On Saturday, two teams with strong offenses and shaky defenses met in Lubbock, Texas, and the back-and-forth was as expected. Texas Tech outscored Cincinnati 44-41 and a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter proved enough. After forcing the Red Raiders’ first punt of the game, the Bearcats took possession with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati drove to the Texas Tech 32-yard line, but Nathan Hawks missed a 51-yard field goal to the right as time expired. The Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0, Big 12) scored on all but two offensive possessions and got a touchdown on AJ McCarty’s 51-yard pick-six with 12 minutes, 40 seconds left, 4-1. It was set at 27. The Bearcats (3-2, 1-1) had Manny Covey grab a screen pass and wiggle away for a 71-yard touchdown in a game after Cincinnati’s first two running backs were injured. When I decided, I reacted immediately. Texas Tech increased its lead to 44-34 on Gino Garcia’s 27-yard field goal at the 7:50 mark. But the Bearcats fought back with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Covey’s 3-yard touchdown catch from Brendan Thorsby with 3:24 left. Both teams battled back and forth until a game-changing defensive goal was scored, with the score tied at 24-24 at halftime. The Red Raiders converted a Cincinnati fumble to make it 31-24 and grabbed the first two-score cushion with McCarty’s interception. Texas Tech running back Taj Brooks sliced through the Bearcats’ defense, gaining 172 yards on 32 carries and reaching the end zone twice, part of a 482-yard night for the Red Raiders. Ta. Quarterback Behren Morton completed 19 of 29 throws for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Thorsby shined in the loss, completing 31-of-45 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns. McCarty’s interception was his first of the season. Thorsby also led Cincinnati with 52 rushing yards and helped the Bearcats gain 555 yards. –Field level media
