Anton Chigurh didn't toy with his victims as much as Mike Leach toyed with Mack Brown tonight. After letting Texas take its first lead of the game with less than one and a half minutes left, the Red Raiders put together a ruthlessly efficient up-tempo drive capped by a Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree touchdown pass with only one second left, putting Tech up 38-33.
The Lubbock crowd was so amped they rushed the field twice, forcing Tech to kick off from the seven-and-a-half yard line. I'd never seen a kickoff team lined up in its own endzone before, and I hope to never see it again. Texas tried the multi-lateral kickoff trick, but it didn't work at all. The Tech faithful stormed the field again, celebrating what has to be the biggest win in school history.
Believe it: The Zorros are the sole undefeated team in the Big 12. They, and not the Longhorns, control their own destiny. If they win out, they're in the title game. Of course, to win out, they'll have to beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. But is that impossible for them now that they've beaten Texas?
No. Anything is possible, and Tech is no longer a mosquito buzzing in the BCS's ear. They've drawn blood.
The loss seriously damaged Colt McCoy's Heisman campaign. He played well in the second half, but now he's been surpassed. McCoy knocked off Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel in consecutive weeks; now, Graham Harrell has done him in. If Tech keeps rolling, there's no way Harrell can be denied the trophy.
Texas should have seen this coming, really. Their defense (particularly their squishy secondary) was just waiting to lose a game for them, and the Horns have been dogged by penalties all year. Tonight they got flagged 8 times for 69 yards. Championship teams just don't commit that many penalties. They don't give up almost 600 yards either. Not even to one of the best offenses in college football.
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But Texas didn't lose this game; Texas Tech won it. They controlled the flow and momentum for the entire game, except for a few minutes in the fourth quarter. While in the past Mike Leach's team has played lousy defense, tonight they were in the groove. Texas didn't even get a hundred yards on the ground.
So now that there's an opening at the top of the polls, does Tech occupy it? No other undefeated team has a win that's even close to tonight's. Sure, Alabama beat Clemson when the Tigers were #9 and Georgia when the Dawgs were #3. They were both overrated, and I suppose you could make the case that Texas was too.
It's all moot. A few voters will vault Tech over Bama and Penn State, but more likely voters will slot them at 3 or 4. Next week comes Oklahoma State. If the Raiders can beat them, it'll be time to stop thinking of Mike Leach's team as smoke and mirrors or a dog and pony show. It'll be time to acknowledge that Texas Tech hasn't just arrived. They just might be the best team in the country.
Guns Up! Texas Tech Beats Texas; They'd Better Have Your Attention Now originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
