Texas Tech football: Three turning points from Ole Miss game

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Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Alan Bowman’s 4th-down incompletion to T.J. Vasher (missed P.I.)

Following the Phillips’ TD run, Tech would score on a Da’Leon Ward TD run to again pull within 10 points. Tech would recover a fumble on the next Ole Miss drive taking over at the 50, again just down 10 points.

Facing a 4th-and-5, Tech spread the field to isolate T.J. Vasher on a corner. Alan Bowman was unable to connect with the sophomore wide out on a fade route and the ball went back to Ole Miss.

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But on the play, Vasher was being held by the Ole Miss corner impeding his ability to go up and make a play on the ball in the air. The holding was sneaky enough that the officials did not see it but it was effective enough to prevent Vasher from even attempting to go into the air for the ball as he did on his spectacular one-handed catch in the first quarter.

No only did Vasher and Bowman petition the officials for a call, but the ESPN broadcast team agreed that there should have been a flag on the play. It was a missed call that certainly bothered Red Raider fans who saw their team flagged five times for personal fouls on the day including two fouls that resulted in ejections.

This drive was Texas Tech’s last opportunity to get back into the game. With the entire fourth quarter remaining, a touchdown would have made the game just a three-point affair and the momentum would have been squarely on Texas Tech’s side.

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But the call was not made and Ole Miss would score on the ensuing drive to extend its lead to 44-27. This would be the first of three consecutive Texas Tech drives to end on downs to close the game and it was the last turning point on the afternoon as Tech should have been given a chance to continue its drive and potentially mount a comeback.

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