Stingy defense fuels No. 4 Texas Tech past No. 11 BYU

Ben Roberts recorded two interceptions, Butkus Award winner Jacob Rodriguez racked up 13 tackles and No. 4 Texas Tech earned a College Football Playoff spot with a convincing 34-7 victory over No. 11 BYU on Saturday afternoon in the Big 12 championship game at Arlington, Texas.

Behren Morton completed 20 of 33 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns and Roberts was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Red Raiders (12-1), who earned the Big 12’s automatic bid and likely will receive a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Coy Eakin had two scoring receptions and Cameron Dickey rushed for a touchdown for Texas Tech, which also routed BYU in the regular season and set a school record with its 12th victory. Anthony Holmes Jr. forced a big fumble as the Red Raiders coaxed four turnovers without committing any.

Bear Bachmeier completed 16 of 27 passes for 115 yards and was intercepted twice for the Cougars (11-2).

LJ Martin rushed for a touchdown for BYU, which had just 200 yards of total offense. BYU is expected to miss the postseason field.

All 12 Texas Tech wins have come by 20 or more points.

The Cougars trailed by six late in the third quarter before Roberts made his huge play to ignite the Red Raiders.

Bachmeier fired a pass to his left and it was toward Roberts, who deflected the ball and then grabbed it for the pick and returned it 9 yards to the Cougars’ 11-yard line.

On the following play, Dickey dashed in for a touchdown with 3:21 remaining. Morton then hit Terrance Carter Jr. for the two-point conversion to give the Red Raiders a 21-7 advantage.

On the second play in the fourth quarter, Holmes exploded in and forced Bachmeier to fumble and Romello Height recovered at the Cougars’ 24. Texas Tech cashed in on Stone Harrington’s 44-yard field goal to take a 17-point lead with 12:49 remaining in the game.

On the next offensive play, Bachmeier was intercepted by Roberts, who returned it 11 yards to the BYU 31. The Red Raiders came up empty when Harrington was wide left on a 49-yard field-goal attempt.

Texas Tech added on when Eakin caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Morton for a 31-7 lead with 7:03 remaining. BYU then turned the ball over again when Martin fumbled and Jayden Cofield recovered at the Cougars’ 37-yard line, setting up Harrington’s 28-yard field goal with 4:39 left.

The Cougars struck in the first quarter when Martin took a direct snap and scored on a 10-yard run with 4:58 left.

Harrington got the Red Raiders on the board with a 23-yard field goal to open the second quarter. Morton tossed a 33-yard scoring pass to Eakin to give Texas Tech a 10-7 lead with 10:42 left in the first half. Harrington tacked on a 40-yard field goal with 21 seconds remaining for a 13-7 halftime advantage.

–Field Level Media

Playoffs, Big 12 title in balance for No. 11 BYU, No. 4 Texas Tech

BYU understands the task at hand facing Texas Tech in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game at Arlington, Texas.

The No. 11 Cougars need to beat No. 4 Texas Tech to earn the conference’s automatic berth to be part of the College Football Playoff. Lose to the Red Raiders (11-1) for a second time this season and BYU (11-1) can count on one more game, but stands little chance of being in the 12-team field revealed on Sunday.

“We are really excited,” Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier said. “We know what’s at stake.”

Texas Tech could earn a top-four seed and a first-round bye with a victory. The Red Raiders are expected to be part of the playoff field even if they should lose the rematch.

Texas Tech’s impressive season includes all 11 wins by at least 20 points and it leads the nation with a victory margin of 35.2 points. The Red Raiders’ lone blemish was a 26-22 road loss at Arizona State on Oct. 18 when standout quarterback Behren Morton was sidelined with a lower-leg injury.

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said both teams should be in the CFP regardless of the result.

“Without a doubt, we should both be in the playoffs, no matter what happens on Saturday,” McGuire said. “I think we’ve earned the ride. … We are as good as anybody in the country, and we’re going to put on a great game.”

