No. 13 Texas Tech answered its first loss of the season with a hard-earned 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona on Saturday in Lubbock, a result that keeps the Red Raiders squarely in the Big 12 Championship race.
This one had plenty of swing to it. Arizona arrived at 6-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play, just like Texas Tech, and the Wildcats looked ready to put the Red Raiders in a deep hole after taking a 17-10 halftime lead.
Noah Fifita helped set the tone for Arizona, and his 94-yard touchdown strike to Isaiah Mizell in the second quarter was the kind of play that can flip a ranked matchup fast. Kedrick Reescano also found the end zone before the break, and Arizona carried that momentum into halftime.
Texas Tech, though, flipped the script after the break.
With Will Hammond out of the lineup, Thomas Castellanos stepped in and gave the Red Raiders the spark they needed. Early in the third quarter, he tied the game at 17 with an eight-yard touchdown run. Arizona pushed back with another Reescano touchdown, but the missed extra point left the Wildcats with only a 23-17 edge.
That opened the door, and Texas Tech barged through it.
Castellanos hit Kenny Johnson on a 27-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to put the Red Raiders ahead 24-23, then Stone Harrington added a 42-yard field goal early in the fourth to stretch the lead. The finishing blow came from J’Koby Williams, who broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run with a little more than two minutes left to make it 34-23 and put the game out of reach.
Williams was electric all afternoon, piling up 186 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Castellanos added 117 rushing yards and a score of his own, and Texas Tech finished with 469 total yards. On the ground, the Red Raiders were overwhelming, outgaining Arizona 336-12.
Arizona did plenty through the air to stay in it. Fifita went 33 of 45 for 417 yards and a touchdown, while Mizell finished with 182 receiving yards. But the Wildcats couldn’t get anything going on the ground, and that imbalance hurt them in the end.
The Wildcats also dealt with a worrying injury in the second half when wide receiver R.J. Mosley suffered a lower-body injury and was carted off the field. According to ESPN, Mosley stayed in Lubbock after the game for X-rays.
Arizona did add a late field goal, but Texas Tech recovered the ensuing onside kick to close it out.
The win lifts the Red Raiders to 7-1 overall and keeps them in the thick of the Big 12 Championship chase after avoiding back-to-back losses. Arizona drops to 6-2, with its five-game winning streak snapped. For Texas Tech, it was the response it needed after last week’s loss at Cincinnati.
In Other News...
Arizona Just Got A Painful Reality Check In The Rankings
Texas Techs win over Arizona carried a little extra weight beyond the scoreboard, because it came in a weekend full of movement near the top of the college football picture. Ohio States surprise loss at USC shook up the rankings despite the Buckeyes out-gaining the Trojans, and Georgia answered its own setback with a dominant win over Florida, even if the passing game still looked uneven. In that kind of environment, every quality victory matters, and the Red Raiders kept their own playoff case very much alive by taking care of business against Arizona.
For Texas Tech, the result was more than just another conference-style statement. It helped strengthen a rsum that is starting to look the part of a team with real College Football Playoff ambition, especially with other contenders around the country showing cracks. Arizona, meanwhile, was left to absorb a painful reminder of how quickly the rankings can turn when a high-profile matchup slips away, and the Wildcats now have to regroup while the Red Raiders keep building momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Created A Quarterback Debate Fans Didnt Expect
Joey McGuire made a notable change under center against No. 22 Arizona, handing the start to Thomas Castellanos in a game that carried real weight for Texas Techs Big 12 push. The move paid off in a 34-26 victory that showed up in more than just the final score, with Castellanos accounting for 261 total yards and three touchdowns while avoiding turnovers as the Red Raiders improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
What makes the decision linger is how Texas Tech won around him, too. The Red Raiders controlled the line of scrimmage and got strong play from their linebackers, which gave the offense room to breathe and made the quarterback spot feel even more interesting going forward. After a win like this, McGuire has given the fan base something it did not expect to be discussing this late in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech May Have Found A Much Higher Ceiling On Offense
Texas Techs offense looked like it had a different gear in the 34-26 win over Arizona, and Thomas Castellanos was right at the center of it. In his first start after replacing Will Hammond, he gave the Red Raiders a more dynamic look, throwing for 144 yards and two touchdowns while adding 117 rushing yards and another score of his own.
The finish only reinforced how much higher the ceiling might be with that kind of dual-threat production. Castellanos helped steer a late drive that ended with JKoby Williams breaking free for a 64-yard run to put the game away, a sequence that not only sealed the win but also gave Texas Tech a much-needed boost in the Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]