2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team The 2008 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team was coached by Mike Leach . The Red Raiders played their home games at Jones AT & T Stadium in Lubbock , Texas . The football team competed in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , formerly I - A . With an 11 – 1 record in the regular season , the Red Raiders finished in a three - way tie with the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns atop the Big 12 South . In order to break the tie , BCS standings were used to determine who would face Missouri in the conference championship game . The Sooners , ranked # 2 in the BCS polls at the time , were chosen to represent the South Division in the game . Preseason . Rankings . " Sports Illustrated " ' s Stewart Mandel has Tech ranked at # 10 in his preseason poll and later # 8 in his college football power rankings . The team is also ranked # 10 in the preseason by Fox Sports . ESPN . com writer Mark Schlabach ranked the Red Raiders # 12 in his preseason poll and later # 11 and # 8 in revised editions of his preseason polls . In a March 26 , 2008 article , Yahoo ! Sports writer Olin Buchanan declared that Tech could challenge Oklahoma and Texas for supremacy in the Big 12 South in 2008 . As plusses , he cited a strong quarterback ( Graham Harrell ) , experienced wide receiver s ( including Michael Crabtree ) , and five returning starters on the offensive line . As a weakness , he mentioned the defense ' s trouble stopping the run but speculated that a year of experience and new talent may help to alleviate this problem . Another weak spot he pointed out was the Red Raiders ' trouble moving the ball on the ground on those rare instances when a rushing play is called . Texas Tech was ranked # 14 in the preseason USA Today Coaches ' Poll , their highest ever preseason ranking since the 1977 season when they came in at # 8 . The Associated Press ' s preseason poll put the team at # 12 . " Dave Campbell ' s Texas Football " . Coach Mike Leach , along with players Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree were featured on the cover of the 2008 edition of " Dave Campbell ' s Texas Football " . The magazine predicted that the 2008 Red Raider football team would be the best in Texas and would challenge for the Big 12 South title . Personnel changes . On January 22 , 2008 , Ruffin McNeill was hired as the team ' s defensive coordinator . He had held the position in an interim capacity since Lyle Setencich was reassigned during the previous season . After McNeill took over from Setencich , the Red Raiders ' numbers for the 2007 season improved in all areas : rushing defense per game ( 198 . 1 to 157 . 1 ) , passing defense per game ( 206 . 8 to 190 . 8 ) , scoring defense per game ( 28 . 2 to 24 . 5 ) , opponent first downs per game ( 22 . 5 to 19 . 9 ) , and opponent third - down conversions per game ( 47 . 8 % to 39 . 3 % ) . For the McNeill - coached games , Tech ’ s average yield of 347 . 9 yards was the lowest allowed in the Big 12 Conference , and the scoring defense was fourth - best in the conference for that time frame . On February 1 , 2008 , offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen resigned his position with the Red Raiders . He announced that he had been hired to the same position with the Houston Cougars . Schedule . Source : Player awards . " Sorted alphabetically by last name " . Game notes . Eastern Washington . The Tulsa Golden Hurricane were scheduled to travel to Lubbock for this game but backed out of the deal , choosing to play the Arkansas Razorbacks instead . On February 7 , 2008 , Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers announced that the Red Raiders would play the Eagles of on August 30 . During the previous season , the Eagles made it to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs before being defeated , 38 – 35 , by three - time defending national champion Appalachian State . They came into the game ranked # 7 in the FCS . Texas Tech came in with a # 14 ranking in the FBS . The Eagles won the coin toss and opted to receive the ball . On the first play after kickoff , Matt Nichols ' s pass was intercepted by Tech ' s Brian Duncan . The resulting drive ended in a two - yard rushing touchdown by Shannon Woods , followed by successful point after try by Donnie Corona . The Red Raiders scored twice more in the first quarter while shutting out the Eagles to bring the score to 21 – 0 . Eastern Washington was able to respond in the second quarter by scoring two touchdowns and a field goal . Meanwhile Texas Tech was held to a single touchdown with successful PAT . Going into halftime , the score stood at 28 – 17 in favor of the Red Raiders . In the third quarter , both Eastern Washington and Texas Tech added seven points . In the final quarter , the