No. 12 Oklahoma State Rallies Past Texas Tech 70-53
The Texas Tech Red Raiders gave up a school record 70 points at home and squandered leads of 17 points three different times as the No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys prevailed 70-53 in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first 46 seconds of the contest with a 42-yard strike from Patrick Mahomes to Justin Stockton on the third play of the game. The drive started with a 31-yard run by DeAndre Washington setting up Tech with great field position.
After a punt by the Cowboys, the Red Raiders would get a boost from Jakeem Grant running 90-yards on a screen pass from the Tech 3 to the OSU 7. Tech would score two plays later on a 3-yard option pass from Mahomes to Stockton for a 14-0 lead.
The next possession would have Dakota Allen intercepting Mason Rudolph at the OSU 38 and the Red Raiders would drive down and kick a 42-yard field goal to take a 17-0 lead in the first 11 minutes of action.
The Cowboys would come back and march down the field going 8 plays over 75-yards scoring on a 19-yard double-pass from Austin Hays to Blake Jarwin making it 17-7, but the score would change on the ensuing kickoff thanks to Grant making it 24-7 Tech.
Oklahoma State would score before the end of the quarter on 12-yard pass from Rudolph to Hayes making it 24-14. The second quarter would show more fireworks as the teams would exchange scores on the next two possessions as Grant would catch a 12-yard TD pass making it 31-14 Tech, Raymond Taylor would score from 4-yards out for the Cowboys making it 31-21. The Red Raiders would end the half up 38-28 after a 1-yard TD run.
The second half would be a nightmare for the Red Raiders as they would punt twice, fail on a fake punt, and Oklahoma State would capitalize on the special teams miscues with a 67-yard punt return touchdown for Jalen McCleskey and a 28-yard touchdown run by James Washington to take the lead at 42-38.
Big plays would doom Texas Tech as they would be outscored 28-15 in the final period as the Red Raiders would get within three at 56-53 after a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:48 left, but a 75-yard pass by JW Walsh and a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown would inflate the final score in a back and forth affair.
Texas Tech falls to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12 while Oklahoma State improves to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference.