Red Raiders Beat No. 25 Cougars 33-30 in 2nd OT
The Texas Tech Red Raiders played host to the No. 25 ranked Houston Cougars at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock on Saturday hoping to put their new high-powered, Zach Kittley-led offense on display once again.
What started off as a promising afternoon offensively, turned to disaster, then back to a promising day as the Red Raiders beat Houston 33-30 in overtime.
Last week, the Red Raiders put up 63 points in a win over Murray State, but the Houston defense showed to be a bit more problematic. On top of that, the Cougars' offense overcame a 14-point deficit on the road for the second straight week.
During the first half against the Cougars, the Red Raiders' air game produced touchdown passes of 43 and 54 yards. Quarterback Donovan Smith - subbing for the injured Tyler Shough - had put on quite the show, with 218 yards on 19-of-29 passing, and the two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, Houston quarterback Clayton Tune had passed for 141 yards on 11-of-22 passing, while the Cougars had just 186 total yards.
However, the second half was a different story. Tech failed to produce points, made mental mistakes, and was overmatched.
Smith threw two interceptions as the Red Raiders' high-powered offense stalled and the defense gave up chunks of yardage.
As the fourth quarter clock ticked down, to under half a minute Tech entered Cougars territory with a surgical performance by Smith, eventually setting up a 47-yard field goal attempt by Trey Wolff.
Wolff nailed the kick with :03 left, forcing overtime with a 20-20 tie.
Houston started the overtime period with the ball and struck first with a touchdown-extra point combination.
On Tech's first possession of overtime, the Red Raiders could not fend off the Cougars' defense. With a 4th and 20 from the 35, Smith connected with Jerand Bradley for 21 yards and a first down. Then two plays later, a Tahj Brooks four-yard scamper resulted in a touchdown. The extra point was good for a 27-27 tie.
Houston was held to a field goal on its next possession, opening the door for a Red Raiders victory with a touchdown.
On 1st and 10 from the 12, QB Donovan Smith ran up the middle for a touchdown and a 33-30 Tech victory.
Next up, the Red Raiders travel to North Carolina to take on the No. 18 NC State Wolfpack on Saturday.
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