In a game that saw 101 combined points, Michael Hawkins Jr. made history Saturday night in Lubbock, but it wasn’t enough to get West Virginia the win. The junior quarterback ran for three touchdowns to set a new WVU single-season record with 19, while throwing for 303 yards in a 53-48 loss to Texas Tech. Read more: Hawkins’ heroics fall short as WVU drops 53-48 shootout to No. 15 Texas Tech.
The Mountaineers finished with 582 yards of total offense, including 279 on the ground, and erased a 14-point halftime deficit to take a 48-41 lead in the third quarter. However, Texas Tech scored the final 12 points to hand WVU a tough road loss.
A fast start in Lubbock
Texas Tech got on the scoreboard first. Thomas Castellanos found Terrance Carter Jr. for a 30-yard touchdown to put the Red Raiders up 7-0 just two minutes into the game.
West Virginia answered with a scoring drive of its own. Hawkins connected with Prince Strachan for a 32-yard gain, then used his legs to pick up 12 yards. DJ Epps added a 15-yard run before Amari Latimer finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown.
The Mountaineer defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense was right back on the field. Cam Cook broke off a 38-yard run to put WVU in the red zone, but the drive stalled. Jack Cassidy made a 30-yard field goal to give West Virginia a 10-7 lead.
That lead didn’t last long. J’Koby Williams took the first play of Texas Tech’s next drive 75 yards for a touchdown, putting the Red Raiders back in front.
Hawkins and the Mountaineers answered again. He found Ryan Ward for a 43-yard completion and later scored on a three-yard run to put WVU ahead 17-14 with 58 seconds left in the quarter.
West Virginia finished the opening quarter with 226 yards of offense, including 116 on the ground. Hawkins completed all four of his passes for 110 yards, while Cook had 96 rushing yards.
Texas Tech takes control before halftime
The scoring picked up again in the second quarter. Castellanos broke loose for a 29-yard run before connecting with Carter for a 29-yard touchdown pass, putting Texas Tech ahead 21-17.
WVU needed just one play to answer. Hawkins found Ta’Ron Francis for a 73-yard touchdown pass, giving the Mountaineers a 24-21 lead.
Texas Tech took the lead back on its next scoring drive. A 50-yard completion from Castellanos to Micah Hudson put the Red Raiders near the goal line. Castellanos eventually found Jett Carpenter for a one-yard touchdown pass, making it 28-24.
West Virginia couldn’t get much going on its next possession, and Texas Tech made the most of the opportunity. Castellanos connected with Williams for a 43-yard gain before finding Kenny Johnson for a 38-yard touchdown on the following play. The Red Raiders extended their lead to 35-24 with 7:31 left in the half.
The Mountaineers put together another drive, with Hawkins scrambling for 44 yards and Cook adding a 17-yard run. WVU reached the Texas Tech 3-yard line but couldn’t get into the end zone. Cassidy’s 29-yard field goal made it 35-27.
Texas Tech had one more scoring drive before halftime. Castellanos connected with Chase Campbell for 43 yards, then helped move the Red Raiders inside the 5 with a pair of runs. Quinten Joyner finished the possession with a one-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, leaving Texas Tech with a 41-27 lead.
West Virginia went three-and-out on its final possession of the half. Texas Tech got the ball back with 45 seconds remaining and moved across midfield before halftime.
Red Raiders take a 14-point lead into halftime
Texas Tech put up 494 yards of total offense in the first half, averaging 12.7 yards per play. Castellanos completed 10 of 13 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Williams led the ground game with 118 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.
West Virginia had 398 yards of its own. The Mountaineers totaled 215 rushing yards, led by Cook’s 95 yards on 15 carries. Hawkins added 85 yards on the ground and was 5-of-8 passing for 183 yards and a touchdown.
Francis led WVU’s receivers with 73 yards and a touchdown on one catch, while Strachan added 63 yards on two receptions.
The Mountaineers were moving the ball, but Texas Tech kept finding big plays at the other end. The Red Raiders converted six of seven third-down attempts in the first half.
