Texas Tech football: How the Red Raiders were able to beat WVU

Tech’s ground game was far more effective

We went into Saturday’s game wondering if Tech could run the ball against the Big 12’s leading rush defense while also wondering if the defense could slow WVU running back Leddie Brown, who entered the game as the second-leading rusher in the conference.  The answer to both questions was a resounding “yes”.

The Red Raider offense was efficient and effective on the ground.  Running for 179 yards on 39 attempts, the Red Raiders averaged a nice 4.6 yards per carry.

What makes that performance from the Red Raider RBs so impressive is the fact that Tech had to rely on all three available scholarship backs on Saturday and yet the ground game never missed a beat.

SaRodorick Thompson got off to a great start, including a 44-yard TD run in the first quarter.  But his night was cut short thanks to an apparent rib injury.  He would finish with 68 yards on just eight carries.

Xavier White also saw his night end early due to an injury limiting him to just 14 yards on six rushes.

But the surprise of the evening as far as the RBs were concerned was the play of Tahj Brooks.  The true freshman was the final healthy scholarship RB standing in the fourth quarter and he had to shoulder a heavy load as Tech tried to grind out the clock.  He was up to the challenge finishing with 44 yards and a key touchdown on 12 attempts.

Meanwhile, the Mountaineers ran for just 91 yards as a team.  That included only 77 yards for Brown (though he did have a pair of TD runs).

In all, the Red Raiders outgained WVU by 88 yards on the ground (thanks also to 40 yards on 11 carries by QB Henry Colombi).  That was an unexpected turn of events and one of the key reasons for the Red Raiders’ victory.