QB Donovan Smith played a clean game
It was imperative that sophomore QB Donovan Smith play a clean game on Saturday after committing seven total interceptions in his previous two games. That was the biggest step that the Frienship product needed to take in his development as a quarterback.
Fortunately, he was perfect in that regard and that was the primary reason why the Red Raiders were able to prevail. But Smith was more than just a game manager in this one.
Rather, he was the reason the Red Raiders won. In fact, he had the game placed squarely on his shoulders and he delivered.
Of the 100 plays, Tech ran, Smith threw or carried the ball 73 times. Along the way, he accounted for 373 of his team’s 479 total yards.
Smith was especially good in the fourth quarter. He completed eight of eleven passes in that quarter for 109 yards and a TD while also rushing seven times for 19 yards.
Tech would not have won this game without Smith’s performance. And it was perhaps the moment when the young QB grew up.
Taking what the defense gave him rather than trying to force the issue, Smith showed signs of maturity that had been missing from his game the previous two weeks.
His 331 yards through the air were the second-most of his brief college career and his 67.9% completion rate was the best out of his three starts this season.
Now, Smith can say he owns something that not many Texas Tech quarterbacks do, a win over Texas. And while he has quite a way to go before he can join the likes of Graham Harrell, Kliff Kingsbury, or Pat Mahomes, he has joined their company in leading the Red Raiders to wins over the team’s most hated foe. For that, he certainly deserves a game ball.