Patrick Williams remembers how difficult the transition from quarterback to wide receiver was for him when he came to the University of Colorado.

"Running routes was just terrible at first," the CU junior wide receiver said this week. "You're running and running and running and you stop. And then you're running again. The quarterback, you might have your little burst every now and then. But it was a tough transition."

All of which is one reason, Williams acknowledges, that Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree has been so impressive this season.

The Red Raider redshirt freshman, quarterback for an option attack in high school like Williams, has put up numbers impressive even in an offensive scheme known for producing Playstation-like stat lines. With four games left to play, his 1,320 receiving yards are already an NCAA freshman record and tops in the country. His 88catches, 17 touchdowns and 102 points are also best in the nation.

"He just plays with a lot of confidence," Williams said of the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Crabtree, who is from Dallas. "When the ball's in the air, he feels like it belongs to him and that's what a receiver needs."

While the Red Raiders have no shortage of talent at wide receiver — 11 have caught passes this season — it's Crabtree who has been the game-breaker. Sixty of his catches have gone for first downs or touchdowns, and 15 have gone for 30 yards or more, including three of more than 50 yards.

"For a freshman, it's almost not even fair watching it on film, to be honest with you," said CU cornerback Terrence Wheatley, who will no doubt spend plenty of time sparring with Crabtree when the Buffs take on Texas Tech in Lubbock on Saturday. "They are going to throw the ball to him a lot because he likes to compete, and when he gets it you better tackle him because he's going to try and run you over, unlike most receivers."

Until the Red Raiders' game against Texas A&M two weeks ago, Crabtree had scored two or more touchdowns in every game. But he hasn't scored the past two weeks. While he still managed to rack up 170 yards against Texas A&M, Missouri "held" the phenom to 76 yards on 10 catches.

Stopping Crabtree is more complicated than just focusing the defense's attention on him. Quarterback Graham Harrell is more than willing to spread the ball around.

Senior Danny Amendola has 71 catches for 849 yards, and three other receivers have at least 21 catches. Not to mention running back Shannon Woods' 34 receptions.

"They've got four, five, six excellent receivers," CU defensive coordinator Ron Collins said.

A key to the Buffs' 30-6 victory over Tech last season was certainly the five turnovers they forced. But no less important was the job the Buffs did tackling and limiting big plays. It's a mentality akin to containing, rather than stopping completely, one or more players.

Crabtree, for one, makes his living on yards after the catch. Missouri, however, held him to 7.6 yards per catch last week.

"If he's going to catch it, just make sure he's in front of you and just eliminate the run after the catch, which I guess a lot of people preach but they haven't been doing," Wheatley said. "If you do that, hopefully it will take him out of his game a little bit."