Harrell's Heroics Leave Him With A Winning Feeling

Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell went from feeling nauseous to a feeling of elation in the span of two plays near the conclusion of Saturday night's matchup against then-No. 1 Texas.

Trailing by one in the final seconds, Harrell attempted a pass on first and 10 from the Texas 28-yard line that fell through the hands of Longhorns safety Blake Gideon. An interception would have ended the game.

"I was sick," Harrell said. "I was thinking, 'Surely, we're not going to lose like this.' "

They did not. Harrell was allowed one more shot, and on second down the Heisman candidate fired a strike to wideout Michael Crabtree, who was double-covered on an out pattern toward the right sideline. Crabtree made the grab, evaded both tacklers and sprinted into the end zone with one second remaining.

Texas Tech captured the most important victory in its history with a stunning 39-33 upset over Texas. With the win, the Red Raiders took charge of the Big 12 South and catapulted themselves into the national title picture. "Play 60 minutes," Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach told reporters. "You may have a second to spare."

Trailing the entire night, Texas scored a touchdown to go ahead by one with 1:29 to go. But Harrell, who finished with 474 passing yards and two touchdowns, marched his team right back downfield for the game-winning margin.

"Some of you guys maybe ought to add him to your Heisman list," Leach said. "I know how political it is."

-- Steve Yanda