No. 15 Texas Tech held off West Virginia 53-48 on Saturday at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, holding on as West Virginia rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter before Texas Tech sealed it in the fourth. Thomas Castellanos threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns to push Texas Tech to 8-1, while West Virginia dropped to 5-4 despite 582 total yards of its own.
The game turned in the final four minutes. Trailing 48-44 after a Stone Harrington field goal, Texas Tech needed one more answer and got it when Castellanos found Kenny Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown with 2:44 left. Trey White sealed it with a safety at the 1:24 mark, closing the scoring at 53-48. West Virginia’s top performer, running back Cam Cook, finished with 149 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries but never got the ball back in position to answer.
Takeaways From Texas Tech’s Win Over West Virginia
Castellanos dominated the Red Raiders’ passing game
Castellanos completed 18 of 27 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He spread the wealth to six receivers, including two scores to Kenny Johnson and two to Terrance Carter Jr. Texas Tech led 35-24 before West Virginia outscored the Red Raiders 21-0 in the third quarter.
West Virginia tied it with a third-quarter outburst
The Mountaineers outscored Texas Tech 21-0 in the third quarter. Michael Hawkins Jr. scored three times on the ground, Cam Cook added a 2-yard touchdown run, and Hawkins threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to TaRon Francis. West Virginia tied it 41-41 before Texas Tech scored twice more in the fourth.
Texas Tech’s defense made the decisive stop
Trey White recorded two of Texas Tech’s sacks and finished with 2.5 tackles for loss, including the safety that put the Red Raiders up by five with 1:24 remaining. Linebacker Austin Romaine led all players with 15 tackles, and Texas Tech’s defense held West Virginia without a fourth-quarter point after the Mountaineers had scored on five straight possessions.
Player Of The Game: Thomas Castellanos
Castellanos went 18 of 27 for 362 yards and five touchdown passes. He also rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries, accounting for five of Texas Tech’s seven scores.
Texas Tech Vs. West Virginia By The Numbers
Texas Tech outgained West Virginia 638 yards to 582, with both teams eclipsing 270 rushing yards. The Red Raiders converted 1 of 2 fourth-down attempts compared to 0 for 2 for the Mountaineers, a difference that mattered in a game decided by five points. Neither team turned the ball over, with zero fumbles lost and zero interceptions thrown combined. Texas Tech held a narrow edge in time of possession, 30:15 to 29:45, and finished 8 of 16 on third down against West Virginia’s 7 of 15.
What’s Next
Texas Tech improves to 8-1, staying ranked No. 15 in the Big 12. West Virginia drops to 5-4.
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