Tech quarterback should be among those in New York
BY DON WILLIAMS l LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Graham Harrell learned the hard way on Wednesday what the word “near” costs a guy in the phrase “near-perfect season.”
A program such as Texas Tech’s – which has a long string of winning seasons but few big winning seasons – operates in perfect-or-else territory. That goes for the team with regard to how it’s viewed by poll voters, and it applies to the stars in regard to how they are sized up for individual awards.
Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Florida’s Tim Tebow will be in Miami on Jan. 8, firing all their bullets in the BCS national championship game. Other than that, what separates the one-loss seasons that Bradford, Tebow, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Harrell engineered this year?
For starters, OU, UT and Florida have all won a national championship this decade. Bradford, McCoy and Tebow reap the benefits, not to suggest that they haven’t earned, by their own hand, all the honors that come their way. They absolutely have.
But Harrell earned the right to share a stage with them in New York City.
For the last month, the Heisman Trophy has been viewed as a four-man race among the aforementioned QBs. All but Harrell received an invitation to New York for Saturday’s presentation ceremony.
Williams
“I think a bigger slight toward Texas Tech was (the analysis of) the three-way tie at the top of the Big 12,” Harrell said. “Everybody was talking about who’s going to the Big 12 championship, and Texas Tech wasn’t even in the discussion. It’s the same sort of thing. With all other things being even, big programs are always going to get the nod.”
Harrell spoke by phone from Orlando, Fla., where he’s a finalist for other major awards that will be presented today. That’s where he picked his jawbone off the floor after watching ESPN’s live announcement of the Heisman finalists – a reading that did not include him.
Maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising after what Harrell observed over the past couple of weeks.
It’s in the Big 12 Conference bylaws – and was publicized well in advance that a three-way tie in one of the Big 12 divisions – would probably come down to which team had the highest final BCS ranking. All well and good. Fair enough.
But the way Harrell perceived it, national pundits had all they needed once Tech came in third in that tiebreaker.
“We weren’t hardly even in the discussion,” he said. “Same thing in the Heisman. I think Crab (flanker Mike Crabtree) or I or plenty of kids have as much right to the Heisman Trophy. We’re not in the discussion as much. A lot of that has to do with the reputation of the bigger programs.”
Harrell will have a chance to make a point on Jan. 2 at the Cotton Bowl, where Tech will face Mississippi.
“I don’t know about getting motivation from trying to prove people wrong,” he said. “I think we’ve done plenty of proving people wrong this season. Not many people gave us a chance to win 11 football games, or gave us a chance against No. 1 Texas coming into Lubbock. That’s not really where I draw motivation from. Going to the Cotton Bowl’s a great opportunity. It’s my last game as a collegiate player. Just getting another game is exciting. That’s where I draw my motivation from.”
It looks as if Harrell was on to something when he said the rewards go to “bigger programs that have bigger reputations.” Maybe the stark lesson the Red Raiders learned Wednesday is that one season in the spotlight’s not enough to change that.
To comment on this story:
don.williams@lubbockonline.com 766-8734
jeff.walker@lubbockonline.com 766-8735
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Posted by: kingpeewee at Dec. 11, 2008 at 10:32:57 am
Excellent analysis…Leach is right to be blunt and direct in his comments regarding Harrell not being invited to the ceremony. In today’s media world a program like ours needs to literally grab attention by winning the whole thing ie Big 12 South outright, and the Big 12 Championship. To do this we need 2 things, improved recruiting and coaching stability. To that end I would emplore Leach to emphasize in the media he is here to stay and will do everything in his power to win at the next level. I also think we need to improve our level of competition and not schedule more than 1 game with schools not in the FBS. Beat the hell out of them early in the year and improve your computer rating.
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At first I was really amazed that both Harell and Crabtree were snubbed by the Heisman Voters.
Then I began to think about the Heisman… the winners the past.
