2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Officially, the interlocking U and A logo on Texas Tech’s football uniforms represents Under Armour, the athletics apparel company that is one of the school’s prominent sponsors. But the logo could also stand for “Under-Appreciated.”

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Red Raiders

The 2008 season could be Texas Tech’s best opportunity to win a conference title and earn a BCS bowl bid since the creation of the Big 12 in 1996. Tech welcomes back one of the best quarterbacks (Graham Harrell) and one of the best receivers (Michael Crabtree) in the country. The Raiders also feature a veteran offensive line and very few weaknesses on a defense that led the Big 12 in total defense in the last eight games of the season. Tech will miss the dependability of former placekicker Alex Trlica. But if Harrell can stay healthy, the other receivers continue to develop around Crabtree and the defense continues to improve under coordinator Ruffin McNeill, Tech could be in position to make a run at its first conference title since 1955. Tech should breeze through its non-conference schedule and must survive playing three of its first four conference games on the road. But if the Raiders simply take care of business and avoid being upset, they could be 7–0 heading into a key two-game stretch at Kansas and at home against Texas. If the Raiders can survive that stretch, the road trip to Oklahoma in late November could be for the Big 12 South title.

Tech has gone to eight straight bowl games under Mike Leach, winning five of the last six. The Raiders have led the NCAA in passing in five of Leach’s eight years; they’ve won 65 games since 2000 (third-most in the Big 12); they have won at least eight games six straight seasons; and they have had 11 players drafted by NFL teams the past seven seasons.

Despite all of those impressive numbers, Tech rarely receives much national attention during this time of the year. The reason: While the Red Raiders are consistently solid, they are never national players in the BCS picture. Tech hasn’t won a conference title outright since the 1955 Border Conference, and the Raiders have never finished with a better record than 6–2 in the Big 12 standings. Tech typically knocks off a Big 12 power every year, but it inevitably slips up against an inferior foe.

As a result, the Raiders are feared regionally and often forgotten nationally.

“We have been up and down too much,” says defensive end Brandon Williams. “Last year we beat Oklahoma, but we had bad losses against Oklahoma State, Missouri and Colorado. We want to be consistent from week to week. We want to win the Big 12.”

With 18 returning starters, this could be the best team Leach has fielded during his tenure in Lubbock. It’s a squad that appears capable of contending for the conference crown and taking a significant step toward national prominence. But the typically laid-back Leach says he isn’t approaching this season with any different expectations.

“I’m always really crummy at those big-picture scenarios, so I finally just gave up trying to figure out if this is supposed to be our year to do this or that,” Leach says. “I try to coach them all as good as I can and then at the end of the year we just see where we improved and where we stand.”

Quarterbacks

Every Tech quarterback under Leach has thrived in the Raiders’ passing attack. But Graham Harrell seems poised to take his team to unprecedented heights. The senior has passed for more than 10,000 yards the last two seasons, earning national accolades (the Sammy Baugh Trophy last year) and his teammates’ ultimate respect. “There’s no other quarterback in the country I’d rather have than Graham,” says star wide receiver Michael Crabtree. “He’s a great leader, and I believe he will have an outstanding senior season.” Harrell completed 71.8 percent of his attempts last year, led the nation in passing and earned MVP honors in the Gator Bowl. If he can avoid some of the costly interceptions that plagued him last year (14 picks), he could be a contender for the Heisman Trophy.

Running backs

Tech features multiple options at running back. Only time will tell if any of those options are truly terrific. Aaron Crawford beat out Shannon Woods toward the end of last season and started the final five games. But it was the diminutive and elusive Kobey Lewis who appeared to be the go-to back late in the Gator Bowl. And the wildcard of the entire bunch could be explosive sophomore Baron Batch, who sat out last season with injuries. Batch may have an advantage in the race to be among the top two on the depth chart due to his powerful, physical style. Woods returns as the leading rusher from last season, but he has been in and out of the coaches’ doghouse. Crawford started the last five games, displaying consistent improvement. He may be the most likely starter because of his combination of size, speed and work ethic.

Receivers

Wes Welker aside, Tech for many years has produced prolific passing numbers with what the recruiting gurus labeled as “no-names.” But if you examine the receivers on the roster now, the Raiders are filling the stable with more thoroughbreds than plow horses. The best of the bunch is Crabtree, the 2007 Biletnikoff Award winner who features the speed to outrun defensive backs and the strength to run over linebackers. Crabtree led the nation in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last year while becoming the first unanimous All-American at Tech since Zach Thomas in 1995. Expect even bigger things from Crabtree in ’08. Ed Britton, Detron Lewis and Eric Morris also are proven playmakers, while redshirt freshmen Adam James and Tramain Swindall could work their way into the rotation.

Offensive linemen

First-year Tech assistant Matt Moore inherits an impressive offensive line, as the Raiders return everyone from a unit that allowed only 18 sacks in 763 passing attempts (1.38 per game). Left tackle Rylan Reed sat out the spring to recover from a serious left knee injury that occurred in the Gator Bowl, but if he can return healthy this fall, Tech may have one of its best offensive lines in school history. Talented left guard Louis Vasquez could be a first-day selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, while right guard Brandon Carter, center Shawn Byrnes and right tackle Marlon Winn form a potentially imposing front.

Defensive linemen

Fiery defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill welcomes back a solid mix of veterans and promising newcomers up front. Williams is a fierce pass rusher (five sacks, 11.5 tackles for a loss), while tackles Rajon Henley and Colby Whitlock, who earned freshman All-America honors in ’07, are outstanding run-stoppers. Senior end Jake Ratliff is a steady starter, but he will likely be pressed to maintain his starting position by Daniel Howard and and junior college transfer McKinner Dixon. The aggressive Dixon was a freshman All-American at Tech in 2005 before spending the next two years at Cisco (Texas)?Junior College.

Linebackers

After an outstanding freshman season at strong-side linebacker, Brian Duncan will move to the middle. Duncan is quick enough to play on the outside, but McNeill says he is a more natural middle linebacker, where he played in high school. Putting Duncan in the middle should give Tech more speed. Sophomore Bront Bird and redshirt freshman Tyrone Sonier are waging a heated battle to fill the strong-side linebacker spot vacated by Duncan’s move. The athletic Marlon Williams is back at weak-side linebacker, where he recorded 81 tackles last year. Williams was particularly impressive late in the ’07 season, making major contributions in Tech’s season-ending wins over Oklahoma and Virginia.

Defensive backs

Tech made terrific strides last year by leading the Big 12 in passing yards allowed. That unit must replace half of its starters from ’07 (Joe Garcia and Chris Parker), but it still could be one of the Big 12’s better defensive backfields. Free safety Darcel McBath has 26 career starts, and he is the unequivocal leader. Left cornerback Jamar Wall is also back after a breakout season in which he led the team with five interceptions. A pair of seniors (Marcus Bunton at right corner and Anthony Hines at strong safety) could step into the vacated starting roles. But Bunton has plenty of competition, and Hines may be pressed by former receiver L.A. Reed.

Specialists

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Raiders is replacing reliable placekicker Alex Trlica, who converted 233 consecutive extra point attempts. One of the leading candidates will be true freshman Donnie Carona, although walk-ons Cory Fowler and Brad Namdar could also handle some of the kicking responsibilities. So could the strong-legged Jonathan LaCour, who may add kickoff duties to his punting chores. LaCour averaged 42.6 yards per punt last season. Tech features plenty of exciting return specialists. Morris and Wall are likely to handle punt returns, while Britton, Reed and Lewis were all valuable kickoff returners last season.

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