WVU Football Comes Up Short In Shootout Vs. Texas Tech
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MORGANTOWN - After No. 15 Texas Tech took a 41-27 lead into halftime with no signs of slowing down, you wouldn't think West Virginia football would have a chance to win the game in the final minutes. As the clock turned to Sunday on the East Coast, that's exactly where the game was. Quarterback Michael Hawkins and the offense were given the chance to win the game down 51-48 with 1:30 left, needing to just get into field goal range.
But, if you’re a long-time West Virginia fan, it went how you’d expect. With the ball at the WVU 5-yard-line, Hawkins dropped back to pass, with his feet in his own end zone, and the pocket collapsed. He tried to escape, but was knocked down by linebacker Trey White in the end zone for a safety.
“Mike’s just a competitive guy trying to make a play,” Rich Rodriguez said. “In the quick game, we got to get rid of it.
The Red Raiders caught the safety kick and ran the rest of the clock out to stop the Mountaineers' second-half comeback to win 53-48 in Lubbock. WVU fell to 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in the Big 12, while the No. 15 Red Raiders positioned themselves in the Big 12 Championship race at 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference.
“You got to play better, coach better to win,” Rich Rodriguez said.
The Mountaineers’ massive second-half comeback had them in the lead late in the third quarter. WVU's defense just needed a few stops to close out the game. Texas Tech marched the ball down and kicked a field goal midway through the fourth quarter. The Mountaineers' offense came up empty again the following drive. The Red Raiders converted a long fourth down, which eventually led to the game-winning touchdown.
Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos hit receiver Kenny Johnson in the corner of the end zone to go up 51-48 with 2:44 left in the game. The score capped off a monster day for Castellanos in his third start after transferring from Florida State just before the season started. He had 362 yards and five touchdowns on the night. Johnson and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. caught two of Castellanos’ touchdowns each. Johnson led the team with 84 yards.
Castellanos also had 102 yards on the ground. Running back J'Koby Williams had 160 yards rushing and a touchdown, too.
“Castellanos played a heck of a game, but we sure helped,” Rodriguez said.
WVU's offense scored 21 points in the third quarter to take the lead 48-41 with 1:12 left. Hawkins had two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, while running back Cam Cook knocked in the other.
Hawkins connected with LSU transfer Taron Francis twice to set up two of those touchdowns. Francis hadn't caught a pass coming into the game, and had three for 169 on the night. He caught a touchdown pass in the first half.
“Just being ready when my number was called,” Francis said. “Just building that confidence with my receiver coach. He was just telling me to be ready.”
Hawkins threw for 303 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards and tacked on three more rushing touchdowns, putting his season total at 19. Hawkins passed his quarterback coach Pat White for the most in a single season in program history.
Cook had 149 yards on the ground and a touchdown. True freshman running back Amari Latimer also had a score. WVU’s offense went blow for blow in the first quarter and had 582 yards of offense in the shootout. In the fourth quarter, when it mattered most, the Mountaineers couldn’t move the ball.
“Offensively, we were moving the ball pretty well,” Rodriguez said. “But when we needed to at the end, we didn’t play it well, didn’t coach it well.”
WVU’s defense completely flipped the switch from the first half to the second. The Mountaineers’ first-half defense was abysmal. Texas Tech scored 41 points and had nearly 500 yards of offense. The defense forced one punt out of seven drives, and the other six were all touchdowns.
In the second half, Texas Tech couldn't move the ball. WVU forced four punts out of the locker room, allowing the offense to put the team back into the game. But then the offense stalled, and the defense started to wear. The defense gave up a few key big plays, including a big fourth down and had costly penalties.
Once again, the defense showed flashes, but still allowed Texas Tech to rack up 638 yards of offense -- the most it’s had this season -- and 53 points.
“The defense was gross in the first half,” Rodriguez said. “Gross. They played better in the second half.”
The Mountaineers head back home this weekend for their first game since Oct. 17. WVU hosts a struggling Kansas team to hopefully get back in the win column before facing two more ranked teams, Houston and Utah, to close out the season.
WVU was close, but it just wasn't enough.
“The offense is the same thing all year. Every possession was pretty important because we weren’t stopping them,” Rodriguez said. “We were keeping pace, staying in the game. Had a good third quarter, but didn’t follow up with it. Not real happy right now.”