In the last 20 years you had a few guys who truly deserved the award, and it showed in their NFL career. Tim Brown, Barry Sanders, Desmond Howard, Eddie George and Desmond Howard.
Then there have been players who STILL haven’t proven themselves or had an average 2 or 3 years in the pros… then dropped off the map. Carson Palmer, RIcky Williams, Matt Leinart and Regie Bush.
Then you have the never has beens or the total flops. It seems for MOST winners over the past 20 years it has been a curse.
Andre Ware
Ty Detmer
Gino Torretta
Charlie Ward
Rashaan Salam
Danny Wuerffel
Ron Dayne
Chris Weinke
Eric Crouch
Jason White
Troy Smith
Where are these guys now? What kind of career did they have? Didn’t some of them not even get drafted??? Let’s not kid ourselves either. While Tim Tebow might be a great kid and have a lot of character… he’s not going to make in the NFL.
I guess I say all of that to say, while I think Graham and Crab deserve to win the award… I almost am glad that they didn’t. The Heisman has lost it’s prestiege and credibility. The days deserving winners such as Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett are gone. Awards named after former Heisman winners such as Davey O’Brien and Doak Walker are more accurate.
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This game is for you seniors. Just keep on doing what you do best – WIN!!! Thank’s Graham and Crab and all the linemen who make it all work. We won’t forget your great season and all your accomplishments. Oh, yeah – the season ain’t over is it. I hope not!!! We still have a job to do and you know what I mean. Actions do speak louder than words. Go hang 50 or more on ‘em. Punish ‘em every single play. Let’s continue to build this house!!
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Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Carter, Rylan Reed, Louis Vasquez, Marlon Winn, Baron Batch, Shannon Woods, Detron Lewis, Eric Morris, Daniel Charbonnet, McKinner Dixon, Brian Duncan, Darcel McBath, Jamar Wall, and Brandon Williams. These have been probably the standout players this year. As you can see, there are quite a few, maybe some more I missed. And we have an opportunity to see them all wreak havock on Ole Miss on January 2, 2009. The past is passed away. It is time to get ready for the Cotton Bowl! GO TECH! WRECK ‘EM!
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It was pre-determined at the start of the year that Tim Tibow or Colt McCoy would win the Heisman. Tibow is a horrible QB that cant pass and throws ducks not passes. Tibow makes his name known from running it into the endzone from 2 yards out and sportswriters eat that crap up. But I guess most QBs that come out of Florida never make it to the NFL anyway. I am a Red Raider alumni and as far as I am concerned, Graham is the best QB in the Country this year. I would bet that Graham will be playing on Sundays and Tim Tibow and Sam Bradford will be watching him on TV.
AV
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50 points ain’t enough.
I hope that Harrell and Crabtree set an NCAA record for TDs in a game vs. Ole Miss. Anyone know what that record is? I think 6 hookups ought to be good. That should be their goal, show these voters how wrong they were.
The pure class shown by Harrell after being snubbed by the Heisman voters is awesome. Since it’s obvious the Heisman surely isn’t for wins, yards, or touchdowns, just what is used to determine the Heisman winner?
WRECK ‘EM
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I realize that Tech is more like the group of “have nots” in college football. You can see the list of “haves” by looking over the list of Heisman winners over the last 20-30 years …. pretty much the same schools over and over again.
Tech is not one of the power schools. Can we be? Yep …. we’re getting closer. We can’t lay eggs against OU like we did in Norman. Heck, we’ve played IN NORMAN before better than we did last month.
My theory is that we need to start doing what big-time programs have done for years. It is no surprise to Tech fans that we have had a hard time handling success. And I would – if I were the coach – have adopted the same type of philosophy of shielding the players from the media (keep down the “big-head syndrome”).
But, what happened between the OSU and OU game? Leading up to the OU game there was now interviews left and right of our guys. Gosh, they hadn’t seen a TV camera all year!!!! What happened? I bet Leach was told (by Myers or Big 12 AD, who knows?) to loosen up a little and let ABC get some sound bites.