Red Raiders extended their lead when Aaron Crawford and Baron Batch both scored rushing touchdowns to bring the final score to 49 – 24 . During the game , the Red Raiders rushed 25 time for a total of 103 yards . Quarterback Graham Harrell completed 43 out of 58 pass attempts for 536 yards , two touchdowns and was intercepted once . He was named AT & T ESPN All - America Player of the Week for his performance . The team had a school record 18 penalties for 169 yards . Nevada . The Red Raiders started off with the ball to begin the game . After failing to get a first down on the first three plays , Texas Tech decided to go for it on fourth down in Nevada territory and failed to make it . On the ensuing Nevada drive , the Wolf Pack successfully kicked a field goal giving them the lead , 0 – 3 . On the next drive by Texas Tech , Graham Harrell ' s pass was intercepted by Uche Anyanwu . The next Nevada drive stalled on a three - and - out . Nevada was forced to punt to Eric Morris who took it 86 yards for a touchdown , giving the Red Raiders the lead , 7 – 3 . Texas Tech and Nevada failed to score on their next drives with Nevada missing a field goal with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter . In the second quarter , Nevada ' s only points came from a field goal . Texas Tech drove 68 yards on five plays and scored on a one - yard run by Shannon Woods . The key play was a 50 - yard pass from Harrell to Michael Crabtree who ran it all the way to the one yard line . On the next Nevada drive , defensive end Brandon Williams tipped a pass which landed in the hands of defensive tackle Richard Jones . Both teams went scoreless the rest of the half . Nevada received the kickoff to begin the second half and immediately drove the field . Nevada ' s quarterback Colin Kaepernick dove into the endzone in what appeared to be a touchdown . However , after a lengthy review , the officials agreed that Texas Tech ' s Daniel Charbonnet forced the ball out of Kaepernick ' s hands resulting in a touchback . The next Red Raider drive , Mike Leach decided to go for a first down on fourth down , which they failed to make again . Nevada ' s resulting drive stalled , but they were able to kick a field goal due to good field position after the failed fourth down attempt . The only other points in the third quarter came on Texas Tech ' s next drive of six plays and 39 yards , scoring on Eric Morris ' 13 - yard run giving the Red Raiders the lead , 21 – 12 . Harrell was intercepted to begin fourth quarter and the resulting Nevada drive went three - and - out . On the next drive , Harrell and Crabtree connected for another big play , this one resulting in 82 - yards and a touchdown giving Texas Tech a 28 – 12 lead . Texas Tech ' s celebration did not last long , as on the very next drive Nevada ' s Kaepernick passed for the team ' s only touchdown , a 48 - yard pass to Marko Mitchell to make the score 28 – 19 in favor of Texas Tech . The Red Raiders scored on their very next drive on a 21 - yard run by Woods with 6 : 18 remaining . The next Nevada drive resulted in a turnover on downs and the Red Raiders held on to the ball and the win , 35 – 19 . The story of the game was Texas Tech ' s defense , not the offense . So much so , that as the Red Raiders were walking off the field , Texas Tech fans in attendance chanted , " De - fense ! De - fense ! " Although they allowed 488 total yards , the defense held the Wolf Pack to four field goals in six red zone attempts . Harrell , after being named Player of the Week last week against Eastern Washington , went 19 of 46 ( 41 . 3 % ) and 297 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and set a career low in completions and completion percentage . There has been only two other times in Harrell ' s career in which he had completed less than 60 percent of his passes . This is the first time Texas Tech has won one of those games . Michael Crabtree had 7 catches for 158 yards and one touchdown . Nevada ' s place kicker Brett Jaekle went 4 of 6 on field goals from distances of 27 , 26 , 43 , and 31 yards . Nevada quarterback Kaepernick had a huge game going 24 of 35 for 264 yards , one touchdown , and one interception . He was also the team ' s leading rusher , gaining 92 yards on 17 carries . SMU . The Mustangs received the kickoff to begin the game . On the first play from scrimmage , SMU quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ' s pass was intercepted by Daniel Charbonnet . Tech ' s following offensive drive ended in a Donnie Carona 35 - yard field goal . The Red Raiders scored twice more in the first quarter . The first on a 43 - yard rush by Baron Batch , followed by failed Carona point - after try . The second on a 23 - yard pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree , followed by failed two - point conversion . Tech scored once in the