The Daily Toreador - Student Newspaper of Texas Tech

Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: Sports

Harrell loses his head

During Texas Tech's weekly press conference on Monday, center Stephen Hamby and coach Mike Leach dissected one of the more memorable plays to happen at Jones AT&T Stadium in years.

With 19 seconds left in the first half against SMU on Saturday, it was 3rd and goal for Tech from the 6-yard line. Quarterback Graham Harrell dropped back to pass but was hit and nearly sacked. Harrell, who kept his balance throughout the bizarre play, escaped the tackler but lost his helmet in the process.

The Ennis-native continued playing and rolled out to his right, completing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tramain Swindall in the back of the end zone with 1 second left on the clock. However, unlike the NFL, where the ball carrier can continue playing, the NCAA rulebook states when the ball carrier's helmet comes off the proper call is a dead ball.

Unlike Harrell, Hamby said he already knew that.

"I was laughing the whole time because I stopped," Hamby said. "You can see me stop on film. I was like, 'Graham, you can't keep playing.' I guess he thought he was in the pros already. He just kept running, and then the crowd went wild when they caught the pass. I was looking around going, 'No, this is not gonna work.'"

The clock was reset to 3 seconds, giving Tech time to run one more play. Leach put his offense back out on the field, but Crabtree dropped a touchdown pass as time expired.

"That was one of the most fortunate beheadings in college football," Leach said. "He pulled loose, actually he had thrown the ball to the guy and caught it. The beheading did cost us a touchdown."

Carter with a new look

Along with a matted down blonde and black Mohawk, guard Brandon Carter was sporting a colorful black left eye during Monday's press conference.

Carter suffered the shiner during a pregame walk through at the team hotel, bumping his head into center Shawn Byrnes.

"You lose focus," he said. "You run the wrong play, and you end up hitting your center on the top of his head and getting a black eye. I ran a quick left when he was quick right, and just right into the top of his head."

Leach expressed his unique opinion on Carter's eccentric hairstyle.

"Brandon Carter with regard to hair and style is like a woman that works at a beauty parlor," Leach said. "There's a lot of change. The new thing comes out, there's some experimentation, 'Let's change the color of it today. I saw in a magazine, I saw this, so let's see how this looks.' He feels like he needs a piece of the action and I say why shouldn't he."

Carona's struggles bring concern

Freshman kicker Donnie Carona missed another extra point attempt and field goal against SMU. He is now dead last among kickers in the Big 12 Conference, missing four of five field goals in three games.

Leach said Carona is simply going through an adjustment period, something former kickers such as Keith Toogood and Alex Trlica experienced.

"We're concerned now, but he's gonna be really good," Leach said. "The thing is if you think back to all of them, they all had a developmental period. They've all gone through some growing pains. In his case he works real hard, great work ethic there. He's not one of those guys that pouts in between. If they do, you gotta slap the pouting out of them."

Leach and special teams coach Clay McGuire credited the kicking blunders to problems in protection, trajectory and operation timing.

Harrell makes obvious audible

Against SMU, Michael Crabtree hauled in a 47-yard touchdown in what seemed like solitary confinement, waving his hand in the air as if calling for a fair catch.

The All-American, who sits third nationally in receiving yards, apparently was rerouted at the line of scrimmage by Harrell.

Hamby said Harrell called an audible with five seconds left on the play clock, except this audible was very simple for a defense to pick up on.

"Harrell looks over at Crab, he (yelled), 'Just run a vertical, just run a vertical,'" Hamby said. "The defensive backs are thinking he's lying. Crab runs a vertical, touchdown. I looked at Graham, I was like, 'Real mature. Real cool.' He's like, 'You like that?'"

Changes taking place

During the postgame press conference on Saturday, Leach alluded to making changes offensively starting this week.

"We may shuffle some guys at receiver," Leach said. "Try to get more plays out of some guys, and some guys emerging and things like that. So we'll see as the week goes on."

Ramirez gets nod in Detroit

Former Tech guard Manny Ramirez, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, started on Sunday over Stephen Peterman at right guard.

UMass game sold out

The UMass game marks the second consecutive non-conference game to sell out this season, as the SMU game was the most attended non-conference game in school history on Saturday.

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