Now, Ryan, I’m going to go against you on your comments on Dennis Dodd. I didn’t even know Dennis Dodd even existed until this week (just read his comments on the media protection plan) and I have felt the exact same way.
Look at the “big schools.” Their key players are always available to the media …. so, having media attention is no big deal. BUT IT SURE IS AT TEXAS TECH ….. and they usually don’t handle it too well (see comments on “big-head syndrome”).
What star athlete doesn’t aspire to take their game to the next level …. where media attention WILL BE TAKEN TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL. College football is just a stepping stone in handling that kind of pressure.
Final Take ….. I’ve been wanting to get this down on “paper” for months for anyone to read. I’m I crazy? If our players (even our perceived “best players”) were allowed and expected to engage with the media from day one, I think it would help prepare them to handle the pressure of BIG TIME GAMES that will come their way.
I have no idea if Dennis Dodd is an idiot or not … don’t read him. But, on his comments about shielding the Tech players, he’s spot on!!
Guns Up, Red Raiders!!
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Okay your a QB considering your college choices…
Would you go to Tech where you will be one of the best QB and get an education and have fun or …
go to a legacy program and win several trophies and make big bucks when you first get out (or maybe while you’ll even still in school).
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I’d rather go anywhere other than Tech. They’re a bunch of whiners.
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whiners huh? maybe you should go to texas.
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OU has the best enhancement drugs program in the Big 12 , that’s for sure.
They are the “speediest” in the bunch. 60 plus points the last 5 games worth of chemicals. Their defense really “flew” to the ball.
Tech just isn’t getting with the “better living thru chemistry” program adopted by the big dogs of college ball. Shame on Tech!
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it must have been a tough night for harrell. the press kept referring to him at awkward moments. i hope he isnt disappointed. the golden arm is awesome, definitely an accurate award for him.
dont sweat the heisman/obrien/maxwells. tebow is quite an act to follow. i see harrell going even further in the NFL. good luck
now lets get a W in Dallas
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and get your name in the record books Graham!!
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The Heisman is a Yankee, Eastern award. Let ‘em have it. Harrell will get his awards on Sundays in the NFL!
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It would be really nice if, just for one year,
Tech, OU, and UT sent a message to the BCS by organizing a playoff with the top SEC teams. Other than Ohio State and USC getting (not earning) perennial bids the real champion can usually be crowned from these two conferences.
It’ll never happen with Mr. Brown in office, but Muschamp seems to be the better ballcoach. And for God’s sake Bob, lose the visor.
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Graham is my Heisman!
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Wonder what Leach thinks about all this — did Williams article indicate he came out of seclusion & actually spoke about Tech football recently??
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He’s my Heisman too!
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Winning the heisman is not the point. Not even being invited is. It’s hard to argue his numbers or what he has done this season. That is what I don’t understand. I like that Leach called out the voters. Now let’s focus on ole miss
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Saw Leach on TV last night he had a seat behind one of the winners, I think. I was out eating and saw him on the TV in the bar. BTW doens’t look good since he wasn’t wearing the red and black colors…(he had a blue shirt on, can’t recal the tie)
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I feel sorry for Ole Miss…Light em up Graham and Crab!!!
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Tim Tebow and the ESPN announcer said it well at the end of the award program in Orlando. Both announced the Heisman award program on Saturday night. Both said they expected there to be four quarterbacks there. Both said Graham Harrell should be there in addition to the three invited. That is respect by the present Heisman winner. We know he Graham Harrell should be there.
If Coach Leach wants to continue his challenge which most of hope he will, he will continue with our school and make us a “have” school so our athletes will get what is truly coming to them. Hopefully Michael Crabtree will be our first Heisman trophy winner in 2009.
We love you, Red Raiders. Coach Leach, keep up the good work — winners and graduates with an education.
