By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
LUBBOCK, Texas – Teams that travel here, especially when there’s a night game scheduled, expect to experience Texas Tech’s version of voodoo, magic and sorcery.
Two years ago, it happened to top-ranked Texas. A dropped victory-sealing interception and a Red Raiders touchdown pass with one second remaining.
“Weird things happen in Lubbock,” Longhorns coach Mack Brown said.
He uttered those five words after his fourth-ranked team posted a 24-14 victory over Texas Tech (2-1) Saturday night. There were as many big plays as pig (as in sloppy) plays. An impartial observer might say that both teams played poorly enough to lose.
But like fellow Big 12 teams Missouri, Texas A&M and Kansas State, the Longhorns were just happy they put up another mark in the victory column. Style points don’t count.
Texas Tech’s first offensive play was a shotgun snap over Taylor Potts’ head that set up a Texas touchdown. The Longhorns’ smothering defense forced a three-and-out and UT drove for a TD and a 14-0 lead. Texas then had consecutive possessions at the Tech 20 … and failed to score. Both drives ended on tipped passes for interceptions – the second an 87-yard pick six by redshirt freshman Jarvis Phillips.
The Longhorns put the game away with a 22-play drive – that’s right, 22 plays – that featured two holding calls on Texas and two personal foul penalties on A&M cornerback Will Ford. The second came after a third-down dropped pass – the sixth drop by a UT receiver – and allowed Texas to drive for six points instead of attempting a field goal.
Weird? Definitely.
“We gave them that last seven points and just took ourselves right out of the game with those two personal foul penalties,” Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. “We just killed ourselves.”
Texas sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert threw three interceptions. Two were tipped at the line of scrimmage and a third bounced off a receiver’s hands.
“We can’t turn it over in the red zone,” said Gilbert, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. “To keep fighting and overcoming those mistakes is a testament to our offense.”
Brown said he liked Gilbert’s demeanor. It didn’t change no matter the result of the offensive possession. And he liked how Gilbert “was animated and got after ‘em” on the 22-play touchdown drive.
That drive should have lasted three plays. A holding penalty backed Texas up to its 10 before the Longhorns faced a fourth-and-one from its 29.
“We just didn’t feel like we could give ‘em the ball at that point,” Brown said. “Nobody with any sense would call a fake punt from their (29).”
Well, maybe the former Texas Tech coach ...
A direct snap to fullback Ryan Robertson resulted in a two-yard gain. Drive alive.
“I told Ryan that if it didn’t work, start walkin’ West,” Brown cracked. “And I would probably been with him.”
Even if the fake punt had failed, Texas Tech might have had trouble capitalizing on the field position. Texas’ defense limited the Red Raiders to 144 total yards including a negative 14 yards rushing. The Longhorns had four sacks for minus 42 yards. In the second half, UT was able to pressure the pocket with just four defensive linemen.
“That was huge,” defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. “With the way we were matching up and covering in the secondary, getting pressure with just four rushing, you can put a lot of heat on the quarterback.”
The successful fake punt, the Longhorns’ defense and Texas Tech’s multitude of sins enabled Texas to extend its regular-season record since 2008 to 26-1. The “one” was the 39-33 loss here in 2008.
This time, there would be no Texas Tech miracle touchdown for the victory. The closest the Red Raiders came to magic was Phillips’ interception return for a touchdown that ended the possibility of a Texas blowout.
There was redemption. Junior defensive back Blake Gideon, whose dropped an interception two years ago that would have sealed the Longhorns’ victory, picked off a tipped pass that helped negate UT’s first interception.
And senior defensive back Curtis Brown, who failed to tackle Michael Crabtree on that game-winning play two years ago, had a game-turning interception. Texas Tech’s opening possession of the second half was gaining rhythm and had reached the UT 25. Brown slashed on a Potts pass over the middle, picked it off and returned it 74 yards.
“The interception, he (Baron Batch) jumped on my back at the end,” Brown said of Batch’s touchdown-saving effort. “We played a good game and happy it ended the way it did. What happened two years ago … this is a new team.”
Justin Tucker’s 27-yard field goal gave Texas a tenuous 17-14 lead. But a 22-play touchdown drive and a voracious defense provided a victory that was far from a work of art.
“You whip somebody like Texas Tech, on their home field, coming in and knowing it’s gonna be a tough game … I’m just happy to go back home with a win,” Brown said. “There’s enough mistakes to analyze but we’ll do that starting (Sunday).”