second quarter to bring the score to 22 – 0 at the half . In the second half , the Red Raiders scored three more times before putting in backup personnel . The Mustangs only score of the game came with 3 : 29 remaining when Logan Turner passed to Aldrick Robinson for a seven - yard touchdown , followed by a successful Thomas Morstead PAT . Texas Tech safety Daniel Charbonnet had a school - record three interceptions and was later named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week . UMass . During the first quarter , the Red Raiders scored three touchdowns , followed by successful point after tries . The Minutemen scored once , on a 53 - yard return of a Texas Tech fumble . The Red Raiders scored three times in the second quarter while shutting out the Minutemen . The score going into the half stood at 42 – 7 . Tech ' s first score of the third quarter came when Darcel Mcbath returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown . Their second score was an 18 - yard rushing touchdown by Shannon Woods . At the end of the third period of play , Texas Tech led 56 – 7 . The only score by either team in the fourth quarter was a 2 - yard rush by UMass ' s Korrey Davis with 51 seconds remaining on the game clock . The final score was 56 – 14 in favor of the Red Raiders . During the game , Texas Tech ' s Graham Harrell completed 27 of 34 passes for 322 yards . Backup quarterback Taylor Potts was 4 of 9 for 37 yards . The Red Raiders had a total of 359 yards passing with 11 players catching passes . They also had 179 yards combined rushing from 5 different players . Kansas State . Coming into the game , K - State had lost the last 3 of 4 to the Red Raiders . Their last win against Texas Tech was in 2000 in Manhattan , Kansas . Texas Tech was favored by seven . The Red Raiders scored first , on a 1 - yard pass from Graham Harrell to Lyle Leong . The Wildcats responded by scoring on the following drive on a 33 - yard TD pass to Ernie Pierce . Texas Tech made another touchdown , followed by successful PAT , to bring the score to 14 – 7 . Facing fourth - and - inches from their own 29 late in the first quarter , the Red Raiders sent Shannon Woods on a sweep . But he was stopped and , four plays later , Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman scored on a 1 - yard run , bringing the score to 14 – 14 . A moment later , Texas Tech ’ s Richard Jones recovered Lamark Brown ’ s fumble on the Kansas State 34 and Baron Batch capped the ensuing drive with a 9 - yard touchdown run on the following play to make the score 58 – 21 . On successive possessions in the second quarter , Harrell led quick - hitting drives of 53 - , 70 - , and 54 - yards . Freeman , however , misfired on 9 of 10 passes , several of which Tech defenders got their hands on . The Kansas State junior , who a week earlier had become his own school ’ s career passing leader , was 13 - for - 28 for 170 yards . Ernie Pierce scored on an 18 - yard return of a blocked punt late in the game . K - State ' s defense gave up 626 yards in the game . It was the third consecutive game that the Wildcats gave up more than 600 yards on defense . Graham Harrell threw six touchdown passes , matching his single - game career best . During the game , he also broke the school passing - yards record of 12 , 429 yard set by Kliff Kingsbury from 1999 to 2002 . For his performance , Harrell was also named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week as well as the O ' Brien Quarterback of the Week . Lyle Leong snared three touchdown passes from Harrell , who was 38 - for - 51 for 454 yards . Texas Tech scored on seven straight possessions and did not attempt a punt until Taylor Potts replaced Harrell late in the fourth quarter . Heisman candidate Michael Crabtree had nine catches for 107 yards and two TDs . With six , Harrell tied his career - best for touchdown passes , getting the ball to ten different receivers . Nebraska . For homecoming , Texas Tech hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers . Coming into the game , the Cornhuskers led the all - time series with Texas Tech , 7 – 2 . However , the Red Raiders had won the previous two games . At Texas Tech ' s 2004 homecoming , they dealt Nebraska their worst loss in school history , 70 – 10 . The following year , the Red Raiders won , 34 – 31 , in Lincoln . This was Nebraska ' s first loss at their own homecoming in 37 years . To begin the game , both the Red Raiders and Cornhuskers were forced to punt . On Texas Tech ' s next drive , Graham Harrell connected with Michael Crabtree on a 35 - yard pass for the only score in the first quarter . This touchdown gave Crabtree the most touchdown receptions in school history . On the ensuing Nebraska drive , Quentin Castille scored on a 4 - yard run and tied the game at 7 – 7 . Texas Tech ' s Donnie Carona successfully kicked a 26 - yard field goal on the Red Raider ' s next drive . After forcing a Nebraska turnover on downs , Shannon Woods gave Texas Tech a 17 – 7 lead on a 4 - yard run . Nebraska later missed a field goal to end the half . Nebraska began with the ball in the second half and drove 75 yards and scored on an Alex Henery 21 - yard field goal . On the ensuing Texas Tech drive , Harrell again found Crabtree in the end zone this time on a 4 - yard pass . Texas Tech had the lead 24 – 10 to end the third quarter . To begin the fourth quarter , the Texas Tech defense forced a Nebraska fourth down and 1 in field goal range . The Cornhuskers brought out the kicker but faked the field goal and passed for a first down to the 1 yard line . Nebraska ' s Joe Ganz then scored on a 1 - yard quarterback sneak to pull Nebraska within 7 points with 12 : 10 remaining in the fourth quarter . After a Red Raider punt , the Cornhuskers once again drove the field and scored on a Ganz 2 - yard pass to Dreu Young to tie the game at 24 – 24 . On the very next drive by Texas Tech , the Cornhuskers forced the Red Raiders to a fourth down with 5 yards to go on Texas Tech ' s own 36 yard line . Mike Leach decided to go for it , and Harrell found Crabtree again for a 47 - yard reception keeping the drive alive . Harrell later said of the play , " If he was just a little covered , I would go to him . I threw it up there and he made the play . " A few plays later , Harrell scored on a 1 - yard run to give the Red Raiders the lead 31 – 24 . Nebraska then drove the field 79 yards in 8 plays and scored on a 17 - yard pass from Ganz to Todd Peterson to tie the game at 31 a piece with 29 seconds remaining in the game . Texas Tech failed to score on the next drive and the game went into overtime . In overtime , Texas Tech received the ball first . The Red Raiders utilized a screen pass to running back Baron Batch to the 1 yard line . Harrell then handed the ball to Eric Morris for a 1 - yard touchdown run . On the extra point , however , Carona ' s kick was partially blocked which kept the score difference at 6 , 37 – 31 . On Nebraska ' s first overtime try , Ganz ' s pass was intercepted by cornerback Jamar Wall after Ganz tried to throw the ball away to avoid being sacked . This interception gave Texas Tech the win preserving their top - 10 ranking . Harrell ' s two touchdown passes to Crabtree gave the tandem the most touchdown connections by a quarterback - receiver combination in Big 12 Conference history with 32 . Harrell ended the game completing 20 of his 25 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns . Crabtree caught 5 passes for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns . Running back Baron Batch rushed 10 times for 89 yards . Nebraska ' s Joe Ganz completed 36 of his 44 passes for 349 yards , two touchdowns , and one interception . The Cornhuskers held the ball for 40 minutes and 12 seconds in contrast to Texas Tech ' s 19 minutes and 48 seconds . Texas A & M . Although , before the game , the Texas A & M Aggies led the all - time series with the Red Raiders , 34 – 31 – 1 , they have not beaten Texas Tech since an overtime victory at Kyle Field in 2004 . Mike Leach had a 6 – 2 record versus the Aggies . Sports bettors favor Tech to win by 21 points . The Aggies scored first on a 46 - yard Randy Bullock field goal . The Red Raiders were able to answer with a touchdown to take the lead . However , A & M responded with a touchdown of their own , bringing the score to 10 – 7 in their favor . Thirty - nine seconds into the second quarter , Tech ' s Baron Batch scored on a three - yard run but the point after try was blocked . The Aggies scored two more field goals before the Red Raiders scored on an eight - yard pass from Graham Harrell to Baron Batch . Cory Fowler ' s extra point was good and Tech held a 20 – 16 advantage before A & M scored another touchdown to take a 20 – 23 halftime lead . In the third quarter , Texas Tech scored a touchdown and a field goal while holding A & M scoreless . Going into the final period of play , the Red Raiders led 30 – 23 . With seven minutes remaining in the game , Texas Tech scored on a one - yard run by Graham Harrell . The extra point was blocked by Texas A & M and returned 97 yards by Arkeith Brown for the Aggies ' final score of the game . The Red Raiders added one more touchdown to bring the final score to 43 – 25 . Kansas . With nine straight victories , Texas Tech came into the game against Kansas with the nation ' s longest winning streak , tied with Penn State and Utah . Prior to play , the Red Raiders led the series with the Jayhawks , 9 – 1 . Texas Tech placekicker Matt Williams made his debut during the game . Williams came to the attention of Coach Mike Leach when he kicked a 30 - yard field goal during a halftime contest at the game versus UMass . Following Tech ' s victory