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I believe that Karma came back and bit Mike Leech in the A$$. This is what he gets for voting his Tech team #2 behind Oklahoma in the Coach’s poll. You get your A$$ kicked on National T.V. and he still believes he’s #2, what an idiot. I hope he does stay at Tech, that way next year it will be payback at UT Austin.
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Hey idiot Longhorn, Mack Brown ranked Tech #8 in the final BCS poll and had Penn State at #5 and Utah at #7. Penn State lost to Iowa and was in the weakest of the 4 BCS conferences. Utah is not even in a BCS conference! The only mistake Leach made is that he should have rated Tech #1. They got slighted more than any team in the history of the BCS. 39-33!! 39-33!! 39-33!!
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Hey Texas 1-
We will see your Horns in Austin next year and we intend to lite you up! We have so much in the tank left – so many great players return and we have a bunch (including blue chip qb’s) chompin’ at the bit to get a bite of you A$$.
Your only hope is that your best zebras show up!
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texas 1, karma? it would be karma for texas to be excluded from BCS altogether. consider yourself lucky (or bias) to be in the fiesta bowl against ohio state. a sure win, you hope.
watchdog, what does Leach’s wardrobe have to do with anything?
I honor the winners of the respected awards. Tech’s best yet season happened to be the year of the three way tie and tebow’s senior year. you can’t compete with that.
i resent the mass appeal of the longhorns, everyone feels sorry for them. so tech lost bad to OU. Stoops had to run up the score to secure their place at the Big12 game. well done. that’s why UT is excluded. 45-35 is not as convincing as 60 points in 5 games.
of course Tech didn’t get considered. we all know stoops has leach’s playbook. its one chapter of his own, and has been for years. he had two weeks to study us and make an excellent defensive strategy.
no hate to those teams. i do hate the media’s and public’s general lack of respect for tech. its shameful
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It’s all crap!! The whole thing is political nowdays and when it becomes as political it has it’s not worth that much anyway. Harrell knows what his contributions to the team were, the players and fans know it and the alumni know it. What some cockeyed coach (who most likely has a losing season) or press junkie thinks is pretty much worthless.
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Great column, Don. I hope I live long enough to see Tech consistently split with OU and Texas and play for the league title most years. Only that will change national perceptions. Like VaTech did it in the 1990s. Great year! Hope Crabtree returns with a better defense in 2009
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The Heismann trophy is a big bloated farce. I suspect that the big college football programs lobby for it with ESPN. We should all wise up and stop;making so much of it. It bores me. It rarely is given to the best athlete, and it almost always embodies hype, statistics, gossip and politics over quality . really who really should care who wins it? The sports media remind me of a bunch of gossipy old women. It is actually a curse for most athletes going into the pros. An alternative view for Graham Harrell could be that he should be relieved that he didn’t win it.
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I hope the program keeps winning. It is not often that an upper mid-tier program breaks into the world of the OUs, UTs and UFs of the world. If Tech keeps winning then the program definitely has a shot to be there. It just takes time, however enough 10 and 11 win seasons will get Tech where it wants to be.
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Gosh, Leach is sitting behind one of the award winning Tech players.
But not in red/black?
They already closed down the KTXT radio station & several other things just to offer him more money. Tech is begging here, and the coach just doesn’t care. And the fans STILL love Leach??
As Jon Lennon said “strange days”.
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Hell if it was me I would have had my gun’s up! ;-)
He did look uncomfortable and like a deer in the headlights.
KTXT is gone? Well with the current economy many others or sure to follow. Gosh someone sure screwed things up.
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The Heisman is a joke. I’m done with it and never keeping up with it again. The Ticket Radio Station (the midmorning show) here in Dallas slammed the Heisman nomination with the exclusion of Graham Harrell. My Company did a story about the Heisman praising the award and I sent them an email telling them how disgusted I am with the Heisman and that I would never support that award or even acknowlege it ever again.
As one Broadcaster it’s not the Heisman Award, it’s the Preparation H Award.
