Red Raiders Dominate, Lead Mountaineers 35-3 at Halftime

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and West Virginia Mountaineers wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium with both teams already bowl-eligible.

Author:
Timothy Hamm
Nov 30, 2024 1:46 PM EST

In this story:

Texas Tech Red Raiders

West Virginia Mountaineers

College Football

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and West Virginia Mountaineers wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium with both teams already bowl-eligible.

Behren Morton has a touchdown pass and Tahj Brooks has three touchdown runs as the Red Raiders lead the Mountaineers 35-3 at the half. Gino Garcia added a pair of field goals.

Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks — © Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Raiders got on the board first after holding the West Virginia offense to a punt on the first possession of the game.

Gino Garcia was good from 32 yards for a 3-0 lead over the Mountaineers, but it should've been more. On 3rd and 10 from the West Virginia 14, Morton hit 6-9 tight end Mason Tharp in the corner of the end zone for a one-handed, circus toe-tap catch that was called incomplete.

Coach Joey McGuire challenged the call, and although the review showed Tharp got a toe in bounds with control of the ball, the review official upheld the incomplete call.

West Virginia got on the board on the next possession with a career-long 52-yard field goal from Michael Hayes II to tie the game 3-3 with 3:47 left in the first quarter.

Garcia gave the Red Raiders the lead before the end of the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal for a 6-3 lead over the Mountaineers.

The program's all-time leading career rusher gave the Red Raiders a 10-point lead when Tahj Brooks ran for a two-yard touchdown that capped off a 59-yard, seven-play drive early in the second quarter.

Texas Tech added to its lead late in the frame when Morton hit Tharp for a one-yard touchdown set up by a Jalin Conyers 18-yard reception to the West Virginia one-yard line.

C.J. Baskerville intercepted Garrett Greene as the Mountaineers were pushing the ball down the field near the end of the half for the first turnover of the game. That gave the Red Raiders the ball with a short field at the West Virginia 32-yard line with 2:40 left in the half.

Brooks worked his magic again with a 37-yard touchdown run off the interception. Jalin Conyers ran in the two-point conversion for a 28-3 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for West Virginia when Greene was strip-sacked by Terrell Tilmon and it was recovered by Brendan Jordan at the Mountaineers 26-yard line with 33 seconds left in the half.

Brooks caught a 30-yard pass to the West Virginia 2-yard line with 13 ticks left on the clock. Brooks then carried the ball in on the next play on a direct snap for a 35-3 lead at the half.

Morton is 20-of-28 for 242 yards and a touchdown, Brooks has 10 carries for 93 yards and three scores and Josh Kelly has five catches for 76 yards for the Red Raiders.

For West Virginia, Greene is 12-of-16 for 98 yards and an interception, Jahiem White has six carries for 47 yards and Preston Fox has three catches for 45 yards.