BYU started 8-0 before the loss to the Red Raiders. The Cougars bounced back by winning their past three games by an average of 21 points.
Both teams went 8-1 in Big 12 play but it was a one-sided matchup when host Texas Tech routed the Cougars 29-7 on Nov. 8.

Star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez had an interception and a fumble recovery as the Red Raiders held BYU to a season-low 255 yards. Still, Rodriguez said that he was impressed with the Cougars’ offense.

“I think they do a really good job of running the football,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “They don’t get sacked a lot. That’s a credit to their game plan. … Just excited for the matchup. I’m excited to play high-level football.”

Bachmeier passed for 188 yards and a touchdown, but turned the ball over twice to Rodriguez. The fumble Rodriguez recovered was on a backward pass.
Rodriguez is on the second tier of Heisman Trophy candidates and leads the nation with seven forced fumbles. He also has four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, 10 tackles for loss and a team-best 101 tackles.

Ironically, both programs announced extensions with their head coaches on Tuesday.

The Red Raiders rewarded McGuire with an extension through the 2032 season that will eventually pay him more than $7 million annually.
“We expect to continue to elevate this program where appearances in the Big 12 title game, like this Saturday, and the College Football Playoff are expected on an annual basis,” McGuire said.

BYU coach Kalani Sitake turned down overtures from Penn State to remain in Provo. He received a long-term extension reportedly worth upwards of $9 million annually after leading the Cougars to back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time 2006 and 2007 under Bronco Mendenhall.

“This is good for the stability and future of BYU football,” Sitake said. “I’m excited about our future.”

Like McGuire, Sitake expects two Big 12 teams to be part of the CFP field.

“I’m looking forward to both teams representing the Big 12 in this playoff, and doing it the right way,” Sitake said.

Morton passed for 219 yards and one touchdown against BYU but also was sacked a season-worst four times.

McGuire had Morton practice with a boot on the leg since he returned from the injury but Morton said he will take the practice field Wednesday without it.

“Wednesday we’ll take off the boot, put some cleats on and move around a little bit,” Morton said. “And then Friday, for our fast Friday practice, stay in cleats.”

-Field Level Media

No. 5 Texas Tech dominates West Virginia, will play for first Big 12 title

Behren Morton threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half as No. 5 Texas Tech used a fast start to earn a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship game with a 49-0 victory over West Virginia on Saturday in Morgantown, W.Va.

Terrance Carter Jr. had 10 receptions for 98 yards while Caleb Douglas had two first-half touchdown receptions and Cameron Dickey recorded one in the first quarter as the Red Raiders (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) won their fifth consecutive game.

Morton completed 25 of 32 passes for 310 yards and Dickey had 79 yards rushing with another TD as Texas Tech moves on to the conference championship game against BYU at Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 6.

The 11 wins ties the Red Raiders’ program record, also accomplished in the 2008 season.

In addition to the first Big 12 championship game berth in program history, Saturday’s victory likely earned Texas Tech a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Scotty Fox Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes for 98 yards and one interception as the Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) dropped their final two games to complete their season. It was the first time since the 2013 season West Virginia finished with less than five wins.

Texas Tech had a lopsided advantages in total yards (572-180) and first downs (32-9) as West Virginia was shut out for the first time since 2001.

The Raiders jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, getting their first score of the game when linebacker Jacob Rodriguez scored on a 1-yard run. It was Rodriguez’s second rushing TD in two weeks.

Dickey hauled in a 4-yard TD catch from Morton and Douglas added a 19-yard scoring reception in a productive first quarter. Douglas also had a 4-yard TD catch in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead.

J’Koby Williams added a 9-yard TD run in the third quarter for a 35-0 lead before Morton left the game following a leg injury on a third-quarter sack. Morton has been playing through a lower leg injury.

Texas Tech backup QB Lloyd Jones III threw a 15-yard TD pass to Micah Hudson as the Red Raiders took a 42-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

Jones and Hudson hooked up again on a 30-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.

West Virginia’s Jeff Weimer recorded six receptions for 77 yards to lead the Mountaineers.

