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

This was not a memorable game for Pat Mahomes

In 2015, we had no idea that in just four years, Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes would widely be considered the best football player on the planet.  But the young sophomore was a rising star in the college game after putting up fantastic numbers in his first season as a starter.

However, this was not the best Pah Mahomes showing.  In fact, for much of the night, he was better with his feet than with his arm.

Despite being sacked several times, Mahomes would run for 70 yards including two big second and third-down runs to help seal the win on the final possession of the game.  He would also run for a score.  But through the air, he was erratic at best.

Completing 22 of 39 passes (just a 56.4% completion rate), he would finish with 372 yards and a passing TD while being picked off once as well.  Now, to be fair, most of his struggles came in the first half when the rain and wind were at their worst.

In the second half, he would complete 10 of 15 passes for 190 yards.  That included a beautiful 40-yard strike to Grant in the 4th quarter.  Hauling in the Mahomes rainbow over his shoulder inside the Texas 5-yard line, on that play, Grant would surpass Michael Crabtree on the program’s all-time receiving yards list.

That season, Mahomes would throw for 4,653 yards and 36 TDs with 15 picks.  That would include four games of 400 or more yards.

But in what was the season’s most memorable win, Mahomes would be merely average by his standards.  Still, it was good enough to get his team a signature win.