Texas Tech vs. Eastern Washington football recap

Harrell’s 500 Yards Pushes Tech To Victory

Texas Tech dominates offensively. Fundamentals need quick improvement.

Texas Tech 49, Eastern Washington 24

Graham Harrell scored three times in Texas Tech’s victory over Eastern Washington. Harrell’s 536 yards through the air also helped the Red Raiders on their way to an opening day victory.

Tech scored on their first 3 possessions as the pass happy Raiders overmatched the Eagles; Harrell was 43-58 with an interception however the NFL bound QB found eight different receivers on Saturday night.

Although, The Red Raiders other NFL prospect was unusually quiet. Wideout Michael Crabtree had nine catches on his way to 73 yards, including a 4 yard TD. Eric Morris and Detron Lewis also were found open nine times, but were much more productive. Morris had 163 yards and Lewis got 164. It was incredibly the third time in as many seasons that Harrell has threw for over 500 yard but the potential Heisman QB was less than impressed.

In fact Texas Tech found more success on the ground, finding the endzone five times with over 100 yards. Baron Batch found 40 yards from just 5 carries as Techs’ ground game surprised Eastern Washington.

Maybe it was the passing game that Eastern Washington were focusing on, which led to the scores as their defense allowed 636 yards. There were some positives to take from this game for the Eagles. Big Sky MVP from 2007, Matt Nichols completed 36 of 61 passes with 335 yards however throwing three picks did not help his cause.

The Red Raiders were sometimes off the pace. Setting a record for the number of penalties in a game, flagged 18 times for 169 yards was certainly a stat that the players will hear about in practice. The 13 th ranked Red Raiders need to improve their discipline if they wish to win the Big 12 and contest for a BCS Bowl but with penalties harrowing a performance that was good enough to win them the game.

The Red Raiders inconsistent tempo also did not help matters, the offense did get a ground game going early, and furthermore they also scored 21 points in the first quarter. Something that should have sparked the team seemed to make them lazy, Tech’s coach Mike Leach also noticed this, “To go out there and know that football is important for the first two or three series and not for the rest, is madness.”

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Clock management was also an issue, even though The Red Raiders are known for scoring quickly and often, the ball needs to stay in the offense hands for longer especially against a QB heavy Big 12 conference in 2008.

All is well in Lubbock, Tech won by 25 points and even though they have slipped a position in the coach’s poll, The Red Raiders will continue to put up big offensive numbers.

And With Nevada on the road, SMU and Mass the next three weeks Texas Tech should stay clear of danger until they meet their first real challenge when they travel to Kansas State.

By Matt Nuttall
Big 12 Fans Texas Tech Correspondent

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