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If you’re a Red Raider, you’ve just got to hate Houston. It’s in your DNA.
Here’s why.
Go back to 1976. Bicentennial Celebrations. Long hair. Great rock music. And…an awesome Texas Tech Football Team led by QB Rodney Allison with a cast of high-level recruits brought to you by the early 70s Jim Carlen staff. Young Steve Sloan, Kid Coach as Dirk West dubbed him in his famous weekly cartoon in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, would be leading this bunch into a year where the QB was an emerging Heisman Trophy candidate and the Red Raiders were poised to win a SWC that was seeing the end of the careers of Darrell Royal at Texas and Frank Broyles at Arkansas.
The time was right for Texas Tech…
The Red Raiders started hot, rolling through non-conference that year. Texas Tech rolled Colorado to start the year 24-7 and then took out New Mexico 20-16. It cost Tech QB Tommy Duniven who started the year at QB and thrust Allison to the forefront. Up next, Texas Tech took care of Texas A&M in College Station 27-16. Allison was now running the show.
After that, it was the Rice Owls in Houston. Don’t laugh. Rice had future NFL QB Tommy Krammer and were dangerous. Kramer went off for 27-46 and 272 yards, big numbers then, but Allison, Larry Isaac and Billy Taylor bludgeoned the Rice defense with power and passing to the tune of 37-13 win.
The next week, The BT Express went off for 173 yards and Tech beat Arizona 52-27. It wasn’t that close that day.
The next week, Texas Tech took down Texas in Lubbock 31-28. You’ve all seen the photo of Talyor over the top and Allison signaling TD. It’s as iconic a moment in Texas Tech football history, as much as the Crab-Grab and anything else. For sure, the coolest photo ever!
Tech would take out TCU next and then a blizzard showed up in Lubbock.
Texas Tech and SMU, with the city of Lubbock getting all the local contractors they could find to remove snow from the Jones Stadium truf would finally start a game two hours later against SMU. If you see highlights of the game you can see snow pilled up all around the edges of the stadium. At the half, snow started again but it didn’t slow down the Red Raiders. Tech ran up 446 yards of offense, most on the ground. 20 degree weather or no… Texas Tech beat the Mustangs 34-7.
And now, the Red Raiders are 8-0, ranked number five in that nation and ready to play Houston for what would determine the Cotton Bowl rep from the SWC and maybe a shot at a national title that year. Keep in mind, Houston was in their first full year of SWC membership, having fought to get into the league even when Tech was doing so in the mid-50s. But here they were, with Bill Yeoman and the Houston Veer offense rolling.
(From here I’m going to give your the account from the book, The Red Raiders, by Ralph Sellmeyer and James Davidson. A great piece of work published in 1978. Get it if you can find it. An awesome history of Texas Tech football!)
The SMU win brought the Raiders’ record to 8-0. They were ranked number five in the Associated Press poll. Then the upstart University of Houston Cougars came to town. Houston had lost only to Arkansas, and a win over Tech would put hem in the dirver’s seat for the SWC championship. On the other hand, if Tech could beat Houston, they were almost assured a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Tech opened the scoring when linebacker Mike Mock tackled Houston quarterback Danny Davis in the end zone for a safety. Following a Tech punt, however, Houston’s potent Veer offense mounted a drive that resulted in a touchdown and took the lead. Brian Hall booted a first quarter field goal of 37 yards, but the Raiders were still on the short end of the score. In the second and third quarters, however, Houston took control of the game. The Cougars scored on pass plays of 39 and 7 yards and field goals of 39 and 26 yards. When the fourth quarter opened, the Techsans found themselves behind 27-5 , and they began their almost impossible task of catching up.
Tech’s momentum picked up when Richard Arledge intercepted a Danny DAvis pass and lugged the pigskin into the end zone for a Tech touchdown. When the Raiders got the ball back, Allison began to move the team. He hit Billy Taylor from 16 yards out to make the score 27-19 in favor of Houston.
With just over two minutes remaining in the game Tech forced Houston to punt, and Allison and company took over. Everyone in Jones Stadium, even the ABC television announcers, was standing as Allison hit Larry Isaac for 11 yards, tight end Sylvester Brown for 27 yards, and Isaac again for another 27. The Raiders had first and goal on the Houston 10 with little more than a minute left to play. On first and goal, Allison once again dropped back to pass. As he release the ball Houston cornerback Elvis Bradley stepped in front of the intended receiver and picked the ball off on the one yard line. The clock showed 1:17. The Cougars had pulled out a 27-19 win over the Red Raiders and killed Tech’s hopes for the Cotton Bowl.
And that was that. Texas Tech would be denied by newcomer Houston to the promised land. The Cotton Bowl. The elusive goal that Texas Tech had fought for since 1960 in the SWC.
But that wasn’t it.
Texas Tech would recover and run the table scorching Arkansas in Little Rock 30-7 and then holding of a good Baylor team 24-21 to finish the year 10-1.
The reward that year was the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl again a Tom Osborne and Vince Ferragamo led Nebraska. Rodney Allison broke the bowl record for total offense going 15-23 through the air for 193 yards and rushing for 80. Billy Taylor had three touchdowns as well for Texas Tech.
It wasn’t enough though as the Cornhuskers won 27-24…
So, SWC Co-Champs in 1976 but it was recent league addition Houston who thwarted Texas Tech’s chance at a Cotton Bowl and maybe a National Championship. Houston beat a 9-2 Maryland team in the Cotton Bowl. An undefeated Texas Tech team might have had a shot to win it all that year against PItt in the Cotton Bowl.
So, for the Young-Uns out there, this is why you MUST hate Houston. The Cougars waltzed into the SWC in the mid-70s and denied the Red Raiders from their Rightful Place in the Cotton Bowl! Or at least that’s the way I remember it. Either way, it’s still hard to listen to the Gatlin Brothers sometimes during football season. If you know, you know.
Now, go out there this week and Hate Houston. They deserve it!
Hyatt
FACTS! ALL FACTS!!
I was there through all of it…including that heartbreaking interception in the Houston game. It’s way past time for payback!