–Field Level Media

No. 5 Texas Tech chases berth in Big 12 title game, braces for West Virginia

After a full week of rest, No. 5 Texas Tech will be out to make a statement Saturday afternoon when it closes out its regular-season schedule with a visit to West Virginia at Morgantown, W. Va.

The Red Raiders (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) have a chance to earn their first-ever spot in the conference championship game with a victory and all but clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Texas Tech also can clinch a spot in the Big 12 championship game if Arizona State loses to rival Arizona on Friday night.

The Red Raiders enter on a four-game winning streak and are set to play in their first road game since a 43-20 victory at Kansas State on Nov. 1. Their previous road game, Oct. 18 at Arizona State, ended in a 26-22 defeat.

A victory would match the program’s 2008 season for most regular-season wins.

“Our guys know exactly what is at stake,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said. “When this all started, if you told us coming into the last game if we win, we’re in, we (now) know that’s the case so we’re planning on being ready to play.”

While Texas Tech’s defense has held opponents to 12.3 points per game and 266.1 yards, both of which lead the conference, the offense is second in the Big 12 with 481.6 yards per game.

Behren Morton completed 14 of 19 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in a 48-9 romp over UCF on Nov. 15 before he was replaced by Mitch Griffis, who was 13 of 17 for 145 yards.

Morton, who took over after Will Hammond was lost for the season with an injury, has been playing through his own lower leg injury. McGuire suggested that Morton is on track to play against West Virginia.

“Yeah, he feels great,” McGuire said. “You know, we kept him in a boot all last week. He actually went through everything. It was a shorter practice (Sunday), but he went through everything — he just was in the boot.”

Not only has Texas Tech earned all of its victories by at least 22 points, it has an average margin of victory of 33.8 points. In their latest statement, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez took a turn lining up at quarterback and scored on a 2-yard run. He also intercepted a pass.

West Virginia (4-7, 2-6) absorbed a 25-23 setback to Arizona State on Nov. 15 before taking a week off heading into Saturday’s game.

With running backs Jahiem White and Tye Edwards already out for the season with injuries, freshman back Diore Hubbard also will miss the final game with an unspecified injury. Hubbard was limited to two carries against Arizona State.

The Mountaineers’ running game will be in the hands of Cyncir Bowers and Curtis Jones. Bowers has rushed for 246 yards on 58 carries this season with two touchdowns.

Freshman Scotty Fox Jr. is West Virginia’s fourth starting quarterback this season. He delivered a season-high 353 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception against Arizona State.

“I know a lot of teams are like, ‘Boy, we’ve battled some injuries,’ when they lost one guy,” Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “How about losing three or four at that position. So, we’ll get it all out of the way this year and then, go from there.”

–Field Level Media

Texas Tech's Cameron Dickey runs for a touchdown against Kansas during a Big 12 Conference football game, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2024 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock.

Cameron Dickey, No. 9 Texas Tech run all over Kansas

Cameron Dickey rushed for a career-high 263 yards that included touchdown runs of 71 and 55 yards in No. 9 Texas Tech’s 42-17 victory over Kansas in a Big 12 game on Saturday night at Lubbock, Texas.

Dickey, a sophomore, did not rush for more than 100 yards in any of his 12 previous games with the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton exited the game with 6:40 left in the second quarter after suffering a right lower-leg injury.

Morton was 7 of 12 for 91 yards with a touchdown.

Will Hammond replaced him for the rest of the game and completed 7 of 16 pass attempts for 42 yards with one interception.

The Red Raiders recorded 505 yards of offense (133 passing, 372 rushing) to a 319 total for the Jayhawks, who had 74 on the ground.

Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12) scored on its first four possessions, building a 21-0 lead with 11:03 left in the second quarter.

Dickey busted free for a 71-yard touchdown on Texas Tech’s first offensive play after the defense forced Kansas (4-3, 2-2) to punt at the end of the Jayhawks’ possession that started the game.

