Houston began the game with the ball and it was not a favorable start. After gaining 12 yards, quarterback Kyle Allen would throw an interception on his own side of the field that ended up giving the Red Raiders an amazing field position. Tech could not do much with that possession as Houston’s defense forced the Red Raiders offense to put only a field goal on the board to make it 3-0.
Houston took over but the offense got stopped in its tracks. Tech’s defense showed that they were up for the tough task of containing this Houston offense early. The running game for Houston was not looking sharp early. Through two drives the Coogs Running Backs three carries for three yards.
The next Red Raiders possession would be a slow and methodical one. It would be kept alive by a couple of Cougars penalties, and eventually, end up in another field goal by the Red Raiders which extended their lead to 6-0.
Another punt would be in the cards for Houston on their next offensive possession. The Coogs defense almost has a turnover, but defensive back Isaiah Johnson’s would be interception was
reversed as the refs said Johnson did not have complete control of the ball.
Unfortunately, for Houston, the drive would be extended and Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek drove the Red Raiders offense down the field, and the drive was capped off by a Desmond Nisby 3-yard rushing score that would extend the Texas Tech lead to 13-0.
Houston’s best drive of the first half occurred on their first drive of the 2nd quarter. John Leday started it off with a kick-off return that would go for 47-yards out to the Houston 47. Running back Duke Catalon would bust through the line for a 14-yard gain, and that would be the play of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive ended in just three points for the Coogs. To make the score 13-3 Tech.
Houston’s crowd and the offense came alive after an interception of Shimonek. Allen would then find D’Eriq King on an 18-yard screen pass for the touchdown, pulling within three at 13-10.
The Cougars defense came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half as Houston ramped up the pressure on Shimonek. The Red Raiders were forced to punt on their opening possession. The Coogs offense would also come out sharp until Kyle Allen was flushed out of the pocket and threw an interception in the Red Zone.
Texas Tech tried to extend their lead on a drive that featured a 74-yard run by running back Tre King. However, the Red Raiders were held to a field goal attempt which was missed. It would be Tech’s 2nd missed field goal try of the game.
The Red Raiders would finally get some points on the board in the second half as Shimonek floated a beautiful ball down the sideline to wide receiver Keke Coutee and the junior would take it 77-yards to the house. Texas Tech extended their lead to 20-10.
Tech’s defense was solid the rest of the 2nd half as the Red Raiders would get pressure on Allen on what seemed to be every play. The Coogs defense eventually showed fatigue as the fourth quarter ran down. The Red Raiders offense took advantage. Running back Justin Stockton gained all 94 yards on a scoring possession for another Tech touchdown.
After the Tech touchdown, The Coogs would enter Kyle Postma into the game for Allen. Postma mounted a comeback attempt for Houston rushing one into the end zone to make 27-17. Postma would throw another touchdown with little time remaining to make it 27-24. However, time was not on Houston’s side and that would be your final score.
After the game, Coach Applewhite uttered an attention-grabbing quote. When asked if there’s officially a battle for the Quarterback position, Applewhite said, “There’s always a battle for the starting spot. Whether you guys (The media) see it on the outside or not. Whether it’s the QB position all the way down to the punter. There are always position spots up for grabs”.
The Coogs next game will be next Saturday at Temple, and it will be the start of theirconference schedule.
