LUBBOCK, TX — The Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-1) hosted the Cincinnati Bearcats (3-1) at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. The Red Raiders bounced back from a loss to Washington State earlier in the season with two excellent wins over North Texas and Arizona State in the Red Raiders Big 12 Opener. Texas Tech hopes for a similar result tonight against the Bearcats.
Cincinnati won the opening toss and elected to defer to the 2nd half. Texas Tech will receive the opening kickoff.
Final - Texas Tech 44 Cincinnati 41
1st Quarter
The Red Raiders received the opening kickoff, and Drae McCray delivered an excellent kick return to set Texas Tech up at the 35-yard line. Quarterback Behren Morton led the Red Raiders offense out on the field, and the game was underway.
The first possession consisted of a healthy dose of Tech's star runningback, Tahj Brooks. The Red Raiders' rushing attack pushed the ball into Cincinnati territory before Tech even attempted a pass. Faced with a 3rd and long, Morton connected with Josh Kelly for an eight-yard gain but fell short of the first down. Gino Garcia nailed a 45-yard field goal, and Texas Tech took the lead, 3-0.
Cincinnati's offense looked sharp from the get-go. A strong first down run set up a 36-yard pass deep in Tech's territory. The Red Raiders buckled down after that and forced a 4th down, but Cincinnati converted. The Bearcats' quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, hit an open receiver in the corner of the end zone on the next play to give Cincinnati the lead. After the extra point, the Bearcats led 7-3.
Texas Tech picked up where they left on offense, moving the ball to midfield. However, the Bearcats' defense stepped up to force a 4th and less than a yard to go. Cincinnati stuffed Tahj Brooks in the backfield, and the Bearcats took over on downs. Sorsby hit another Bearcat across the open field for a long touchdown. Cincinnati led 14-3, with time winding down in the 1st quarter.
Tech needed a response quickly before the Red Raiders fell too far behind. Morton delivered. He hit several Tech receivers for huge gains as the Red Raiders raced down the field. Morton found Coy Eakin by himself in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass to pull Texas Tech within four points, 14-10.
Texas Tech's defense finally stepped up after the score. The Bearcats went three and out and punted for the first time in the evening. However, that success was short-lived. Josh Kelly fielded the punt but fumbled on the return. Cincinnati jumped on the loose ball in Tech territory. The Red Raider defense went back out on the field, hoping for another stop.
2nd Quarter
Texas Tech's defense stepped up again after the turnover. A penalty moved the Bearcats to Tech's 25-yard line, but the Red Raiders stonewalled the Bearcats from there. Cincinnati made the field goal to extend their lead to 17-10.
The Red Raider's offense continued to run smoothly on the ensuing possession. Near midfield, Morton hit Coy Eakin on a short pass. Eakin made his man miss and then took off towards the end zone. Tech tied the game after Eakin's 49-yard touchdown reception, 17-17.
Penalties killed the Tech defense after the score. Twice Texas Tech forced a 3rd and long, but a penalty allowed Cincinnati to convert and a later facemask pushed the Bearcats near the goal line. The D-line wasn't up to the task with their backs against the wall, and Cincinnati pushed into the end zone for the score. The Bearcats led with less than four minutes to play in the half, 24-17.
Brooks kickstarted the Red Raiders' next drive with a 35-yard run. Morton then found McCray to push the Red Raiders inside the 10-yard line. A few plays later, Brooks carried the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. Tech tied the game, 24-24, with 1:39 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Texas Tech's defense forced another stop just before the half. They adopted the "bend, but don't break" mentality, as Cincinnati had offensive production but came away with no points. The Bearcats attempted a 42-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half but missed. Both teams headed to the locker room in a deadlock, 24-24.
3rd Quarter
Cincinnati received the opening kickoff and set up shop at the Bearcats' 25-yard line. After a completed pass, the Tech defense made a huge play for the Red Raiders. Ben Roberts hit the Cincinnati back in the backfield to force a fumble. Jacob Rodriguez jumped on the fumble, and the Red Raiders took over at Cincinnati's 38-yard line.
Morton and the offense thanked the defense for the takeaway with a big run on the first play. Morton and Brooks ran a speed option to the right, but the defense wasn't ready for Morton to carry the ball. 21 yards later, the Red Raiders were knocking on the door. Brooks took a 2nd and goal handoff later for his second touchdown on the evening. Tech took its first lead since the opening drive in the 1st quarter, 31-24.
Cincinnati managed to score points on the ensuing possession, but Texas Tech did not allow a touchdown. The Bearcats went on a long march, grinding 72 yards down the field on 11 plays. However, with their backs against the wall, Tech would not let Cincinnati into the end zone. The Bearcats settled for three points.
Tech lost no ground when they got the ball back. In fact, Texas Tech had one of the most time-consuming drives of the night. The Red Raiders marched 55 yards in 11 plays before Reese Burkhardt kicked a 38-yard field goal. Texas Tech probably should have scored, but two drops and a missed targeting call by the officials made the Red Raiders settle for three points. Tech led 34-27 with 0:53 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter.
4th Quarter
The Texas Tech defense seemed to have been waiting all night to light up the crowd. They finally delivered with 12:33 remaining in the 4th quarter. The pass rush forced an errant throw from Sorsby, and AJ McCarty was ready. McCarty picked off Sorsby and returned the INT the distance for a pick-six. Texas Tech went up by 14, 41-24.
Cincinnati needed an answer quickly in 4th quarter. Tech's defense allowed an explosive play that went for a 71-yard touchdown. Worse for the Red Raiders, the drive only took 35 seconds. The Bearcats pulled within 7 points with 12:05 to go in the contest.
It was the Tahj Brooks show on the ensuing drive. The Red Raiders had to respond, and Brooks put the team on his back. He carried the rock for 42 yards on the march to put the Red Raiders within field goal range. Tech extended its lead to 10 points with 7:50 remaining in the 4th quarter.
Cincinnati pulled within one score after another impressive drive, which left the Tech defense wanting. Sorsby threw another touchdown pass to cap off an excellent offensive drive to pull within three points of the Red Raiders.
Tech took another two minutes off the clock on offense thanks to another big run from Tahj Brooks, but did not manage to score. Cincinnati had the ball at their own 10-yard line after a punt with 1:58 remaining in the 4th quarter.
Texas Tech's defense bent again, but like the first half, never broke. Cincinnati drove the football 60 yards before Texas Tech forced a field goal. It was a weird drive anyway, as a flag was thrown on the Red Raiders for targeting. No targeting was called after the play was reviewed, but Cincinnati was allowed a lot of time on the sideline. After a 10-second run-off, the Bearcats moved to the 38-yard line. Cincinnati attempted a 45-yard field goal as time expired, but the kick missed.
Texas Tech claimed victory 44-41.
LIVE STATS:
Passing
- B. Morton - 19-29, 251 yards, and 2 TDs
Rushing
- T. Brooks - 32 attempts, 172 yards, and 2 TDs
- B. Morton - 3 attempts, 46 yards
- J. Conyers - 1 attempt, 13
Receiving
- J. Kelly - 7 catches, 111 yards
- D. McCray - 5 catches, 39 yards
- C. Eakin - 3 catches, 78 yards, and 2 TDs
- M. Tharp - 1 catch, 16 yards
- C. Douglas - 1 catch, 4 yards
- J. Conyers - 1 catch, 3 yards
Injuries Updates
FS Chapman Lewis - OUT
The game-ending missed field goal. Cincinnati trailed by 3 points, 44-41. Had they made this field goal, the game would have entered overtime:
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