By Don Williams | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Visit the Pass or Catch website

Texas Tech sports information director Chris Cook says his department has to keep a new promotional Web site fresh to keep people coming back. The good news for Tech: Web surfers took notice the first time.

Cook said Tech spent $900 to develop the site that it unveiled nine days ago.

“That was a great investment,” he said. “The day after we launched it, ESPN on College Football Live’ ran both videos. If it stopped right there, you have gotten way more than what you put into it already as far as exposure.”

The election-year themed site shows game highlights of Harrell and Crabtree as well as biographical information. That’s what you’d expect. But it also shows Harrell and Crabtree dressed in sharp suits giving commentaries, not unlike political candidates.

“I think it’s fun and different,” Cook said. “We’ve gotten a lot of nice feedback.”

Lisa DuBois-Low and Ryan Pharis from Tech’s communications and marketing department designed and built the site. Kirk Heard, who produces Tech football, basketball and baseball coaches shows, shot the videos of Crabtree and Harrell and wrote the scripts.

“Kirk Heard should be in Hollywood doing independent films or something,” Cook said. “He’s very creative.”

Heard shot six videos – three of each player – so what’s on the site now will be replaced with new material as the season goes along.

“I think it’s all right,” Tech coach Mike Leach said of the campaign. “Those guys are pretty good friends, and it works out good.”

No Tech player has ever finished higher than fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, but with Tech off to a 5-0 start and ranked No. 7, Harrell is winning notice and approval nationally. ESPN.com and CollegeFootballNews.com both list him this week among the top five contenders.

CollegeFootballNews.com’s Pete Fiutak, in a column entitled “2008 Brutally Honest Heisman Breakdown,” classified Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel as the front-runner with Big 12 quarterbacks Harrell, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford and Michigan State running back Javon Ringer comprising his list of “The True Favorites.”

Of Harrell’s chances, Fiutak wrote: “It’s Colt Brennan against a real schedule. The offense is just starting to heat up, and the ring-leader of the nation’s best passing attack will start to be seen more as a real, live Heisman contender if he can pull off wins at Kansas and against Texas over the next month. The stats will get him in the door, but he’s not closing without the wins.”

Perhaps because of the Red Raiders’ much-improved running game, Crabtree’s name isn’t being brought up as much in this year’s Heisman discussion.

The sophomore flanker still ranks among the top pass catchers in the nation with 38 receptions for 564 yards and eight touchdowns. Those five-game numbers, however, are almost identical to his numbers last year after three games: 38 for 538 and eight TDs.

The Web site, in the first three days after its debut, received more than 17,000 unique hits and 91,000 page views. By comparison, Cook said, the university Web site averages about 40,000 hits a month.

Cook said Tech will supplement the Web site with an upcoming promotion in a different form, though he declined to give details.

In the meantime, he said the videos of Harrell and Crabtree that ran in the first week will soon be replaced by previously unreleased ones.

“The next two are even better,” he said, “than the ones that are up now.”