MORGANTOWN, W.V. – There's a saying that bad teams find a way to lose, and that moniker couldn't be truer of Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost to Big 12 patsy Kansas after they fumbled away the ball after blocking a potential game-winning field and must regroup after a week off and travel to West Virginia on Saturday to play a team that also found an unusual way to lose a game last week.
TV: Noon, ET, ESPN2. LINE: Texas Tech -2.5.
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Only needing to fall on the blocked kick by Nick McCann to provide victory, Douglas Coleman III ran with the ball before attempting a lateral that Kansas recovered with two seconds left. Placekicker Liam Jones then split the uprights from 32 yards out as time expired to complete a 17-point comeback for a 37-34 victory. "The bye was right on time. It was good for our kids to get away," defensive coordinator Keith Patterson said. "That was a tough loss, obviously. The kids took it extremely hard. So I think the bye has been really good for us. We've got a renewed spirit." West Virginia trailed undefeated and No. 11 Baylor 17-14 with 3:33 left when backup placekicker Casey Legg had a 48-yard field goal blocked just one play after a 5-yard penalty negated a 43-yard conversion.
ABOUT TEXAS TECH (3-5, 1-4): Jett Duffey connected on 23-of-34 attempts for 271 yards and three touchdowns while SaRodorick Thompson rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown as the Red Raiders piled up 483 yards against the Jayhawks. Coleman intercepted his FBS-leading seventh pass of the season on the first play of the game, joining Darcel McBath (2008) as the only Red Raiders in the Big 12 era to pick off seven passes in a season. Texas Tech has forced 14 turnovers in the last six games, including eight interceptions in the last four games; their plus-5 turnover margin for the season is tied for the Big 12 lead and 21st in the country - up 70 spots from last season.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (3-5, 1-4): Austin Kendall completed 20-of-39 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, but the running attack netted 14 yards on 26 carries as the team was outgained 453-219; the Mountaineers are averaging 78.9 yards rushing per game and 2.6 yards per carry. West Virginia scored on George Campbell’s 83-yard touchdown catch - the longest play of the season for West Virginia and the longest TD reception by a Mountaineer since Sept. 29, 2012, against Baylor (Stedman Bailey, 87 yards) - and a Winston Wright 95-yard kickoff return. The Mountaineers recorded eight sacks - the most since 2011 against Pitt - with brothers Darius (three; increasing his team-high total to seven for the season) and Dante Stills (two) accounting for five.
EXTRA POINTS
1. West Virginia has won five straight in the series and leads all-time 6-2. The Mountaineers led by 25 at the half last season and held on for a 42-34 win in a battle of ranked teams.
2. West Virginia head coach Neal Brown was Texas Tech's offensive coordinator from 2010-12, while Patterson was the Mountaineers' defensive coordinator from 2012-13.
3. Texas Tech shut out its opposition in the first quarter for the sixth time this season against Kansas. Coleman's interception marked the seventh time this season the Red Raiders defense has either forced a three-and-out or a takeaway on the opening possession.
PREDICTION: Texas Tech 38, West Virginia 31