Texas Tech’s J’Koby Williams is rolling into Saturday night’s trip to Oklahoma State with momentum, production and a clear focus: keep helping the Red Raiders win.
Williams has strung together two huge games, piling up 160 yards against West Virginia and 175 against Arizona. He also went for 165 yards on Oct. 17, giving Texas Tech one of the most dangerous ground threats in the country right now.
That sets up an eye-catching matchup in Stillwater, where another elite runner will be on the field. Oklahoma State’s Caleb Hawkins is seventh nationally with 1,081 rushing yards, while Williams is right behind him in 11th with 954.
Against West Virginia, Williams’ biggest moment came early. He broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a play he said felt like it was there the moment the blocking opened up.
“I’d say I knew it was a touchdown when I saw the kick out and I saw the hole open up, and I just hit it and it was just going from there,” Williams said, when speaking on his touchdown run. “… I just didn’t look back. I just kept going and I’m going to just keep going.”
Texas Tech’s offense has looked more dangerous with fifth-year senior quarterback Thomas Castellanos in the mix. He is preparing for his third straight start and has already shown what he adds to the attack, throwing for at least 100 yards and rushing for at least 100 yards in each of his last two starts.
Williams said that kind of balance makes the Red Raiders harder to defend.
“I mean, that opens the game up for us a lot. They got to focus on us, and they got to focus on Tommy, so with him being back there with us, it’s just going to keep getting better and better,” Williams said.
“We have to keep trusting each other. We’re building chemistry throughout, I mean, practice as he’s been here and we got better and we just got to keep trusting each other.”
Williams has done more than just run the ball. Through nine games, he has 28 catches for 208 yards, though he is still looking for his first receiving touchdown. Even so, his mindset stays simple.
“I mean, whatever they want to do with me, like however they want to give me the ball and whenever they want to give me the ball, that’s when I’m going to get the ball. I don’t really have any preference,” Williams said. “… We get to go prove that, you know, we’re a good offense, so we’re going to go do that.”
West Virginia did slow him down late, holding him to 13 rushing yards on seven carries in the fourth quarter. But Texas Tech still finished strong, closing on a 12-0 scoring run. Williams pointed to the team’s response after halftime as a sign of how the group handled the game.
“We had a lot of, we had great adjustments going into the fourth quarter. They had some good adjustments coming out of half. We kind of came out flat, but then we got rolling again, so it just went from there,” Williams said.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Faces A Huge Big 12 Test With One New Concern
Texas Tech heads into its Big 12 matchup with Oklahoma State carrying plenty of momentum and a national ranking to match, but the Cowboys have also arrived with an offense that has made this game feel bigger than a typical midseason conference test. Both teams have been putting up strong numbers lately, and the matchup brings together two ranked programs, with Texas Tech at No. 12 and Oklahoma State at No. 25, in a game that should say plenty about where each stands in the league race.
The spotlight figures to fall on the quarterbacks, with Oklahoma State leaning on Drew Mestemaker and Texas Tech turning to Thomas Castellanos to keep its attack rolling. Recent game results and coach comments have only added to the sense that this one could turn on execution and composure, especially with one new concern hanging over the Red Raiders as they prepare for a tougher-than-usual conference challenge. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces A Big 12 Test That Could Reshape Everything
Texas Tech heads to Boone Pickens Stadium on Nov. 14 for a Big 12 matchup that arrives with both teams still carrying plenty of weight in the conference race. The Red Raiders come in at 8-1, while Oklahoma State is 6-3, and the matchup has the feel of one of those late-season games that can shift how the rest of the league views both programs. Quarterbacks Thomas Castellanos and Drew Mestemaker are expected to be under center, giving the game a clear spotlight on the two offenses.
For Texas Tech, this is the kind of road test that can sharpen a strong season or expose the thin margin that still exists in conference play. Oklahoma State has enough on its rsum to make this more than a simple home date, and the prediction attached to the game leans toward the Cowboys, which only adds to the intrigue for a Red Raiders team trying to keep its momentum intact. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has Momentum Building In More Than Just Football
Momentum around Texas Tech is showing up in more places than just the football field. The Lady Raiders rolled past Lamar 78-28 behind Stephanie Okechukwus 21 points, five rebounds and three blocks, while the soccer team kept its postseason push alive with a 2-0 win over UCF to reach the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. Gianna Gregorie and Kaitlyn Giametta supplied the goals in a result that kept the Red Raiders fall sports slate moving in the right direction.
The football program is doing its part, too, with Thomas Castellanos earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after a strong outing and A.J. Holmes landing among the semifinalists for the Bednarik Award. Even the future is starting to take shape, with softball set to join the 2027 Shriners Childrens Clearwater Invitational. For a program that wants to be relevant across the board, it has been a good stretch to have on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]