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Texas Tech football: Handing out game balls for victory over Mountaineers

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Quarterback Henry Colombi #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders passes the ball during warmups before the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Quarterback Henry Colombi #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders passes the ball during warmups before the college football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on October 24, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Tahj Brooks #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs the ball against safety Tra Fluellen #17 of the Houston Baptist Huskies during the first half of the college football game on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Tahj Brooks #28 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs the ball against safety Tra Fluellen #17 of the Houston Baptist Huskies during the first half of the college football game on September 12, 2020 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

RB Tahj Brooks

After a nice showing in the season-opener, we haven’t heard much from true freshman running back Tahj Brooks.  In fact, he has fallen to fourth on the team’s depth chart behind SaRodorick Thompson, Xavier White, and Chadarius Townsend.

But with both Thompson and White injured during Saturday’s game and Townsend unavailable, it was Brooks who was unexpectedly called upon to close out the win.  What’s more, Tech asked quite a bit of him in the 7-point game.

On Brooks’ first carry of the game, he scampered for a 5-yard TD run to put Tech ahead 27-20 in the third quarter.  But it was on the final Red Raider possession of the evening where he did his best work.

With Tech needing to kill off as much clock as possible to protect a tenuous one-score lead, offensive coordinator David Yost took the air out of the football and stuck to the ground game.  On the eight plays before McNamara’s last punt of the game, Tech ran the ball seven times.

All seven of those carries went to Brooks.  He picked up 25 yards and a crucial first down on that possession as Tech chewed up all but 42 seconds of the remaining clock.

Brooks could have become discouraged after seeing his playing time disappear.  But rather, he appears to have stayed engaged and he was ready when his number was called and that’s a great sign from a freshman.  So for coming in and helping the Red Raiders salt away the win on a night when he probably didn’t expect to touch the football, Tahj Brooks earns an imaginary game ball.

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