Texas Tech football classics: Trick play leads Red Raiders past Horns in 2015

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Nov 26, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back DeAndre Washington (21) scores a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas Tech beat Texas 48-45. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /

Both teams churn out yards on the ground

It was in some ways a classic Big 12 shootout with nearly 100 points scored and over 1,100 yards of total offense between the two teams. But in another sense, it was an old-school game that saw the ground game of each team dominate play.

On the night, senior Texas Tech running back DeAndre Washington would have another big game in what was a career full of them. Rushing for 173 yards and a pair of scores, he averaged 6.2 yards per carry on 28 rushes.

It was Washington’s 4th-best rushing effort as a Red Raider and it came one week after he hung a career-high 248 yards on Kansas State. Washington would end his career as Tech’s 5th all-time leading rusher with 3,411 yards. Additionally, his 1,492 yards on the ground in 2015 are also good for 5th in program history for a single season.

But he was far overshadowed by freshman Texas RB Chris Warren III. Heavily recruited by Texas Tech out of high school, the 220-pound back entered this game third on the UT depth chart but injuries to Deonta Foreman and Jonathan Gray forced Warren into action. And he would deliver in a huge way.

Including a program-record 91-yard touchdown run in the first half, Warren would gallop for 276 yards and 4 TDs while averaging 11 yards per rush. It was by far his greatest day as a Longhorn but one of only five games in his three-year career that would see him top the 100-yard mark.

For the game, the two teams combined for 696 yards on the ground. That is not what most would expect from a classic Big 12 shootout.

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