over Kansas , Williams was recognized as the AT & T ESPN All - America Player of the Week . Texas . The series between Texas Tech and Texas originated in Austin in 1928 and the two teams have met annually since 1960 . Texas led the series 43 – 14 entering the game , with the Red Raiders last win coming in a 42 – 38 upset of the # 3 Longhorns in Lubbock in 2002 . In the 2006 contest , # 5 Texas narrowly came away with a 35 – 31 win over an unranked Texas Tech team at Jones AT & T Stadium . In the 2007 game , # 14 Texas won 59 – 43 . On the day of the game , ESPN ' s " College GameDay " broadcast from Lubbock for the first time . Oklahoma State . Texas Tech and Oklahoma State first played in 1935 . Coming into the game , the Red Raiders led the series over the Cowboys , 20 – 12 – 3 . Oklahoma State last won in 2007 in Stillwater , 49 – 45 , in a game that came down to the final possession . However , the Cowboys had not won in Lubbock since 1944 . Oklahoma . Texas Tech and Oklahoma first played in 1992 . Coming into the game , the Sooners led the series 11 – 4 – 0 though the Red Raiders had won 2 of the last 3 with the last loss coming in Norman in 2006 . The only road game Tech had won in the series was during the inaugural season of the Big 12 in 1996 . Under head coach Bob Stoops , the Sooners had lost only two games at home . The Sooners are 7 - point favorites . The Red Raiders opened the game with a kickoff return to their 32 - yard line . The Sooners forced a punt , and fielded their offense at their 27 . The Sooners scored a touchdown with 8 : 59 left in the first . DeMarco Murray contributed 48 rushing yards in the drive . Tech returned the ensuing kickoff to their 22 , and a Sooner personal foul after the return gave the Red Raiders 15 yards . Texas Tech lost 10 of those yards due to a delay of game and a false start . Starting at their 27 , the Red Raiders were stopped at the Oklahoma 48 , where they punted again . The Sooners got the ball on their 20 . On the second play of the drive , Oklahoma was punished again with a 15 - yard penalty . After three failed attempts to pass the ball for a first down , the Sooners elected to make their first punt . On the next Tech possession , Graham Harrell was sacked on two consecutive plays , once by Adrian Taylor and the other by Gerald McCoy . Coming into the game , the Red Raiders ranked second in the nation in sacks allowed , with only 5 . The Sooners ended the first quarter with a 42 - yard reception by tight end Jermaine Gresham and two rushes by Chris Brown for a combined 12 yards . Once the second quarter commenced , both Brown and Gresham moved the ball for a touchdown on three different plays . Tech started their next drive at their own 38 and advanced the ball through the air to eventually get to the Oklahoma 15 . Two incompletions caused the Red Raiders to face a 4th - and - 3 . Tech decided to go for it . Woods was unable to catch a pass by Harrell to convert and Tech turned the ball over on downs . Murray rushed the ball for 23 yards on Oklahoma ' s first play of the drive . Murray followed with a 31 - yard reception , which put the ball on the Tech 30 . After two rushes by Brown , Gresham scored a touchdown on a 19 - yard catch , and the subsequent extra point extended the Sooners lead to 21 – 0 . Oklahoma ' s defense forced Tech to four plays on the next drive , with the fourth play being a 4th - and - 4 , Tech ' s second 4th down conversion attempt . With 9 : 31 remaining , Oklahoma completed a 1 : 44 scoring drive , which was capped by Juaquin Iglesias ' 28 - yard scoring reception . On the following possession , the Red Raiders reached the end zone , thanks to Harrell ' s 25 - yard throw to Tramain Swindall . Matt Williams ' extra point brought the score to 28 – 7 . With 6 : 28 left in the half , Oklahoma began to drain the clock using their running game . The Sooners eventually scored on the 12th play of the drive . Once Tech got the ball , about a minute was left on the clock . On the second play , Harrell threw an interception to Travis Lewis , who returned the ball 47 yards . Tech offensive guard Brandon Carter , who stopped Lewis at the Tech 1 , received a personal foul . Murray scored on a 1 - yard rush to increase the Sooners ' lead to 42 – 7 . Tech got the ball again after the Sooner touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the game . Harrell threw a shovel pass to Baron Batch , who ran 21 yards to the Tech 28 . The half ended with Tech receiving a 16 - yard personal foul . The Red Raiders left the field facing their biggest deficit of the season ( 35 points ) . Tech attempted an onside kick to start off the second half , though the Sooners grabbed the ball at the Tech 34 . OU ended the drive on a 33 - yard field goal . Tech fumbled on their next possession , Oklahoma ' s Keenan Clayton recovered the fumble and return