The Heisman Award can go where the sun doesn’t shine.
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Scott Carleton
Not sure what game you watched, but the OU-Tech game I watched was a joke. Tech shouldn’t even be in the Top 10 after that A$$ whoopin OU gave you. That was an embarrassment. Mack Brown should of ranked Tech no higher then 20th.
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Hey Texas 1, your name is fitting.
Texas… ONE loss… to TEXAS TECH!!!
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BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II
US Ranked 4th
After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.”
Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work–including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule–our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking.”
Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated, “The US only had two major victories– Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren’t influenced by head-to-head contests–they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event.”
German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said “Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks.” Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn ’style points’ to enhance Germany’s rankings. Hitler protested “Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces.”
The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented, ” France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2.” Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.
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Harrell showed me he deserved to be there for the Heisman when he and the team came back in the second half of the Baylor game and won. Coming off the demoralizing game with OK, being down to Baylor playing very well, the easy thing would of been to quit. Not Harrell and the Tech team. A great comeback.
Great Season TECH and I will be in Dallas to celebrate it.
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Can we get off the ” Harrell was snubbed idea, please. ”
He had a heck-of-a season, he is AWESOME! But, the voters – fro some reason or another – did not vote for him enough to send him to NY. Yes, he was 4th in the voting and sometimes they bring 4 people. But, it was a friggen landslide for the other 3… it would have looked ridiculous for him to be there the way he came in with only 200 something total points. He got pummeled in the total points when the top 3 all had 1500! With his season, he deserved more votes – but with the votes he got – he did not deserve to be there. Can everyone go back to their lives now?
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Stan Garrett on December 12th, 2008 11:20 am
SAID, “Tim Tebow and the ESPN announcer said it well at the end of the award program in Orlando. Both said Graham Harrell should be there in addition to the three invited. That is respect by the present Heisman winner. We know he Graham Harrell should be there….”
AGREE… ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL THE HEISMAN COMMITEE SAW HOW LITTLE HIS VOTES WERE! LIKE I SAID, IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED RIDICULOUS FOR HIM TO BE THERE. AND FOR HIM TO BE INVITED TO NY LIKE HE HAD A CHANCE. THEY WERE LETTING HIM KNOW EARLY – THAT THIS WAS A 3-MAN RACE.
THINK ABOUT IT – THE 3RD PLACE (TEBOW) HAD MORE 1ST PLACE VOTES THAN ANYONE IN THE HISTORY OF THE HEISMAN! THEN, WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT HE ALSO RECEIVED THE MOST 3RD PLACE VOTES – YOU REALLY REALIZE HOW CLOSE THIS 3-MAN RACE WAS. I LIKE HARRELL – I THINK HE’S AWESOME… BUT I THINK I HAVE MADE MY CASE THAT INVITING HIM TO NY WOULD HAVE BEEN RIDICULOUS!
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I’m just glad McCoy didn’t get it.
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I would be very curious to see how all this would have played out if Tech would have just had a respectable loss to OU. The team lost its composure early… personal fouls in the second quarter from being frustrated by OU. They were never able to challenge OU the entire game. I still believe it was a great season and I’m proud to be a fan, but if you want to be considered the best of the best… you just can’t get beat the way Tech got beat.
Of course that wasn’t helped by the fact that Tech decided to emerge the season the entire B12 south decided to emerge as well. I could also do without all the whining about it, but to hear that advise from some pos texas fan… that is rich!
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From ESPN.com’s Game for game Picks:
Unfortunately for the Rebels, Texas Tech’s offensive line is an equal match. The Raiders lead the nation in fewest tackles for loss allowed, and rank fifth in sacks allowed. Graham Harrell will have enough time to exploit a secondary that can’t match up in coverage. The strength of the Big 12 South is the story of the season, and Mike Leach’s best team tied for the title. Ole Miss is a solid team, but the Rebs are not equipped to keep pace.
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