Mike Leach vs. the Huskers

A look back at the coach’s games against Nebraska and what he said afterward

Mike Leach vs. Nebraska, 2009 | Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

On the field, coach Mike Leach was known for his Air Raid offense. Off the field, his dry wit, candor and off-topic observations were legendary.

From 2000 to 2009, Nebraska squared off six times with Leach's Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12 Conference play. There were monumental routs and down-to-the-wire cliff-hangers. In memory of the coach who died Monday night at age 61, here are those games and what Leach had to say after each of them. (Click on the score to view the HuskerMax game page.)

2000

Nebraska 56, Texas Tech 3.  Leach’s first Texas Tech team was 5-1 entering this game in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders were No. 2 in the nation in total defense. The No. 1-ranked Huskers shut down the Air Raid offense and handed Tech its most lopsided loss ever.

“We were overly fired up. We wanted to be good too badly. Like I said in the locker room, we took our bodies out there but we didn’t take our heads.”

2001

Nebraska 41, Texas Tech 31. Quarterback Kliff Kingsbury and the Red Raiders gave No. 3 Nebraska a four-quarter fight on Homecoming night in Lincoln. It was 28-28 at halftime.

“I think we could’ve played a better game, but we played a pretty good game against a really good team. ... We’re not going to go back and feel like there’s a lot of things that we should’ve done different or improved on, but we're definitely going to find some things.”

2004

Texas Tech 70, Nebraska 10. The Red Raiders embarrassed Bill Callahan’s Huskers in Lubbock, handing Nebraska its most lopsided loss ever. Afterward, Leach made it clear that the 2000 game had not been forgotten.

“They put a bunch on us the first time and it was a rough day. They beat up on us pretty good, but at some point you have to establish an identity.”

Tech did most of its damage in the second half. Leach was questioned about continuing to pass the ball with an overwhelming lead:

“You only get so many plays in a season, so you better utilize them, you better learn from them, and you better get the most out of them that you can.”

Years later, a rambling commentary about coin tosses led to an  explanation of how Tech ended up kicking off to start both halves. Watch the video below:

2005

Texas Tech 34, Nebraska 31. Fortune smiled on the Red Raiders when Nebraska seemed to snuff out Tech’s last-chance drive with an interception, only to fumble the ball away on the return. Leach was pleased to leave Lincoln with a win.

“Moses was in high school the last time these guys lost a homecoming game. The crowd here, the stadium and the tradition. There’s ghosts circling around. You have to fight through that.”

He also spoke honestly about Nebraska fans’ tradition of applauding the opponent, win or lose:

“I appreciate the applause because it gives a little diversity compared to the reaction you get at other stadiums. I’d be lying, though, if I said I didn’t question the sincerity of it. People telling you ‘good job’ and ‘nice game’ are irritating on a certain level because football is a confrontation game.”

2008

Texas Tech 37, Nebraska 31 (OT). A fluky fourth-down conversion helped the No. 7 Red Raiders send the game into overtime on a day when they barely won in Lubbock despite averaging nearly nine yards per play.

“It was one of the strangest games I’ve been a part of. I think Nebraska would say the same thing too.”

Leach talked about his aversion to punting:

“I don’t know. I hate to punt. There’s always an internal debate. The devil guy (on one shoulder) here, the angel guy here (on the other). The devil guy went over and popped the angel guy, and so we went from there.”

2009

Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 10. The error-prone Huskers lost decisively in Lincoln after entering the game ranked 15th and favored to win. While Nebraska’s defense held Tech to 259 yards of total offense, Leach said he was proud of his own “black shirts.”

“We have black shirts there at Texas Tech, too. Every one of our guys was wearing a black shirt underneath their pads, and I’m proud to say the black shirts won this one.”

He also poked fun at himself while describing the performance of quarterback Steven Sheffield, nicknamed “Sticks.”

“Sticks was really instrumental in getting all our guys excited to play. He went out there and kind of put his money where his mouth is. Oh, that’s basically one of the worst clichés I’ve used in a long time. I’m usually better at making them up.”

More on Sheffield:

“He got a lot of pressure. He generated some for himself, too. There were a couple of them where he’d go back there and run in a circle, run in a circle and look up and then there’s two guys there. I wasn’t real cranked about that. I wanted him to throw the ball and hit some fat guy in the stands.”

The next few years saw Leach go to Washington State and Nebraska leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten. When Washington State’s Bill Moos was hired as Nebraska’s athletic director in 2017, there was speculation that he would lure Leach to Lincoln. While Leach called Moos "the best A.D. I’ve ever met,” he said, “I don't have any plans to do that and they already have a head coach there and he's a pretty good one.” (Mike Riley was fired a month and a half later and replaced by Scott Frost.)

Leach left Washington State for Mississippi State after the 2019 season. His 158-107 career record includes a 4-2 mark against Nebraska.

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