it 53 yards to the Tech 3 . The Sooners added another 7 points to extend their lead to 52 – 7 . Tech cranked up its passing game on its next possession , eventually scoring a touchdown and extra point with 5 : 39 remaining in the third quarter . On the subsequent drive , the Red Raider defense forced their first sack on Bradford , and also forced the Sooners to punt . The Sooner defense countered in the next drive by forcing a three - and - out . The Sooner offense then added another score on a 66 - yard reception by Manuel Johnson . The Tech defense blocked the extra point , and the score remained at 58 – 14 . In the fourth quarter , Tech failed to convert another fourth down , producing another turnover . Oklahoma scored immediately afterwards , improving their lead to 65 – 14 . On the next possession , Tech was able to make three pass completions of at least 12 yards , though on the final play of the drive , Harrell lost the ball to the Sooners on a sack . With 10 : 50 left in the game , the Sooners started to run out the clock . The Red Raiders stopped them from scoring on a 4th down from the 1 . Tech got the ball back with 4 : 48 on the clock . After a few plays , Tech faced another 4th down , and this time was able to convert it with a 13 - yard throw to Crabtree . Tech later score their third touchdown with 11 seconds left , and Williams tacked on the extra point to change the score to 65 – 21 . Tech attempted an onside kick and recovered the ball . The final play was a short - yard catch by Woods . Since the Sooners won , Tech , Texas , and OU all tied for first in the division at 6 – 1 . If all three teams win their regular season finales to tie again at 7 – 1 , the highest ranked team in the BCS standings will earn a spot in the Big 12 Championship game . Sports columnists have also stated that the quarterback of the winning team would be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy . Baylor . Two of Tech ' s starters on the secondary were unable to play in the game . Tech scored on the first possession of the game . The Bears countered on the ensuing drive , in which they scored on a 1 - yard quarterback sneak by Robert Griffin . On the next drive , Harrell ' s pass got intercepted on third down , and Antonio Johnson returned the interception for four yards to the Tech 34 . After a few plays , Griffin soon scored a 13 - yard rushing touchdown . Baylor ' s kicker Ben Parks missed the extra point , keeping the Baylor lead at 13 – 7 by the end of the first quarter . At the start of the second quarter , the Tech offensive line gave up another sack on Harrell , which cost them 10 yards . The Red Raiders , however , were able to complete the drive with a touchdown to regain their lead at 14 – 13 . On the second to last play of the drive , Michael Crabtree injured his right ankle with about four minutes left in the half . Crabtree ' s right ankle twisted as he got tackled while making a 6 - yard reception at the Baylor 1 - yard line . Crabtree hobbled to the Tech bench , and was later taken to the locker room on a cart . He did not return for the second half . Baylor was forced to kick a field goal on their next possession , though Parks missed it from 29 yards . Once Tech got the ball back again , Harrell got sacked on the second play of the drive , and lost the ball in the process . Baylor recovered the fumble and fielded their offense at the Tech 16 . Griffin led his team to another scoring drive , which ended on a successful two - point conversion . Baylor left the field leading 21 – 14 at halftime . The Bears opened the third quarter with a 9 - play 78 - yard offensive drive that produced another touchdown . The longest play was running back Jay Finley ' s 47 - yard rush . On their next drive , the Red Raiders scored again , though still trailed 28 – 14 . Early on in the drive , Antonio Johnson sacked Harrell and forced a fumble , but running back Baron Batch was able to recover the fumble . The Red Raiders compiled 7 points with 12 : 20 remaining in the game . On Baylor ' s next drive , Tech intercepted the ball at the Baylor 38 . They soon converted the interception into a touchdown . On Baylor ' s final possession , which lasted 5 plays , Griffin was sacked twice . The second sack occurred on a fourth down , which caused the Bears to turn the ball over on downs . Tech ran out the clock and preserved their 35 – 28 victory . Mississippi ( Cotton Bowl Classic ) . The Red Raiders were defeated by the Ole Miss Rebels in the 2009 AT & T Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas , Texas on January 2 , 2009 . The Red Raiders and the Rebels have met in bowl games twice before — 1986 Independence Bowl and 1998 Independence Bowl — with Ole Miss winning both . The teams also met during the 2002 and 2003 regular seasons with Texas Tech winning both games of the home - and - home series .