While Lawrence, Kansas is geographically closer aligned with Big 10 country, the Jayhawks have never been mistaken for a Big 10 team. Texas Tech certainly has never been mistaken for a team to win a low-scoring game. Yet, Saturday’s result came flirted with going under the Iowa/Rutgers total, which closed at 27.5. This was a game no one saw coming, but someone had to win it. With Patrick Mahomes watching from the sidelines, Texas Tech upsets Kansas by a score of 16-13.
Texas Tech Defense Did Its Job
Coming into the game, Kansas boasted one of the most prolific passing attacks in the Big 12. Texas Tech had to find ways to disrupt that passing game if they were going to win. So there is no doubt if Red Raider fans were told that the defense would keep the Jayhawks to 13 points, they would have taken that in a heartbeat. The Texas Tech defense came ready to play from the first snap of the game. Quarterback Jason Bean and the Jayhawk offense could do nothing. Bean eventually left the game in the second quarter on what appeared to be a knee injury.
Lance Leipold was forced to play his third-string, true freshman quarterback Cole Ballard. He promptly led Kansas on the 98-yard drive down to the Texas Tech one-yard line. It seemed like the perfect way to describe the Texas Tech season. But Tim DeRuyter’s defense held strong and turned the ball over on downs. The defense continued to make life hard on the freshman quarterback in the second half. But in the fourth quarter, the defense finally gave way to a 60-yard touchdown run. The defense faced one last test as Kansas took the field down 13-10 with 2:20 from its own 20. As the Jayhawks marched down the field, it appeared that the luck was going to run out. But when it mattered most, the Red Raider defense held, forcing a game-tying field goal.
Worst Offensive Game With the Bests Drive of the Season
This was the worst offensive showing the Red Raiders have had all season. Yes, they turned the ball over five times against BYU, but the ball was still moving. Today, the Red Raider’s offense made the Jayhawks defense look like Iowa’s. Kansas’ defense had allowed at least 21 points in every Big 12 game this season. It appeared like Tahj Brooks would feast against this weak rush defense. Brooks started the game strong and offensive coordinator Zach Kittley was not shy about making him the workhorse today.
He finished the game with 33 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown. However, most of Brooks’ damage came in the first half. Brooks looked gassed in the second half, in addition to the offensive line not getting the same movement at the line of scrimmage. The offense could not do anything through the air. Until the final drive of the game, the offense only mustered 249 yards of offense. In the second half alone, they only had 102 yards of offense until the ball was kicked off to them with only 29 seconds left. Quarterback Behren Morton saved his best performance for last as he completed three passes in a row for 63 yards. Kicker Gino Garcia made his third field goal of the day with only three seconds left to secure the victory.
As Texas Tech Upsets Kansas, Bowl Season is Very Much Alive
Last Word told the world this just days before kickoff, “Texas Tech will make one or two critical mistakes aiding Kansas in making the winning plays late.” However, head coach Joey McGuire found a way to get his team to avoid the critical mistakes. No doubt the challenge became less difficult when Bean went out, but every time the Red Raiders could have let it get away from them, they held strong. Now, the Red Raiders return home with a chance to clinch bowl eligibility with UCF coming to Lubbock next Saturday.