On Kansas’ first play of its next drive, Cole Ballard fumbled on a quarterback keeper and Texas Tech’s David Bailey recovered the ball at the Kansas 36.

Five plays later, Morton completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Carter Jr.

Following a successful two-point conversion run by Johncarlos Miller II, Texas Tech led 15-0 with 8:39 left in the first quarter.

Field goals by Upton Bellenfant of 25 yards and Stone Harrington of 40 yards built the lead to 21-0.

Kansas closed the first half by scoring on three of its last four possessions, including Jalon Daniels completing touchdown passes of 10 yards to Leshon Williams and 24 yards to Boden Groen.

Daniels completed 27 of 33 pass attempts for 228 yards with two touchdowns.

A 55-yard field goal by Laith Marjan as time expired cut Texas Tech’s lead to 21-17 at halftime.

Texas Tech endured three straight possessions that ended with a punt or an interception thrown by Morton after taking the 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

The Red Raiders returned to scoring on Hammond’s 20-yard run with 7:28 left in the third quarter, increasing the lead to 28-17.

Dickey’s 55-yard touchdown run occurred with 14:12 remaining, and Hammond added a 10-yard TD run with 3:31 left in regulation.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton (2) signals to the sideline during the first quarter of the game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

11 Texas Tech visits rival Houston for clash of 4-0 teams

No. 11 Texas Tech returns from its bye week with a quarterback quandary heading into Saturday night’s game at Houston in a showdown of unbeaten Big 12 Conference rivals.

Behren Morton was knocked out in the third quarter of the Red Raiders’ 34-10 win at then-No. 16 Utah on Sept. 20 when he slid on a scramble and took a shot to the head. Backup Will Hammond took over and hit 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns to blow open a tight game.

But Morton cleared concussion protocol over the weekend and coach Joey McGuire said he would start for the Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) against the Cougars (4-0, 1-0). However, McGuire also raised the possibility of Hammond getting into the game as well.

“A lot of people wish they had a Will Hammond as their No. 2,” McGuire said. “We’re really fortunate that we have the two guys that we have. We’ve been fortunate that we have a lot of different things that we can do with a lot of different personnel that we haven’t had to use yet.

“At some points, we’re going to have to. And that could be one of them.”

Either way, McGuire has a quality quarterback. Morton is 69 of 100 for 1,065 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Hammond is 31 of 41 for 369 yards and four scores. Five receivers have amassed at least 200 yard, led by Coy Eakin with 260.

Equally impressive has been the defense. Texas Tech has allowed only 45 points in four games, limiting Utah to 263 total yards and forcing four turnovers.

Houston hasn’t been heavily tested by any means but has perhaps surprised some experts by getting off to such a good start. It’s coming off a 27-24 overtime win last week at Oregon State, rallying from a 24-10 fourth-quarter deficit and prevailing on Ethan Sanchez’s 24-yard field goal.

This is the first time the Cougars have started 4-0 since 2016, when Tom Herman’s star was rising fast in the coaching ranks and nose guard Ed Oliver was dominating. Houston also has wins over Colorado, Rice and Stephen F. Austin.

Second-year coach Willie Fritz mined the transfer portal to build the offense. Quarterback Conner Weigman (Texas A&M), leading rusher Dean Connors (Rice) and top receiver Tanner Koziol (Ball State) all had big contributions to the comeback at Oregon State.

Koziol, who caught 94 passes last year, scored the tying touchdown on a 50-yard reception late in the fourth quarter.

“He’s got great hands,” Fritz said of Koziol. “He catches the ball away from his body. I think he’s got great speed.”

Fritz said a key to slowing down the Red Raiders’ attack will be stopping the ground game.

“That’s a big deal for us is trying to make them one-dimensional,” he said. “We always want to try to do good against the run.”

The Cougars own an 18-16-1 advantage in the series between former Southwest Conference rivals, including a 10-4-1 mark at home.

