TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Texas Tech blew a big halftime lead, lost two fumbles and was in danger of losing a game it had firmly in control.
The Red Raiders tightened up at the right time and Tahj Brooks provided the decisive blow.
Brooks ran for 128 yards and scored three touchdowns, Jacob Rodriguez forced a late fumble and Texas Tech rallied after blowing a 15-point lead to beat Arizona 28-22 on Saturday night.
“There were a lot of body blows thrown, you couldn’t blink, but they kept fighting and really proud of them,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said.
Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) got consistent pressure on Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly or throw it away. The Red Raiders also intercepted two of his passes and forced a turnover on downs deep in their own end while building an 18-3 halftime lead.
The Wildcats’ defense kept them within reach while the offense sputtered, forcing two Brooks’ fumbles to take a 19-18 lead early in the fourth quarter.
They couldn’t hold it.
After Arizona’s Tyler Loop missed a 48-yard field goal, Texas Tech finally found a rhythm, setting up Gino Garcia’s 41-yard field goal for a 21-19 lead.
Arizona (3-2, 1-1) took over at its own 25 with 2:21 left, but Rodriguez stripped Tetairoa McMillan on the first play and the Red Raiders recovered. Brooks then burst 32 yards up the middle for a touchdown
“We just didn’t finish the game,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “We didn’t finish a drive, we missed a field goal to make it six (points) — it’s hard. All those pieces came together so we couldn’t win the game.”
Texas Tech’s defense held its ground after Arizona sent the fans into a late frenzy and limited Arizona to 3 of 14 on third downs. The The Red Raiders have won four straight since losing to Washington State the second game of the season and are 3-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013.
“We’ve got to get to what’s next when good things happen and we need to get to what’s next when bad things happen,” McGuire said. “We had some things and handled the highs and lows tonight. What a big, big Big 12 game”
It looked like a runaway early.
Brooks scored on a 3-yard run in the first quarter and the Red Raiders spent the rest of the half shutting down the Wildcats.
Texas Tech held Arizona to a field goal late in the first quarter, then stopped the Wildcats on fourth-and-1 at the Red Raiders’ 20. Texas Tech’s Quincy Ledet intercepted a pass by Fifita that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Brooks followed with his second TD run, from nine yards out.
Fifita had another pass intercepted by CJ Baskerville in the end zone late in the second quarter and Texas Tech marched quickly down the field for Garcia’s last-second 30-yard field goal to lead 18-3.
Arizona moved into Texas Tech’s end twice in the third quarter — the second after a fumble by Brooks at the 32 — and had to settle for two more field goals.
The Wildcats finally broke through when Quali Conley scored on a 3-yard run and forced another Boyd fumble — after a review overturned the original call — to set up Loop’s 37-yard field goal for a 19-18 lead.
“You have to finish people, you have to knock them out and we didn’t,” Brennan said.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas Tech tried to let a big lead slip away, but its defense came up big when it needed to and Brooks made up for his two fumbles with the late score. Arizona came to life in the second half, but was plagued by too many missed opportunities.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech: hosts Baylor next Saturday.
Arizona: plays at No. 17 BYU next Saturday.
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