Red Raiders sprint past Wildcats, 58-28

Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree (5) celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown against Kansas State on Saturday in Manhattan.

? Stuffing No. 7 Texas Tech on fourth-and-inches on its own 29 and moving right in for the game-tying touchdown gave Kansas State hope.

It didn’t last long.

Behind an offensive line that provided plenty of time to pick his receivers, Graham Harrell engineered scoring drives on Tech’s next seven possessions, leading the Red Raiders to a 58-28 victory Saturday over the outmanned Wildcats.

Along the way, the senior quarterback threw six touchdown tosses and became his school’s all-time leader in yards passing.

“It’s a huge honor with all the great quarterbacks that have come through here,” Harrell said. “It comes with a lot of help.”

Lyle Leong snared three touchdown passes from Harrell, who was 38-for-51 for 454 yards. The Red Raiders (5-0, 1-0 Big 12), leading the nation in passing and total offense, rolled up 626 yards. With their highest ranking in 32 years, they did not even attempt a punt until Stefan Loucks replaced Harrell late in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats (3-2, 0-1) never even threatened to add to that paltry sack total. Play after play, Harrell was barely even hurried as he spread his passes to 10 different receivers and embarrassed the Kansas State defense.

Michael Crabtree had 107 yards in receptions and caught two of Harrell’s scoring passes, giving him 30 for his career and tying the school record.

Many among the crowd of 43,000 had left midway through the fourth quarter, an ominous sign as Ron Prince comes under increasing criticism in his third year as Kansas State coach.

“Those folks who were there today, who came out and stayed, I appreciate that. This is a very challenging time for all of us, and all that I can tell them is we will fight and compete, and we will get this thing turned around,” Prince said.