–Field Level Media

Nov 30, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA;  A general view of the Double T flags held by the Goin’ Band from Raiderland color guard before the game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Texas Tech lands No. 2 recruit, EDGE LaDamion Guyton

The Texas Tech Red Raiders continue to land high-ranking recruits — and they pulled the rug out from under the Georgia Bulldogs with their latest addition.

Five-star edge rusher and Georiga native LaDamion Guyton, the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2027, announced his commitment to Texas Tech on Thursday.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Guyton opted for the Red Raiders over Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

It’s the latest in a run of landmark commitments boasted by Texas Tech, which had not signed a five-star recruit out of high school until 2024. The Red Raiders could have two this summer should they end up signing both Guyton and offensive tackle Felix Ojo, who committed to Texas Tech in early July.

On top of that, the Raiders are in the running to land 2027 five-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett out of Oklahoma.

Over his first two years at Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Guyton racked up 134 tackles and 33 tackles for loss (including 16.5 sacks).

While high school recruits cannot receive official revenue-sharing contract offers until Aug. 1 of their senior years, it’s expected that Guyton could receive a three-year deal worth up to $3.5 million, according to The On3 and Athletic.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene (6) celebrates with fans after defeating the UCF Knights at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

West Virginia brings strong Big 12 road record to Texas Tech

West Virginia and Texas Tech are programs in search of a meaningful end to the regular season.

The Mountaineers (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) are trying to win their fourth conference road games in as many outings on Saturday afternoon when they visit the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas.

Texas Tech (7-4, 5-3) will attempt to reach six conference victories in a season for only the fifth time in program history.

The Red Raiders also will try to win an eighth game in the regular season for the first time since 2009.

“We have to take advantage of our opportunities,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to take care of business on Saturday, and we’re going to go into a bowl game.

“Our expectations would be 8-4 with an opportunity to get to that ninth win.”

Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in points per game (37.4) and is second in yards per game (450.0). They are one of three Big 12 teams averaging more than 290 passing yards per game.

The Red Raiders run a fast-tempo offense which results in a lot of plays behind quarterback Behren Morton.

He completed 37 of 53 pass attempts for 401 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in last week’s 56-48 win at Oklahoma State.

Tahj Brooks is at 1,317 yards on 263 carries with 14 touchdowns.

“We’ve got to get aligned to their tempo,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “That’s where they really feast, is they can get their tempo going. That usually happens after a made first (down) or a really positive play on first down. So, we’ve got to do a nice job of getting lined up.”

West Virgina’s offense will try to take advantage of a Texas Tech defense that ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense (36.3 points a game) and is second-to-last in yards allowed per game (456.2).

The Mountaineers rushed for 200 yards in last week’s 31-21 win against UCF. CJ Donaldson Jr. had 96 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Colorado's Shedeur Sanders scrambles against Texas Tech in a Big 12 football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Shedeur Sanders, No. 20 Colorado rally past Texas Tech

Shedeur Sanders passed for 291 yards and three touchdowns and had a rushing score, and Shilo Sanders recovered a fumble for a touchdown as No. 20 Colorado rallied to beat Texas Tech 41-27 on Saturday afternoon in Lubbock, Texas.

After Texas Tech jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead, Colorado’s defense took over. The Red Raiders had just 95 yards in the second and third quarters combined. The Buffaloes (7-2, 5-1 Big 12) racked up 10 tackles for a loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and a touchdown.

Colorado’s defense either forced a three-and-out or a turnover on five straight Red Raiders’ drives between the third and fourth quarters.

Travis Hunter had nine catches for 99 yards and a touchdown, LaJohntay Wester had six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown and Will Sheppard had eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Texas Tech’s Behren Morton was 24-for-40 passing for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Tahj Brooks led Texas Tech (6-4, 4-3) with 137 rushing yards and a touchdown. Josh Kelly had eight catches for 106 yards and Jalin Conyers addd two touchdown catches.

Late in the third, Texas Tech tried a fake punt but threw an incomplete pass. Colorado took possession and needed only four plays to score on a screen pass from Sanders to Hunter for a 31-20 lead.

