Sorry about that. I just can hardly bring myself to say the actual word and I try to avoid it as much as possible. However, the Saturday game is a big one and Real Texas folks love their football. We cling to football like we do our guns and religion.
It’s always a good time to be from Texas and it’s a very good time to be a Texas Tech student, faculty member, or fan. Real Texas is full of Tech grads and the West Texas school is a favorite of many. UT was the previous standard bearer for the state as the number 1 team in the nation and Colt McCoy was a front runner for the Heisman.
Now it’s up to Graham Harrell and the gritty sons of roughnecks and farmers from Real Texas to bring home the National Title.
Here’s more of the story.
John Heisman was a former coach at Rice University, a Texas school in the Houston area. The annual Heisman Award is given to the outstanding football player in America. Before Texas and Texas Tech played, Colt McCoy was the front runner for the award. He is phenomenal. After the 
Tech victory, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell is the front runner for the Heisman Trophy and he is absultely amazing. Both young men are quarterbacks and both are Texas through and through. McCoy grew up in Tuscola and Harrell, the son of a high school coach grew up in Big Lake and Ennis. His folks are Sam and Cathy Harrell, two of the finest folks you would ever want to meet. Colt McCoy and his family are equally gracious and are Real Texas good folks.
Real Texas quarterbacks measure their passing in miles, not yards. Through 10 games, Harrell has thrown for more than 2.3 miles this season (4,000 yards) and has only been intercepted five times in 463 attempts. He completes more than 70 percent of his passes and has 36 touchdown tosses.To focus on Graham Harrell a little closer, let’s go over to Big Lake. His dad, Sam Harrell, was coach for the Big Lake/Reagan County Owls.
Reagan County is a class 2A school now, but by some quirk it was about the smallest 3A school in the state while Harrell was there. That was back during the first oil boom. Harrell played his high school football for Gordon Wood in Brownwood. Before Sam Harrell was hired for his head coaching job in Big Lake, Coach Wood said he was one of the best ‘young pups’, he ever had. Wood highly recommended Sam Harrell for the Big Lake/Reagan County job. With a strong recommendation from Coach Wood, how could you go wrong?
And he was not a disappointment. Harrell is credited with bringing a pro-style passing offense to West Texas that featured a no huddle gunslinging game that suited his players well. He honed that offense to a consistent top 5 ranking in class 3A and consistent playoff teams. He was lured to Ennis and while there became the highest paid high school football coach in the state. Yep, more than Mojo. He still coaches at Ennis. He and Cathy try to watch Graham as often as possible in person.
I used to watch Graham Harrell when he was a little kid in Big Lake who used to play under the bleachers during basketball season and in the end zone with all the other little kids you see nearly any Friday night in West Texas. It’s sometimes those end zone games that get as rough as the real game. Graham went on to win a couple of state championships with his dad at Ennis and is now the leading Heisman Trophy candidate in the USA. Way to go Graham.
The O-place Sooners, have won 23 straight home contests and have lost only a couple of games in Norman in a decade, are favored by a touchdown. Tech has a 12-game winning streak, longest in the nation for major programs, leads the country in passing offense and beat the O-place boys two of the last three times — both wins in Texas Tech’s Jones Stadium
And Way To Go Texas Tech, which has been a Real Texas favorite since Spike Dykes was there. Dykes is a West Texas legend and coached all over West Texas as a high school coach before hitting the big time.
There are lot of us out here in Real Texas, no matter who our favorite team is, pulling for the Red Raiders. Have you seen the size of that line? My Gawwd they are big and good.
What’s at stake this Saturday in Norman? Just a possible National Championship, Big 12 title, and Heisman Trophy……that’s all. Even Real Texas former Tech lineman Danny Schwertner might get excited over this game. It’s Real Texas football at its best no matter where you may live.
Now for a quiz…..who was the other great Texas Tech quarterback from Big Lake? What do you remember about him? Who is your favorite all time Red Raider or college football player?
Must be something in that dry lake bed water that does it for these Real Texas athletes.
I’m David Werst, and I’ll see you out in Real Texas.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article, David!
I can remember when Sammy was in high school here in Brownwood. He was a good athlete, football and track. I think that he went to state in the 110m. HH when he was a senior. His dad, Jake, was coaching at Brownwood then. We got to be good friends. He became a JH principal at Petersburg not long after I became one at Bangs, so we still kept in touch until he retired. Graham has some good breeding. An OU victory would probably put UT back in the run for the national championship, but I can’t pull for OU even under those conditions. Besides, my son is a rabid Red Raider. Guns UP!!
BJ
At the risk of having my RealTexas ID card revoked, I must admit to being a life-long OU fan. My Dad and his older brother left Tulia, Texas, to attend OU and my Baby Boy also went there (twice!). Being an SMU grad (where they don’t play football), I feel free to back my Dad and Son’s team.
However, as much as I love OU football and its tradition, I love the story of Cinderella better. Therefore, I’ll be yelling it up for Tech tonight.
Guns Up, guys!!
Is the answer to the $64,000 Scott Lipsey? He was my hero when I was a little kid. As much as I love UT, and the O-place Suckers need to win for them to advance in the BSC, or BCS which is it, I can’t find myself rooting against the Raiders.
joe
Much to my dismay, I’d say Graham is now out of the running for the Heisman, Tech is out of the top 10, and Leach may be out of a job.
Thought it might be close, but now a blowout!