Eager Crabtree
Texas Tech flanker Mike Crabtree said he’s heard and seen that Mississippi runs a good bit of man-to-man coverage. He hopes the Rebels choose to do so Friday in the Cotton Bowl, too.

“I’m thinking touchdown, man, every time I see man coverage,” Crabtree said Sunday during a Cotton Bowl news conference. “I feel if I don’t score in man coverage, then something’s wrong.”

Tech quarterback Graham Harrell said he understood where his All-America teammate was coming from.

“Man coverage, I think to Crab, is almost a challenge to him,” Harrell said. “They’re kind of taking a shot at him, saying, ‘We can man you up.’ People that are good at man coverage, it’s tough to throw against. Ole Miss has great athletes out there and a great pass rush, so they’re going to try to get pressure on us, I’m sure.”

Irvin, Deion influence
Tech flanker Mike Crabtree, when asked about his friendly relationship with former Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, said it dates back to one of his first jobs. Crabtree said he was a concession stand worker at Texas Stadium from about age 10 to 14. He got to know players being at Cowboys home games for four years.

“They knew me from when I was a kid,” Crabtree said of Irvin and Sanders. “I used to sneak down there and get all the (players’) towels and all that when I was supposed to have been at the concession stand. I used to do it every home game — go down there and talk to the players. They’d slap your hand and all that. They started noticing me. Then in high school everybody knew who I was in Dallas.”

A cousin of Crabtree’s served as a bodyguard for Irvin.

“I started talking to him,” Crabtree said, “and Deion’s like a mentor to me. Anything I need to know about football and life, he enlightened me on.”

Team united
Tech quarterback Graham Harrell acknowledged Sunday that past disparities between the team’s offensive and defensive performances might have caused a strain. He said not having to deal with that this season is a reason why the Raiders went 11-1.

“A lot of times in the past, people have said Tech’s offense is so great, but the defense is down, things like that,” Harrell said. “It caused almost locker room tension between offense and defense, because people start believing what all the people are hearing regardless what the facts are. There’s been none of that this year. This year it’s been one team.”

Glamour shots
Ole Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said defensive end Kentrell Lockett made what might be the team’s most important play of the year. With 3:25 left in the Rebels’ 31-30 upset of Florida on Sept. 27, Lockett blocked what would have been a tying extra point.

A photo of it wound up in Sports Illustrated.

“I have it,” Lockett said, “and if I didn’t have it … I’ll be walking on campus and someone will give me a picture (and say), ‘I know you probably have this, but this is from a better angle. This shows your eyes.’ Or, ‘This is from a better angle. This shows sweat on your forehead.’ I pretty much have a stack of them in my room.”

Sesay, Reed still out
Tech defensive end Brandon Sesay missed practice Sunday for the second day in a row, Tech officials said. Coach Mike Leach said Saturday that Sesay had travel problems getting from his family’s home in Atlanta, Ga., to Dallas.

Cornerback L.A. Reed also appears questionable. Just like during bowl practices in Lubbock, Reed has been out of practice in Dallas, wearing a sling on his right arm to protect an injury.

Discarding the disappointment
Tech players have faced questions all month about how motivated they will be playing in the Cotton Bowl, when they were on track nearly all season to be in the BCS.

Flanker Mike Crabtree said prior to bowl invitation day that he had his heart set on something better than the Cotton Bowl, but Crabtree said the Raiders have had time to process the emotions properly.

“When you first hear it, everybody’s mad,” Crabtree said. “But as the weeks pass by, you’ve got to focus on the game now. Everybody’s left (the disappointment) behind and are ready to play this game.”

Compiled by Don Williams