College football duos: Ranking the 32 best dynamic duos in modern history

8. Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell, Texas Tech

Michael Crabtree is one of the best wide receivers to ever grace the college football field. He was a perfect fit for Mike Leach’s air-raid offense. Leach was able to pair him with Graham Harrell, a quarterback who didn’t get much credit for how good that offense actually was. Rarely, a quarterback isn’t given the credit, but Crabtree was so good he was stealing all of the headlines.

These two will always be two of the best Texas Tech players of all time. They put a program on the map that had been overlooked for decades. The Longhorns and Aggies were always the best the Lonestar State has to offer. However, for two years, Tech was the much-watch team in Texas.

Crabtree’s first season was insane. He put up 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. This was as a freshman. It was also Graham Harrell’s second season as a starter. It wasn’t like Harrell wasn’t already really good. He put up 4,500 yards and 38 touchdowns the season before Crabtree came to Lubbock.

Only three players in the history of college football have thrown for more yards than Harrell. Ever. Harrell is an incredibly talented football player. However, it’s impossible to ignore the impact that Crabtree had on his career. He went from a really good player to one of the greats in school history.

Crabtree’s biggest moment was the catch and run that beat Texas right as time was about to expire in 2008. That is still one of the most epic plays on a college football field. That season might be the best the Red Raiders had since the 50s. They were in the top 10 for most of the season, beat the No. 1 team in the country, beat another top-10 team in Oklahoma State just seven days later and Harrell and Crabtree found a way to turn their on-the-field production into wins.