Sports

TTU Drops Homecoming to TCU: Now 4-2 for the Season

graphic of ttu player Sarodrick Thompson
Graphic by Campus Live staff

TTU Red Raiders Drop Homecoming To TCU Horned Frogs

TTU Football kicked off their Homecoming and third Big 12 Conference game of the season this past Saturday. They faced off against TCU, where they would go on to drop the game.

The game was played on Saturday, October 9th, in a primetime game at 6 p.m. in Lubbock, Texas, at Jones AT&T Stadium. Both teams needed the win, and in the much-anticipated matchup, the Red Raiders would fall. 

First Quarter

           After the coin toss, TCU would get the ball first and wasted no time scoring on a seven-play, 75-yard drive. The drive was capped off by a four-yard pass from quarterback Max Duggan to Quincy Brown, to get on the board early. The Red Raiders would then get the ball back. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders would go three and out to give the ball back to the Frogs. 

The Horned Frogs would do it again on their next drive, this time using four minutes and six seconds. On the eight-play, 79-yard drive, TCU capped it off with a 33-yard rushing touchdown. It would be courtesy of Kendre Miller to go up 14-0. Now down two touchdowns, the Red Raiders would have to get their offense rolling and would do precisely that. 

The next time the Red Raiders would get the ball, they marched down the field on an eight-play 75-yard drive. The drive was capped off with a four-yard rush from SaRodrick Thompson to make the score 7-14 with 2:26 left in the first. 

Second Quarter 

           After starting a drive late in the first quarter, the Horned Frogs continued to move the ball down the field early in the second quarter. Only five seconds after the second quarter began, Zach Evans capitalized by scoring on a seven-yard drive. On just six plays for 75-yards and in a total of two minutes and thirty-one seconds, the Red Raiders were now down 21-7.

Trailing by two touchdowns, the Red Raiders now had the ball back, but the Frogs quickly had other plans. A pass from Henry Columbi was intercepted by Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson for a pick-six. In short, the interception left the Red Raiders trailing three touchdowns 28-7. 

After the pick-six, the Red Raiders responded with a six-minute and thirty-four-second drive on 15-plays for 55-yards. The slow drive drained time off the clock and ended in a 38-yard field goal from kicker Johnathan Garibay. The three-point attempt made the score 28-10 with just 8:12 left in the half. 

After that, TCU now with the ball back, continued their dominance on the offensive side of the ball. On a drive that took 6:37 off the clock on a 14-play 75-yard drive, the Horned Frogs punched it in again. Yet again, courtesy of Evans, on a one-yard rush to make the score 35-10 heading into the half. 

Third Quarter

           After a rough first half of TTU’s Homecoming against TCU, the Red Raiders would receive the ball after deferring to the second half. Unfortunately, Texas Tech again would go three-and-out to give the ball back to the Horned Frogs.

TCU’s first drive of the second half would use just two minutes to drive the ball 33-yards on seven plays to get into field goal range. Kell capitalized on the drive with another three points on a 48-yard field goal to make the score 38-10 early in the third. 

Now trailing by 28, the Red Raiders would have to respond. This time the Red Raiders did precisely that and promptly. In just two minutes and thirty-four seconds, Tech marched down the field in just four plays for 75-yards. The drive was finished off by Thompson, who added six on a one-yard touchdown rush. 

The score was then 17-38, with Texas Tech crawling back, but the Horned Frogs continued their dominance. After getting the ball back, it would only take one play on a 75-yard rush for the Horned Frogs to get back into the endzone. This stretched TCU’s lead to 45-17 and leave the Red Raiders even further behind.

Fortunately, the Tech offense responded by putting together a three-play 75-yard drive. It was capped off with a four-yard play by Xavier White to make the score 45-24. While trailing by a significant amount, there were positives as the Red Raiders would win the third quarter, outscoring the Horned Frogs 14-10. 

Fourth Quarter 

           TTU headed into the fourth quarter of their homecoming game against TCU with some momentum and try to finish on a high note. Finally, the Texas Tech defense stepped up and got a stop to keep the Horned Frogs out of the endzone and give the Red Raiders possession of the ball. 

On a 13-play and 68-yard drive, Thompson capped it off with a six-yard rush to make the score 45-31. Now back within two touchdowns, the Red Raiders would be too little too late. TCU responded with a touchdown of their own to end the night of scoring. The Horned Frog touchdown came courtesy of Miller, who on the one-play drive, rushed 45-yards to make the final score 52-31. 

Notable Red Raiders 

           TTU might not have fared well on their Homecoming, dropping the game to TCU 52-31. However, there were many great individual performances. The first on the list is Henry Columbi. Columbi had 23 completions on the night for 344 yards while throwing one interception. After taking over for injured quarterback Tyler Shough, Columbi has played well and will need to continue his dominance on the field. 

On the rushing side of things, SaRodorick Thompson led the Red Raiders. With 118 yards in the contest and three touchdowns, Thompson was all over the field. He would also average 6.6 yards per carry and will look to improve heading into their next game. 

The leading receiver for Texas Tech would once again be Kaylon Geiger. After an almost absent Eric Ezukanma, Geiger has stepped up tremendously. In the contest, TCU would again have 85 receiving yards with a 55-yard long on the night. 

Defensively while the team did not play well, they were again led by linebacker Colin Schooler. On the night, Schooler finished with seven tackles and one tackle for loss. Being the Red Raiders defensive leader, he will have to step up more than ever. As the team heads into the rest of the season. 

Overall          

           Overall, TTU would drop their Homecoming to TCU and will look to bounce back. Now 1-2 in Big 12 Conference play, the Red Raiders will hit the road and head to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Heading into the game, the Red Raiders sit at 4-2 on the season, and the Jayhawks sit at 1-4. This is a game the Red Raiders should be able to get a big bounce-back win. 

Tickets can still be purchased on the athletics site, or you can watch the game at Big 12 Now, ESPN+, and Texas Tech Sports Network. 

For Texas Tech Football’s entire schedule, plus navigation to tickets, click here!

For more Texas Tech recaps, check out our latest over TTU volleyball.

Story by Campus Live Employee Trinity Porter

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