. ESPN’s Gameday was on campus in Lubbock. The legendary basketball coach, Bob Knight, who had just retired from Texas Tech the previous February, was on with ESPN. The atmosphere was alive. And Texas Tech was ready to meet the moment.
The defense got the scoring started with a safety. Harrell hit Morris with an 18-yard touchdown pass. By halftime, the Red Raiders had a 22-6 lead.
Texas had a high-powered offense of their own, with Heisman runner-up Colt McCoy at quarterback. But the first crack from Tech didn’t come on defense, but on special teams. They allowed a punt return for a touchdown. Charbonnet had the answer, with a Pick-6 against McCoy and the lead was still 29-13 midway through the third quarter.
Then McCoy started to heat up. The Red Raiders allowed touchdown passes from 37 yards and then a fast one from 91 yards. The lead was down to 29-26 in the fourth quarter, and it was a race to the finish line.
Harrell led a solid drive in the fourth quarter, but it ended with a field goal. It was 32-26 with a little less than six minutes to go. Having to settle for three in a game like this seemed like a defeat. And it was, at least in the short-term. Texas marched down the field and scored with 1:45 left. Now trailing 33-32, it was up to Harrell to put together one last drive.
Texas Tech marched to the Texas 28-yard line. There was realistically time for one more play before they had to kick the field goal. Harrell threw it down the right sideline. Crabtree caught it at the six-yard line with three seconds on the clock. He spun out of a tackle and went into the end zone. Touchdown. Pandemonium.
Harrell had gone 36/53 for 474 yards and no interceptions. Edward Britton caught seven balls for 139 yards. And Crabtree’s game-winner was his 10th catch of the night, sealing a 127-yard performance. The 39-33 win sent Texas Tech soaring to #2 in the polls.
The format of the time called for the top two teams in the final polls to meet for the national championship. There were still tough games ahead, but the Red Raiders controlled their own destiny.
THUNDERING FORWARD
There was no time to celebrate. One week later, eighth-ranked Oklahoma State came into Lubbock. Texas Tech spotted the Cowboys the game’s first touchdown and then Harrell went to work.
In short order, Harrell hit Edward Britton, Morris, and Crabtree with touchdown passes. By the early second quarter, it was 21-7. After an Oklahoma State answer, Woods’ short TD run put the Red Raiders up 28-14 at the half.
Harrell’s eight-yard scoring toss to Crabtree opened some breathing room, but the Cowboys answered back. At 35-20, the quarter and a half remaining was still a lifetime in this era of Big 12 football.
The Air Raid offense just took matters into their own hands. Harrell threw another touchdown pass to Crabtree. Then two more to Woods. All in all, Harrell went 40/50 for 456 yards and six touchdowns. Once again, he continued to throw at this volume without interceptions. Texas Tech won 56-20.
THE PRICE OF ONE LOSS
After a week off, Texas Tech was faced with another major prime-time test, this one on the road at Oklahoma. There was an intriguing three-team dynamic shaping up in the Big 12 that directly impacted the national picture. Texas had beaten Oklahoma. If the Sooners turned around beat the Red Raiders it would leave all three teams in a circular tie, one loss apiece, against each other.
The Big 12’s means of settling this was to defer to whomever the polls ranked higher. Even with their win over Texas, the Red Raiders had less respect than the Longhorns and Sooners. No one even considered the possibility they would win a three-way tie. There was only one path forward and it was to win outright.
Alas, Texas Tech’s defense did prove out of its element in Norman on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving. They allowed over 600 yards of total offense to a machine led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford. Tech surrendered 35 points in the second quarter alone. They were on the wrong end of a 65-21 rout.
A BITTERSWEET ENDING
The loss seemed to take the wind out of Texas Tech’s sails. They closed out the regular season with a ho-hum 35-28 win over a bad Baylor team and accepted a Cotton Bowl bid. The Red Raiders were still ranked #7, still 11-1 and still in position to finish in the national top 10 for the first time in program history as they faced #20 Ole Miss in what would be the last Cotton Bowl played at the historic outdoor venue that bore the name of the bowl game.
Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead in Dallas. But the game turned more physical than wide-open. Ole Miss outrushed Texas Tech 223-145, gradually took over the trenches and handed the Red Raiders a 47-34 loss. They settled for #12 in the final polls and had to wait until 2025 before they finished in the top 10.
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Even without an official top 10 finish, Texas Tech’s rise remains one of the memorable stories of the 2008 college football season, and their game with Texas lives on as an all-time classic. They were the best team in the decade Leach coached in Lubbock and one of the best in the long history of the school.