Texas Tech didn’t need its prettiest performance Saturday night. The Red Raiders just needed Colorado to keep making mistakes — and they were more than happy to take advantage.
No. 12 Texas Tech forced four interceptions, turned Colorado turnovers into 19 points and pulled away for a 29-7 victory to remain unbeaten.
The Red Raiders improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, reaching the 5-0 mark for the second consecutive season. Colorado fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play after a night filled with turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities.
And for a few minutes, it looked like the Buffaloes might have something going.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders gave Isaac Wilson the start at quarterback over Julian “JuJu” Lewis, and the move provided an immediate spark. Wilson directed the Buffaloes down the field on their opening possession and found Joseph Williams for an 8-yard touchdown.
Colorado had a 7-0 lead.
Those would be the Buffaloes’ only points of the night.
Texas Tech’s defense took over from there, while Colorado repeatedly found new ways to stop itself. The Buffaloes missed two field goals, failed on a fake punt and committed eight penalties for 84 yards.
Then there were the interceptions.
Williams was picked off while attempting a pass on a trick play, and Wilson threw three interceptions of his own. Texas Tech defensive back Brice Pollock grabbed two of them.
The biggest defensive play came from linebacker John Curry in the fourth quarter.
Curry diagnosed a short pass near the goal line, got himself into the passing lane and intercepted Wilson in the end zone. With nobody standing between him and the celebration, Curry finished off the play for an easy defensive touchdown.
That score put an exclamation point on a game dominated by the Red Raiders’ ability to capitalize on Colorado mistakes.
The crazy part? Colorado actually moved the football.
The Buffaloes finished with 375 total yards compared with 315 for Texas Tech. But yards don’t mean much when drives end with interceptions, missed kicks and penalties. Colorado repeatedly crossed the field only to come away empty-handed.
Texas Tech’s offense had its own struggles, especially early.
Colorado carried a 7-3 advantage into halftime, marking the Buffaloes’ first halftime lead against an FBS opponent in more than a year. But the Red Raiders remained within striking distance until the offense finally broke through in the second half.
Quarterback Will Hammond connected with Terrance Carter Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:01 remaining in the third quarter, giving Texas Tech a 12-7 lead.
Hammond finished with 134 passing yards and a touchdown. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but Texas Tech didn’t need a huge offensive night with its defense constantly creating opportunities.
From there, the Red Raiders took control.
Texas Tech scored 29 unanswered points after Colorado’s opening-drive touchdown, transforming what had been a tight, ugly game into a comfortable 22-point victory.
The win also delivered a milestone for Joey McGuire.
McGuire earned his 40th victory as Texas Tech’s head coach, reaching 40 wins in his first 58 games. He became the first Red Raiders coach to reach that mark in 58 games or fewer.
More importantly, Texas Tech heads into its open week undefeated and firmly in the Big 12 race.
There will be plenty for the Red Raiders to clean up. The offense will need to be sharper as the schedule gets tougher, and Texas Tech won’t always be able to count on an opponent handing over the football four times.
But championship contenders have to win games when everything isn’t clicking.
On Saturday night, the Red Raiders did exactly that.
Texas Tech gets a week to regroup before hosting Arizona State on Oct. 17, with kickoff time still to be determined.
