Texas Tech Survives After Blowing Big First Half Lead In Morgantown
The Texas Tech Red Raiders finally started fast this week against West Virginia by scoring 14 points in the first quarter. The Red Raiders would add a field goal in the second quarter to take a 17-0 lead at halftime. The third quarter would see that entire lead disappear, but Texas Tech would respond to adversity and be in a position to win the game with a Jonathan Garibay field goal. The Red Raiders would win 23-20, the team's third straight win over Neal Brown and West Virginia.
The first quarter started with a solid drive from Texas Tech that would end in an interception by Kaylon Geiger on a reverse pass by the receiver. Texas Tech's defense would force a three and out and take the next drive all the way. The 10-play 58-yard drive would end on a one-yard SaRodorick Thompson touchdown drive.
A Jarrett Doege fumbled forced by Colin Schooler set up the Texas Tech offense in a short field. Thompson would finish this drive with a touchdown rush as well. The second quarter would see the two teams punt back and forth before Texas Tech finished the half with a 12-play 59-yard drive with a Jonathan Garibay field goal that went through the uprights as the clock expired.
As much as the first half was all Texas Tech, the third quarter was all West Virginia.
Jaret Doege's Mountaineers had three drives in the third quarter and they scored a touchdown on a touchdown on a 7-play 75-yard touchdown. Then a field goal on a 9-play 46-yard drive before tying the game at 17 on a 6-play 86-yard touchdown drive. The Red Raiders would get two possessions in the third quarter but would punt twice.
Texas Tech would get back on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter with a field goal to retake a 20-17 lead, but the defense that is down four starters in the secondary just couldn't continue the shutout pace they had going in the first half.
Doege would keep up his phenomenal second half by ushering a 13-play drive taking more than 7:00 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and four deep in Texas Tech territory, Doege would hit a wide-open Leddie Brown for a potential lead-taking touchdown, but Brown couldn't hang on forcing the West Virginia field goal to tie the game back at 20-20.
Henry Colombi would come back out to try and be the hero with 4:30 left on the clock in the 4th quarter. He'd do just that with a 42-yard pass to get Texas Tech into West Virginia Territory. Thompson would be leaned on for the rest of the drive and Texas Tech would kick the game-winning field goal with 18 seconds left with Garibay drilling his third field goal of the game.
You don't have to be perfect, you just have to win.
Texas Tech now moves to 4-1 with TCU heading to Lubbock next week and Kansas waiting in the wings two weeks from now.