West Virginia storms back after halftime
West Virginia came out of the locker room looking to make a run. The Mountaineers put together a scoring drive to open the second half, with Cook breaking off a 24-yard run before Hawkins connected with Francis for 21 yards. Hawkins finished it himself with a two-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 41-34.
The defense followed with back-to-back sacks from K.J. Henson and Jason Hall Jr., forcing a Texas Tech punt.
WVU had a chance to tie the game on its next possession, but the drive stalled. Cook picked up 14 yards to get the Mountaineers across midfield, while Hawkins scrambled for another 14 to move into Texas Tech territory. However, his five-yard completion to Cook on fourth-and-7 came up short.
The defense came through again, forcing another punt and giving the offense the ball at its own 16-yard line.
Hawkins wasted little time finding a big play. He connected with Francis for a 75-yard completion to put WVU inside the Texas Tech 5. Cook finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and Cassidy’s extra point tied the game at 41-41 with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter.
The Mountaineers weren’t done. After another Texas Tech punt, Matt Sieg returned it 74 yards to the Red Raiders’ 6-yard line. Hawkins took advantage of the short field, keeping the ball and running it in from three yards out for his third rushing touchdown of the night.
Cassidy’s extra point gave West Virginia its first lead since the first quarter, 48-41, with 1:12 remaining. WVU had scored 21 unanswered points to take a seven-point advantage into the fourth.
Texas Tech rallies late to secure the win
West Virginia opened the fourth quarter with the ball but couldn’t extend its lead. The Mountaineers went three-and-out and punted 64 yards, pinning Texas Tech at its own 3-yard line.
The Red Raiders worked their way out of trouble and into Mountaineer territory. Two pass-interference penalties on WVU helped extend the drive, but West Virginia eventually forced a fourth-down situation. Texas Tech settled for a 46-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 48-44 with 7:55 remaining.
WVU couldn’t get anything going on its next possession, giving the Red Raiders another chance. Texas Tech converted a fourth-and-3 with a 26-yard completion from Castellanos to Micah Hudson, moving inside the WVU 30.
Castellanos then scrambled for 16 yards to put Texas Tech inside the 10. After a two-yard run by Williams, Castellanos connected with Johnson for a five-yard touchdown with 2:44 remaining. Stone Harrington added the extra point, giving Texas Tech a 51-48 lead.
The Mountaineers got the ball back with a chance to tie or take the lead, but Hawkins was sacked for an 11-yard loss on fourth-and-10 at the WVU 25. Texas Tech took over with 1:53 remaining.
The Red Raiders moved down to the WVU 5, but the Mountaineer defense had one more stop in it. On fourth-and-2, Castellanos was stopped after a one-yard gain, giving West Virginia the ball back at its own 5 with 1:30 left.
However, the Mountaineers couldn’t get out of their own end zone. Trey White sacked Hawkins for a five-yard loss in the end zone, resulting in a safety with 1:24 remaining and extending Texas Tech’s lead to 53-48.
Texas Tech ran out the clock to secure the five-point win.
Hawkins makes WVU history in high-scoring loss
Hawkins finished 11-of-16 passing for 303 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 19 rushing scores on the season. That moves him past Pat White’s 18 rushing touchdowns in 2006 and Amos Zereoue’s 18 in 1997 for the most in a single season in WVU history.
Cook led the Mountaineers on the ground with 149 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Francis finished with 169 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches, while Strachan added 70 yards on three receptions.
Texas Tech finished with 638 yards of total offense. Castellanos completed 18 of 27 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. Williams rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Johnson caught five passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Carter also had two touchdown receptions.
West Virginia finished with 582 yards of offense, but the Red Raiders made the key plays late to escape with a 53-48 victory.
The Mountaineers will return home next Saturday, Nov. 14, to host the Kansas Jayhawks at Milan Puskar Stadium. The kickoff time and television information are still to be determined by the Big 12 Conference.
