Texas' defense can't get TTU off the field, falls 37-34 in overtime

LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 22 Texas led the Texas Tech Red Raiders 24-14 at halftime thanks to touchdowns from Keilan Robinson and Bijan Robinson and a field goal from Bert Auburn. Although the Longhorns had a 10-point advantage on the scoreboard, the Red Raiders laid the groundwork for their eventual comeback. They ran seven more plays and held the ball for three more minutes in the first half. Tech would only make that margin larger.

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They also figured out the Longhorn defense couldn’t stop them on fourth down. With a prolific Air Raid attack, Texas Tech put the pressure on Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense, and that defense crumbled.

Tech outscored Texas 23-10 in the second half and staved off Texas in overtime despite a late, game-tying rally. After Bijan Robinson fumbled possession away on the first play of the extra period, Tech kicker Trey Wolff was finally called into action on fourth down. His 20-yard field goal split the uprights, giving Texas Tech a 37-34 win, their first over UT in Lubbock since 2008.

“Our inability to get off the field was a real factor,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said postgame. “They went for it eight times on fourth down, got six of them, and of those six a few of those were close.”

Those six fourth-down conversions stand as a Texas Tech record since they joined the Big 12 in 1996.

Texas Tech ran 100 total plays in the game, including a whopping 60 in the second half. Red Raider head coach Joey McGuire went for it on fourth down regularly and succeeded. Tech’s first drive had two fourth-down conversions, including one that resulted in the first of three total touchdowns for TTU quarterback Donovan Smith.

McGuire’s decisions proved to be the difference. Those conversions helped the Red Raiders continue drives that put 20 of their 23 second-half points on the board.

Those decisions also kept a tired Texas defense on the field, and a Texas offense that was hit-or-miss on the sidelines.

“At the end of the day, when you play 100 plays on defense and you only run 60 on offense, that’s not a great formula for success in any league,” Sarkisian said.

Smith stayed on the field for a significant amount of time with the Red Raider offense, but he rarely was brought down onto the playing surface. Texas had two sacks total in the game, one on a Smith scramble where D’Shawn Jamison was the closest player when Smith ran out of bounds before the line of scrimmage. The other was via DeMarvion Overshown after his targeting suspension had passed.

With room to operate, Smith was proficient in the Tech offense. He finished 38-for-56 for 331 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 42 yards and a score on the ground. Texas threw multiple defensive looks at him, but the tired front and secondary could not get him before he gained the necessary yards.

“We couldn’t get the quarterback on the ground to get them off the field, which was disappointing,” Sarkisian said.

That wasn’t just on first, second, or third downs. It was on all four downs, and it made the difference in what will go down as a signature win for McGuire.

Smith completed passes to 11 different receivers, with Myles Price leading the Red Raiders with 13 catches for 98 yards. Baylor Cupp also record a 50+ yard game with four catches for 65 yards and a score.

The Longhorns struck quickly on the opening drive, with Hudson Card finding Keilan Robinson for a 35-yard score. Auburn continued the Longhorn scoring effort with a 40-yard field goal before Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy added second-quarter touchdowns to give the Longhorns their 10-point, 24-14 halftime advantage.

That touchdown be the last catch of the day for Worthy. He was knocked out of the game with what Sarkisian described as a lower leg injury. X-rays were negative.

Without Worthy, Texas was operating without its best receiver. Sarkisian asked his backup quarterback and an offensive line with three players making their first career road starts to carry Texas to victory without the complete array of offensive weapons they entered the year with.

Card operated well with Worthy, but it was tough sledding for the offense without him. He finished the game 20-of-30 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Texas managed just one more touchdown in the second half via a 40-yard Bijan Robinson rush.

Card even orchestrated a furious late-game rally while down three-points with just over 20 seconds left on the clock. He put the Longhorns in position to send the game to overtime, and Auburn followed through with a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

But Robinson fumbled away possession in overtime, and Sarkisian notched another loss despite holding a halftime lead after the aggressive Red Raiders mounted their comeback.

Texas hosts West Virginia this weekend in Austin, and looks to notch its first Big 12 victory of the 2022 campaign. The Longhorns will also look to keep their offense on the field a little bit longer than the 24:06 they recorded today. Otherwise, the defense will be asked to hold up against another Air Raid style offense.

How they fare (and how many plays they have to defend) remains to be determined.