STILLWATER -- Ricky Price was not sure if he got enough of Graham Harrell's final pass.

Harrell, the Texas Tech quarterback, thought his final pass was good enough.

Patrick Lavine, Nathan Peterson and Donovan Woods just held their collective breaths as the ball -- and the game's outcome -- fluttered toward an open Michael Crabtree in the end zone in the final seconds.

As it turned out, the fingertip Price got on Harrell's throw did disrupt the pass. Harrell and Texas Tech did not get the winning touchdown. Price and his defensive teammates were able to exhale and celebrate the 49-45 win.

The Cowboys gave up 718 yards to Texas Tech. It is the highest total ever surrendered by an OSU team. Harrell threw for 646 yards, the fourth highest total in NCAA Division I history.

But after surrendering five first-half touchdowns, the Cowboys did enough to stymie Texas Tech. OSU held Tech scoreless on six of its eight second-half possessions.

After Brandon Pettigrew's go-ahead TD reception with 1:37 left, the defense responded to prevent Tech from making a last-second comeback

"In the end it came down to us stepping up and rallying together," Peterson said. "It was all about attitude in the end."

Tech needed only four plays to move from its 28 to OSU's 15 in the final seconds. Facing a fourth-and-8 from the OSU 15 with 24 seconds left, Tech took one last shot at the end zone.

Harrell dropped back to pass and surveyed the field. Peterson, who sacked Harrell twice in the game, did not rush the Tech quarterback. He dropped back into pass coverage to disguise OSU's defensive coverage. Lavine and Woods, two of OSU's linebackers, were blitzing.

Lavine had deflected a potential touchdown pass to Danny Amendola just three plays earlier. Price was at the goal line and lunged at the throw as it was zipping past him toward Crabtree, the nation's leading receiver who had 14 catches for 237 yards and three touchdowns. The ball hit Crabtree's left shoulder pad and fell to the ground incomplete.

"I didn't think I got enough on it to even make a difference," Price said. "I thought he would catch the ball because he hadn't dropped a ball all day. But when I turned around and heard the crowd, I knew I made the play."

Matt Doyle 581-8316
matt.doyle@tulsaworld.com