LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – It was a big bounce back performance after a road loss for the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders as they dominate the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 42-0, their first Big 12 shutout since 2005.
Running back/kick returner J’Koby Williams set the tone from the beginning when he returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. On the following Red Raider drive, Williams gained his second score of the day- a 26-yard touchdown catch which put Tech in front 13-0. Head football coach Joey McGuire stressed the importance of starting fast.
“I’ll take it every time, we get a 14-point lead with this defense and the way they’re playing,” said Coach McGuire. “It’s important to start fast. It’s going to be important to start fast from here on out, because we have some really good teams lined up on the schedule.”
The Red Raiders started Will Hammond at quarterback but went to backup Mitch Griffis after Hammond appeared to be injured midway through the second quarter. While on the field, Griffis accounted for 172 yards and one touchdown pass to Caleb Douglas. Minutes later, he pushed across the goal line for a one-yard score.
Coach McGuire says he’s had great faith in the third-string QB, especially since he had started nine games for Wake Forest in 2023.
“He’s got a lot of confidence. Mitch is a very confident person. Whenever people are around him, he brings that confidence to the group, and so we felt good about him going in there. I was proud of him,” he said.
For Griffis, his second-half performance had been a culmination of a long two-year journey.
“It was pretty cool. It was awesome. It’s been a long road for me; it’s been a while. It’s been about two years since I’ve played a real snap of football, so I’m thankful to be back doing what I love with such a great group of guys. It was awesome, it was really fun,” he said.
In an emergency situation, Behren Morton suited up after halftime and was available for Texas Tech. He wouldn’t be needed as Griffis threw for 172 yards and one touchdown.
The Texas Tech defense continued to show its power by forcing multiple punts and captain Jacob Rodriguez stripping the ball away from a Cowboys and taking it to the house.
“It’s something that we work on, you punch the ball and then work on ripping it out, and so I was fortunate enough to fit it up in the hole and then you try to spring free, and I got ahold of it,” said Rodriguez. “I think I hit like 15 mph, I felt so slow trying to run to the end zone, but again we just work so hard at trying to take the ball away that those moments are really fun and gratifying whenever it pays off because of how hard we work at taking the ball away.”
Caleb Douglas led the Red Raiders in catching yards with 98. Coy Eakin hauled in five catches on the day to match Douglas.
Next up, Texas Tech hits the road to take on Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas.
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