Arizona State refused to let another one slip away.
After watching a 12-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate, the Sun Devils steadied themselves in the final minutes and punched back. Raleek Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds remaining capped a clutch, composed drive and lifted Arizona State to a 26–22 win over previously unbeaten No. 7 Texas Tech on Saturday night.
The win handed the Red Raiders (6–1, 3–1 Big 12) their first loss of the season and gave the reigning Big 12 champion Sun Devils (5–2, 3–1) another signature victory in what’s shaping up to be a wide-open conference race.
A Wild Fourth Quarter
For most of the afternoon, Texas Tech’s offense looked nothing like the nation’s top-ranked unit. Without injured starter Behren Morton (knee), the Red Raiders sputtered, finishing with just 276 total yards after averaging nearly 560 over their first six games.
Freshman quarterback Will Hammond struggled early, but he came alive late. Trailing 19–7 midway through the fourth quarter, Hammond engineered two gutsy scoring drives — first sneaking in from a yard out, then finding Reggie Virgil for a 12-yard touchdown to give Tech a 22–19 lead.
A holding call on Arizona State negated Tech’s first two-point try, but Hammond cashed in on the second attempt, bulldozing his way into the end zone himself. In the span of five minutes, the Red Raiders had turned a likely loss into what looked like a dramatic escape.
But they left just a little too much time on the clock.
Leavitt’s Calm, Brown’s Finish
Starting from their own 25 with two minutes left, Sam Leavitt played with the poise of a veteran. The sophomore quarterback, back from a foot injury that sidelined him against Utah, completed 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards on the game-winning drive.
A key moment came when Tech corner Brice Pollack was flagged for pass interference, pushing the ball deep into Red Raider territory. From there, Arizona State’s offensive line took over, and Raleek Brown finished the job with a determined 1-yard plunge to put the Sun Devils ahead for good, 26–22.
Tech had one last chance and advanced to the ASU 28, but Hammond’s desperation heave into the end zone was batted away as time expired.
Missed Chances and Big Moments
Arizona State moved the ball all night, outgaining Texas Tech 394–276, but repeatedly stalled in the red zone, settling for four field goals from Jesus Gomez. Leavitt threw for 319 yards and connected with Jordyn Tyson on a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Even with the late wobble, the Sun Devils’ offense looked much sharper than it did a week ago. And with star defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard out for the season, Tech’s defensive front struggled to contain ASU’s balance.
Takeaways
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders showed fight behind a true freshman quarterback, but their inability to protect a late lead — and their struggles without Morton — raise questions about depth and defensive consistency. This was the kind of game playoff hopefuls have to finish.
