When the home team has an 11 am local kickoff, getting a flat effort is not uncommon. Add in the factor of a game without major post-season implications, getting an A+ effort can be hard to come by sometimes. However, in Joey McGuire’s three seasons as the Red Raiders head coach, his teams have always played their best ball in the last month of the season. Saturday in Lubbock, McGuire’s team played its most complete game of Big 12 play in 2024. With the season coming to a close, Texas Tech celebrated their seniors emphatically with a 52-15 victory over West Virginia.
Texas Tech Celebrated Senior Day In Style With 52-15 Win
Defense Showed Up Early For Both Teams
After last week’s classic Big 12 shootout against Oklahoma State and, combined with many performances this season, there was plenty of concern that West Virginia would just be able to score with Texas Tech all game. But the first quarter was ruled by both defenses. The teams combined for just nine points and zero touchdowns. However, while the scoring was limited, the stats revealed more. It showed that the Red Raiders’ defense was taking away West Virginia’s focal point. The Mountaineers only averaged 3.7 yards on 11 rushes. That was a good indicator for Tim DeRuyter’s defense that they were locked for the day.
Flood Gates Opened Up In the Second Quarter
In addition, Texas Tech’s first two drives covered 122 yards even though they only resulted in two field goals. But once the second quarter began, the Red Raiders took control and never let go. Texas Tech celebrated its best offensive output in a single quarter (232 yards of total offense) by scoring 29 points. Their next five drives, which included the first drive of the 2nd half, all ended in touchdowns. Quarterback Behren Morton not only was confident in hitting his first read when it was open but also made some great plays down the field when having to improvise. Morton finished the game 28-for-41 passing for 359 yards and two touchdowns. He even watched most of the fourth quarter from the sidelines while Will Hammond finished out the game.
Meanwhile, the defense kept the clamps down on Neal Brown’s offense. The Mountaineers struggled to move the ball. In addition, the Red Raiders forced two turnovers in the last three minutes of the quarter to set up short fields for the offense to work. After halftime, when the defense could have let up, they kept the pressure up. In total for the game, the Red Raider defense finished with two turnovers, three quarterback hits, four sacks, and seven tackles for loss.
Tahj Time Strikes Midnight
The greatest running back in Texas Tech history (feel free to debate me on X at cfp4_us) delivered in likely his last game ever for the Red Raiders. Tahj Brooks, who became the school’s career rushing leader in a loss to Colorado three weeks ago, had turned in two of his best games of 2024 in the last two weeks. Against West Virginia today, Brooks carried the ball 23 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He also added two receptions for 35 yards as well. Brooks finished 2024 with a total of 1,505 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.
Compared to 2023, he ran for essentially the same yards on the same number of carries. However, he did it in three fewer games (including the bowl game) and scored eight more touchdowns. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Texas Tech celebrated Brooks when McGuire called a timeout and ensured the PA announcer noted Brooks was being subbed out to a standing ovation by the Red Raider crowd.
Texas Tech Celebrated Like It’s 2009
The Red Raiders opened the day knowing hopes of playing for a Big 12 title were dead. But this team had a very specific goal in mind all week. It had been 15 years since Texas Tech had last won at least eight games in a season. This was the exact type of game over that time in which the Red Raiders would have come out flat. But it’s clear this program is different. Any time the team is getting compared to the 2008 and 2009 teams, it is noteworthy. Last Word will do a full evaluation of this team once the bowl game is over. But when the team posts its best regular season record since 2009, there is no doubt that this campaign has been a successful one for Texas Tech.
The post Texas Tech Celebrated Senior Day In Style appeared first on Last Word on College Football.