Texas Tech tried to convert a 4th-and-9 from the Colorado 45-yard line but a sack led to a turnover on downs early in the fourth. After a Colorado punt, a Morton interception led to Mata’s 33-yard field goal and a 34-20 lead with 9:46 left in the fourth.

Following a turnover on its previous possession, the next Texas Tech drive ended with Colorado snuffing out a fourth-and-goal rushing attempt from the 1-yard line.

The Red Raiders scored on their first possession when Morton hit Conyers with a 17-yard pass for a 7-0 lead.

Gino Garcia drilled a 52-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. After a Colorado three-and-out, Garcia connected on a 39-yard field goal to put the Red Raiders ahead 13-0 in the opening quarter.

Colorado got on the board with 2:28 left in the first half, when Wester took a short pass 23 yards down the sideline for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 13-7.

The Buffaloes had to settle for a Mata 26-yard field goal to cap a 12-play drive and close within 13-10 just 30 seconds before halftime.

On its first second-half possession, Colorado took a 17-13 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Sanders.

Texas Tech answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Brooks and a 20-17 advantage.

On the Buffaloes’ next drive, Sheppard had back-to-back highlight plays. He took a Sanders screen-pass for a 17-yard gain as he zig-zagged through defenders to set up first and goal.

One play later, Sheppard was rewarded with a 5-yard touchdown pass on a fade route as the Buffaloes retook the lead at 24-20.

Conyers snagged his second touchdown catch of the game with 2:12 left to cut Colorado’s lead to 34-27.

But Shilo Sanders recovered a Morton fumble for a defensive touchdown with less than a minute left.

–Field Level Media

Oct 26, 2024; Fort Worth, Texas, USA;  Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Tahj Brooks (28) runs for a touchdown against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

TCU overcomes 13-point 4th-quarter deficit, hangs on to beat Texas Tech

Texas Tech freshman quarterback Will Hammond, who replaced injured starter Behren Morton in the second half, fumbled the ball away on a potential game-winning possession late in the Red Raiders’ 35-34 loss to TCU Saturday in a Big 12 matchup in Fort Worth, Texas.

Morton, who completed 13 of 22 pass attempts for 137 yards in the first half, did not play in the second half because of a shoulder injury.

Hammond fumbled while scrambling when he was tackled by Hakeem Ajijolaiya at the TCU 27 with 1:38 left. Markis Deal recovered the fumble for the Horned Frogs (5-3, 3-2 Big 12).

Hammond completed his first nine pass attempts then went five straight without a completion, finishing 10 of 15 for 121 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Texas Tech (5-3, 3-2) had all three of its timeouts at the time of Hammond’s fumble.

TCU was able to get one first down but was forced to punt with 35 seconds left from its 40.

Texas Tech began its final possession at its 23 with 29 seconds left but was unable to advance the ball.

Texas Tech took a 34-21 lead with 11:13 left following a 24-yard field goal by Gino Garcia.

TCU drove 75 yards on eight plays in 2:31 to cut the lead to 34-28 on Josh Hoover’s 8-yard touchdown pass to DJ Rogers.

Hoover threw for 344 yards while completing 21 of 32 pass attempts. He had three touchdown passes and two interceptions.

After Texas Tech was forced to punt, Hoover connected with Eric McAlister for an 84-yard scoring strike.

The longest play from scrimmage this season for the Horned Frogs gave them a 35-34 lead with 5:10 left.

When Texas Tech was faced with a fourth-and-2 at the TCU 45 with 2:44 remaining, Hammond scrambled five yards for the first down.

His fumble occurred five plays later.

The Red Raiders rallied from trailing 14-3 in the first quarter after the Horned Frogs’ Savion Williams rushed for a 35-yard touchdown and Hoover connected with Williams for a 75-yard score.

Texas Tech scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 17-14 lead at halftime.

One of the touchdowns was a 4-yard touchdown run by placekicker Reese Burkhardt in which the holder Jack Burgess flipped the ball behind his head to Burkhardt, who was already on the run.

–Field Level Media