The Texas Tech football team could not overcome three Jett Duffey turnovers in a heartbreaking 41-34 loss to Texas Saturday night in Lubbock.
In what has become an all-to-familiar refrain during the Kliff Kingsbury era, the Texas Tech football team came up just short of pulling off an upset of a ranked team at home Saturday night. After climbing out of a 17-point 4th quarter hole, the Red Raiders saw Texas drive for a game-winning touchdown with just 21 seconds to play in a 41-34 loss.
Ultimately, Tech was unable to overcome three critical turnovers from quarterback Jett Duffey who was making the start in place of the injured Alan Bowman. Duffey had career highs in passing yards (444) and touchdown passes (4) but an inexcusable interception on a broken play in the first quarter killed the team’s momentum after it had driven to the Longhorn three-yard-line looking to take a 14-0 lead.
HIs second turnover came as Texas Tech was trying to answer a Texas touchdown to open the second half. At the end of a 12-yard scramble, Duffey fumbled at the Texas 19 and a Longhorn field goal on the ensuing drive would push the lead to 27-10.
On the next Red Raider possession, Duffey was stripped of the football at the end of another run allowing UT to take over at their own 23. Though the Red Raider defense would force a punt on the next Longhorn drive, Duffey’s third turnover kept his team from putting more points on the board and perhaps more importantly, it seemed to suck the life out of the stadium sending thousands to the exits.
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But to the Red Raiders’ credit, they continued to fight long after most of the home crowd had thrown in the towel on a night where the wind chill dipped into the 30’s. In the final 10:26 of the game, Tech erased a 34-17 deficit thanks to a Clayton Hatfield field goal, a recovered onside kick, a two-yard T.J. Vasher touchdown reception and an Antoine Wesley touchdown catch to tie the game.
Wesley ended the night with 8 catches for 171 yards (both game-highs) and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, his big night was overshadowed by his counterpart from Texas. Lil’Jordan Humphrey matched Wesley with 8 receptions for 159 yards and two scores, the second of which sealed the win in a play that looked eerily similar to the Michael Crabtree catch that beat No. 1 Texas in 2008.
But while the team’s star wide receivers virtually cancelled each other out, the game was decided by the quarterbacks. Ultimately, UT’s Sam Ehlinger (312 yards and 4 TD passes) took care of the football as he continued his streak of nine-consecutive games without a turnover while Duffey coast his team dearly by giving the ball away three times deep in Texas territory.
It was a reminder of what Kliff Kingsbury preached all summer as he looked for his starting quarterback. His top priority, he constantly reiterated, was to find someone that would take care of the football. That someone was not Jett Duffey in August and unfortunately it was not Jett Duffey Saturday night.
The loss dropped the Red Raiders to 5-5 on the season and they will carry a three-game losing streak into this weekend’s game against Kansas State in Manhattan. Still needing one more win to secure bowl eligibility, the Red Raiders may have to rely on Duffey once again if Bowman is unable to return to action.
While Kingsbury’s concern about protecting the ball proved to be warranted against the Longhorns, another truth is starting to reveal itself as well. This year’s Texas Tech football team feels destined to be dogged by questions of what could have been thanks to yet another deflating home loss.