Texas Tech topped visiting TCU 35-28 in a back-and-forth Big 12 shootout Thursday night in Lubbock, Texas.
Two teams desperate for a victory played like it Thursday, as Texas Tech constructed a healthy first-half cushion and refused to blink when TCU staged a second-half rally.
Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton returned to the lineup with 282 yards and two touchdowns on 28-of-36 passing. Tahj Brooks was huge with 146 rushing yards and a TD, and cornerback Dadrion Taylor-Demerson anchored a feisty Red Raider defensive effort with a pair of interceptions, the second with 55 seconds left in the game to slam the door.
Texas Tech (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) scored back-to-back touchdowns after the Horned Frogs erased a halftime deficit and grabbed a 21-20 lead.
Taylor-Demerson set up the go-ahead score when he swiped a pass from Josh Hoover late in the third quarter and returned it to the TCU 16-yard line. Two plays later, Brooks crashed in for a 9-yard touchdown.
Texas Tech’s defense forced the first Horned Frogs punt of the second half on the ensuing possession and the offense provided some breathing room with a quick three-play, 92-yard scoring drive. Morton connected with Xavier White for 39 yards, then hit Drae McCray for a 44-yard touchdown bomb on a deep post pattern.
TCU (4-5, 2-4) clawed back within a touchdown with a long drive that ended with Trey Sanders plowing in from the 1-yard-line with 4:54 to play.
The Horned Frogs got the ball one last time in the final minutes and were on the move, advancing from their 12-yard-line to the 44 when Taylor-Demerson snared his second pick.
TCU’s offense came alive to help them scramble back into the game after trailing 20-7 at halftime.
The Horned Frogs managed only 140 total yards in the opening 30 minutes and punted four times. Texas Tech took advantage with a boost from special teams: The Red Raiders got a 55-yard field goal from Gino Garcia, which Myles Price helped set up with a 29-yard punt return.
Hoover passed for 353 yards, most of that in the second half on three long scoring drives. Emani Bailey ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns for TCU.
–Field Level Media