LAWRENCE, Kansas — Texas Tech’s game against Kansas Saturday night was a true seesaw affair. Every time it looked like the Red Raiders would pull away, the Jayhawks would embark on a run of their own. In the end, Texas Tech’s side of the seesaw was on the ground. Kansas won, 37-34.
With the loss, Texas Tech falls to 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in Big 12 play.
After leading for almost all of the game, Texas Tech should have sent the game to overtime, but a Douglas Coleman mental mistake cost the Red Raiders the game. After the Red Raiders blocked a field goal, Coleman scooped up the ball and attempted to lateral it, but no one was there. Kansas picked up the loose ball and Liam Jones nailed the game winning field goal on the next play.
Saturday was just the second time the Red Raiders have lost a football game to Kansas, and the first time it’s happened in Lawrence. Texas Tech holds a 19-2 lead in the all-time series.
Early on, it seemed the Red Raiders would roll. Texas Tech’s defense got off to an excellent start. On the first play from scrimmage, Coleman caught his NCAA-leading seventh interception of the season. The Red Raiders weren’t able to convert that field position into points, but scored on their next series as SaRodorick Thompson plunged in from the 1-yard line on fourth down.
Texas Tech stayed hot, notching a field goal on its next possession and driving down for a touchdown after that.
Jett Duffey looked in control, keeping a read option to pick up a first down and rolling out right to find McLane Mannix for the 9-yard score. He missed some throws, but played a far better overall game than he did against Iowa State. He finished a solid 23-34 with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Down 17-0, Kansas fought back into the game. Quarterback Carter Stanley did not have a passing yard in the first quarter, but got into a groove in the second. He went deep to Stephon Robinson for 53 yards and found the end zone on a quarterback sneak on the next play.
On the Red Raiders’ next possession, Duffey provided the most bizarre and entertaining play of the game. After one of his passes was batted back towards him, he grabbed it out of the air and turned the corner for a 14-yard reception. However, the drive stalled out and Texas Tech punted.
Kansas scored again before halftime, as Stanley fired a laser to Robinson for a 48-yard score. At halftime, it was 17-14 Texas Tech.
Robinson gave the Red Raider secondary fits all evening, burning Adrian Frye for two long touchdowns. He finished the game with 186 receiving yards.
After halftime, the Red Raiders snapped Kansas’ 14-0 run almost immediately. It took four plays and 60 seconds for Texas Tech to get into the end zone, as Duffey lofted a pass to T.J. Vasher for a 19-yard score. It followed that by forcing a three and out and kicking a field goal, taking a 27-14 lead.
But again, Kansas was not done. Robinson caught his second long score of the game, going 65 yards for the score. A blocked extra point kept the Red Raider lead at seven.
The Jayhawks forced a Texas Tech punt but were stuck with a third and 21 on their next possession due to an aborted snap. No matter, Stanley hit Andrew Parchment for a game-tying 70-yard score.
Texas Tech followed that with a touchdown of its own, as Dalton Rigdon got free deep..
While the Red Raiders did struggle with the pass, they did contain Kansas’ star running back Pooka Williams. Williams finished with 69 yards on 21 carries, and Kansas’ best run of the game came with him on the sidelines. Backup running Velton Gardner took a carry 32 yards for a touchdown to tie up the game.
Texas Tech got the ball back with just more than five minutes remaining, but Thompson dropped a second down pass and got stuffed on third down. Faced with a fourth and one, Matt Wells opted to punt.
Kansas drove down the field to set up the blocked field goal, and eventual game winner. When Texas Tech desperately needed a stop on defense, it could not get one.
Next, Texas Tech has a bye week before playing West Virginia in Morgantown.
