Texas Tech Outlasts West Virginia 53-48 in a Wild One
Five touchdown passes, 362 yards, no interceptions. Thomas Castellanos had the kind of day that wins a game, and Texas Tech needed every bit of it to beat West Virginia 53-48.
It was a scoring contest from the first snap. Castellanos hit Terrance Carter Jr. for 30 yards to start it, and the lead changed hands eight times in all. Texas Tech had a 35-24 edge on a 38-yard throw to Kenny Johnson, and a 41-27 lead after Quinten Joyner's 1-yard run late in the second quarter. That is a 14-point hole West Virginia dug itself out of, and it took most of the third quarter.
West Virginia scored 21 straight in the third. Michael Hawkins Jr. ran in from 2 yards, Cam Cook from 2, and Hawkins again from 3, and it went from 41-27 to 48-41 West Virginia. Hawkins finished with 303 passing yards, a 73-yard touchdown to TaRon Francis, and three rushing touchdowns on the scoring plays. West Virginia led 48-41 going into the fourth.
Then Texas Tech scored the last 12 points. Stone Harrington's 46-yard field goal made it 48-44 with 7:55 left. Castellanos found Johnson from 5 yards with 2:44 to go for 51-48. Trey White's safety with 1:24 left made it 53-48 (yes, a safety closed out a game with 101 points in it).
Texas Tech goes to 8-1. West Virginia is 5-4 after leading by seven entering the fourth quarter. Neither quarterback threw an interception, so the late points were all Texas Tech's, and so was the last word.