Another sign I'm getting older hit me on Monday, Sept. 28. Previewing this week's Texas Tech football game in Colorado, Tech coach Joey McGuire said he's looking forward to it because he's never coached a game at Folsom Field.
This week will be my fourth trip to Boulder for a Texas Tech-Colorado game. It occurs to me that this is the 20-year anniversary of one of those games, and one that could be instructive for Tech quarterback Will Hammond.
On the first two Saturdays of October 2006, Graham Harrell threw five interceptions in a two-game span. Hammond's thrown four interceptions in two games, giving him five picks to only four touchdown passes for the season.
Same juncture of their careers, similar rough patches for a pair of Texas schoolboy
greats turned scarlet and black slingers.
The October 2006 Tech game at Colorado was, for the Red Raiders, not just a disaster, but an all-timer of lousy performances. Colorado had lost 10 games in a row. It was the Buffaloes' seventh game of the season, and they'd failed to score more than 13 points in their first five.
Colorado was struggling in year one under Dan Hawkins, and Texas Tech had it rolling in year seven under Mike Leach. No good reason for the Red Raiders not only to win but also to be playing everybody in uniform after halftime. Hawkins, 53-11 the previous five years at Boise State, would be fired by Colorado five losing seasons later with a record of 19-39.
On that day, though, the Buffaloes not only gave Hawkins his first win, but waxed the Red Raiders 30-6.
In the first five games that season, Harrell had thrown five touchdown passes in one game, four TD passes in two others and had a TDs-to-interceptions ratio of 15-2. Then the season turned on him. In a 38-21 loss against Missouri, Harrell threw pick-sixes on consecutive plays — let's just say he didn't take it well when booed by the home crowd — and then he was intercepted three times that next Saturday up in Boulder.
Tech had two promising sophomore quarterbacks at the time, Harrell and Chris Todd. After watching Harrell throw five picks in two lopsided losses, a not-small number of Red Raiders fans were clamoring for the compelling alternative.
Cut to the chase: Leach mostly stuck with Harrell and was rewarded for it. Harrell wound up with career passing totals of 15,793 yards and 134 touchdowns. Last December, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Chris Todd transferred to Auburn, started as a senior and finished up with 28 career touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
Not to say both stories will play out the same — the era of Tech QBs throwing for 15,000 yards and 100 touchdowns and then some is over. Nevertheless, we're talking about two talented quarterbacks and Harrell then and Hammond now are at practically the same stage of development: Year three in the program, Harrell a redshirt sophomore then, Hammond a junior now.
Hammond threw three picks in the last 5 1/2 minutes of the first half on Saturday against Sam Houston, then went into the locker room and told center Sheridan Wilson, "Well, that was probably the worst half of football I'll ever play. But don't worry about me. I'm already at what's next."
Sounds like Hammond has his head on straight, which squares with his reputation for keeping a mature approach.
Maybe at this nadir, he can take heart knowing that one of the best ever to do it had a couple of those days, too.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: What Texas Tech football QB Will Hammond can learn from Graham Harrell
