LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Thomas Castellanos threw for a career-high five touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to Kenny Johnson with 2:44 remaining, and No. 13 Texas Tech held on for a 53-48 victory over West Virginia in an old-school Big 12 offensive slugfest that ended early Sunday morning.
The Red Raiders (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) stayed on track for a shot at a second consecutive conference title, and the College Football Playoff spot that would come with it, by rallying from seven points down in the fourth quarter after leading by 14 at halftime.
The teams combined for 1,220 yards of offense — 894 of those before halftime — but a few defensive plays in the fourth quarter were as big as any of the game's 13 plays of at least 30 yards.
The biggest was Texas Tech (No. 15 in CFP rankings) stuffing Cam Cook on third-and-1 with seven minutes remaining. West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez opted to punt, and the Red Raiders went 69 yards in nine plays.
Castellanos kept the drive alive by floating a pass over the middle on fourth-and-3, and Micah Hudson grabbed it as he came across the field for a 26-yard gain. Johnson's scoring catch was a 5-yarder.
“A good old-fashioned throwback Big 12 game broke out,” said fifth-year Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire, who was a Baylor assistant before going to West Texas. “I haven't been a part of that in a long time. I probably haven't seen anything like that, definitely since I've been here.”
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. had three rushing touchdowns to extend his FBS-leading total to 19, tying a West Virginia record set by Ira Errett Rodgers in 1919.
The Mountaineers (5-4, 2-4) erased a two-touchdown deficit by forcing Texas Tech to punt on its first four drives in the second half after the Red Raiders had 494 yards total offense before the break.
“Our defense was gross,” Rodriguez said. ”(Texas Tech) was going against air in the first half.”
With the Red Raiders faltering on offense, West Virginia scored three touchdowns to take a 48-41 lead, but didn't have an answer after Texas Texas went back in front.
The last chance for the Mountaineers ended when Hawkins stumbled and fell in the end zone for a safety in the final two minutes.
“We expect this kind of game or this kind of game and then all of a sudden you get in the game and it's nothing like you thought it would be,” McGuire said. “So it's our job as coaches to find a way to win that game, to find a way to adjust. We didn't play great on defense tonight until the last couple of plays.”
J'Koby Williams had a 75-yard touchdown run for the Red Raiders and finished with 160 yards along with a 43-yard catch to set up a score.
Castellanos, in his second start since replacing Will Hammond, was 18 of 27 for 362 yards without an interception while rushing for 102 yards. Johnson and Terrance Carter Jr. had two scoring catches apiece.
Hawkins had 303 yards passing on just 11 completions, with redshirt freshman Taron Francis catching his first three passes of the season for 169 yards, including a 73-yard TD. Francis had a 75-yarder that set up a score.
“We moved the ball pretty well, but we didn’t when we needed to,” Rodriguez said.
West Virginia: The second-worst defense in FBS statistically gave its offense a chance to get back in the game with the sudden change of fortunes in the second half. The turnaround started with K.J. Henson's 15-yard sack of Castellanos on Texas Tech's first play after the break.
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have the best run defense in the Big 12, a strength they rode to the league title and CFP last season. Now, they've given up at least 255 yards rushing in two of the past three games after the Mountaineers piled up 279 on the ground.
West Virginia: Hosts Kansas on Saturday.
Texas Tech: At Oklahoma State on Saturday.
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