Red Raiders Can't Overcome Mistakes, Fall to No. 16 NC State 27-14
The Texas Tech Red Raiders fought hard but were ultimately overmatched in a 27-14 loss to the NC State Wolfpack Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Both the Red Raiders and the Wolfpack entered the game 2-0 but only one team could walk away with win No, 3, and Texas Tech had its hands full the entire game.
Starting the game with a three-and-out possession, it didn't get better the next time the Red Raiders got the ball. Tech's Drew Hocutt fumbled NC State's first punt of the day at the Red Raider 13-yard line, and it was recovered by the Wolfpack.
It took NC State seven plays to score the first three points of the game, as the Tech defense played well against a short field, assisted by negated touchdown due to an offensive penalty.
The Red Raiders took a hit personnel-wise as linebacker Bryce Ramirez was carted off the field in the first quarter with what appeared to be a serious leg injury.
Both offenses struggled through the first quarter as the Wolfpack defense held the Red Raiders scoreless with just one first down and just 28 total yards. NC State was held to two field goals and 61 total yards from scrimmage.
The Wolfpack offense finally broke through for a touchdown early in the second quarter on a 14-yard run from running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye for a 13-0 NC State lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the Red Raiders on the next drive as an attempted 4th and 1 conversion from the NC State 28 yard line went wrong when Smith threw a pick-6 to cornerback Aydan White who returned the interception 84 yards to the end zone.
That put the Red Raiders down 20-0 with 5:33 left in the half, but Smith found Myles Price for a 25-yard touchdown with less than a minute in the half that narrowed the lead to 20-7.
The third quarter brought much of the same offensive woes for both teams, as the game went scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. The Red Raiders attempted another 4th down conversion, this time from their own 35, but Smith could get just five yards on 4th and 8.
The next play for NC State resulted in a 38-yard touchdown pass from wideout Thayer Thomas to Sumo-Karngbaye to extend the Wolfpack lead to 27-7.
Texas Tech answered on its next drive with a 3-yard run into the end zone after a 12-play, 75-yard drive to narrow the lead to 27-14.
Donnie TD ✅@SmittyJawns | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/DxJ5dYFNnJ
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) September 18, 2022
Behren Morton came in late for the Red Raiders and threw an interception on a 2nd and 20, throwing behind his intended receiver, with just a minute left in the game.
Tech's defense held strong all night, but the offense could not overcome mistakes, as the Red Raiders committed four turnovers resulting in 10 NC State points.
Smith finished the game completing 12 of 36 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Morton finished 3-for-6 for 47 yards and one interception.
Up next, the Red Raiders host the Texas Longhorns on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.
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