Texas Tech Football: 5 players who earned Blitz Stickers vs. West Virginia
By Phil Poling
Texas Tech football fell to the No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday, 42-35, with an outcome that could make or break their season.
Saturday’s showdown with West Virginia didn’t have the result Texas Tech was hoping for, but a number of Red Raiders stepped up for head coach Kliff Kingsbury against the visiting Mountaineers.
Things got off to a rocky start for Texas Tech, surrendering seven points to West Virginia on the first possession of the game. The ‘Eers marched down the field on a seven-play drive that covered 75 yards; it lasted 2:39 seconds. West Virginia quarterback Will Grier conducted four other touchdown drives in the first half, three of which were also less than three minutes long.
Aside from struggling to stop West Virginia’s offense early in the game, Texas Tech couldn’t move the ball on the Mountaineers’ defense, either. Every Red Raider drive in the first half — minus their 14-play, 76-yard drive that added three points — was five plays or less, including their lone first half touchdown drive. The second half would be the exact opposite, though.
An injury to starting quarterback Alan Bowman toward the end of the first half forced a change, and Kingsbury put the ball in Jett Duffey’s hands. He orchestrated a beautiful second half touchdown drive that sparked the comeback, and the defense shut down a team who looked unstoppable. It’s almost like the teams’ swapped jerseys at the break.