Tahj Brooks carried 31 times for 146 yards and Behren Morton hit Drae McCray for a 44-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, helping the Texas Tech football team hold off TCU 35-28 in a Thursday night Big 12 game at Jones AT&T Stadium.
TCU (4-5, 2-4 in the Big 12) reached the Tech 44-yard line with 1:01 left in the game, but Dadrion Taylor-Demerson intercepted Josh Hoover to seal the Red Raiders’ first victory in the last five games in the series.
Tech (4-4, 3-3 in the Big 12) let a 20-7 halftime lead turn into a 21-20 deficit before the Red Raiders responded. After an interception by Taylor-Demerson that the Tech safety returned to the TCU 16-yard line, Brooks’ 9-yard touchdown and Morton’s conversion pass to Jerand Bradley gave Tech a 28-21 lead.
Morton’s deep shot down the middle to McCray made it 35-21 with 10:33 to go. TCU answered with Trey Sanders’ 1-yard touchdown capping a 16-play drive.
Morton finished with 282 yards on 28-for-36 passing. He ran for one TD and threw for two more.
Here’s the Red Raiders’ report card.
Offense: B
Tahj Brooks continued his roll, a must for this team. Behren Morton came back with a winning performance after two weeks off to heal, accounting for three touchdowns and close to 300 yards total offense.
Defense: B
The unit held Emani Bailey, the Big 12’s fourth-leading rusher, to his second-lowest output of the year. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Joseph Adedire made game-changing plays down the stretch. Third-and-long conversions were a problem.
Special Teams: B
Gino Garcia made two field goals, including a season-long 55-yarder. Myles Price continued his good season as a punt-return man, breaking one for 29 yards.
Coaching: B
Credit to Joey McGuire’s staff for having the Red Raiders ready to go with a strong first half. Another fourth-down gamble in the second half backfired, but McGuire rallied the troops when they were in danger of blowing it.
Overall: B
Tech almost had to win this one to keep its bowl hopes alive. The Red Raiders showed something after they lost the lead and the momentum.
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2023-11-03 02:39:02
#late #defensive #heroics #worth
