Saturday, November 7
Lubbock, Texas
9:30 p.m.
West Virginia University
at
Texas Tech
Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
November 08, 2026 02:04 AM | Football
Texas Tech used a 12-point fourth quarter rally to defeat upset-minded West Virginia 53-48 on Saturday night at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
The 16 ½-point underdog Mountaineers used a 21-point third quarter to take a 48-41 lead into the final period, but the 13th-ranked Red Raiders made the winning plays at the end for their 14th-straight home triumph.
Quarterback Thomas Castellanos threw five touchdown passes and accounted for 464 all-purpose yards against West Virginia's struggling defense.
The senior completed 18 of his 27 aerials for 362 yards while adding 102 on the ground on 23 attempts. J'Koby Williams contributed a game-best 160 yards rushing as Texas Tech rolled up 638 total yards.
West Virginia's defense has given up 609, 577, 482, 622, 484 and now 638 yards in its last six games since losing to Oklahoma State 41-24 on Sept. 26.
"Our defense was gross," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said afterward. "(Texas Tech) was going against air in the first half."
The Mountaineers, now 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play, finished the night with 562 total yards, but netted minus-5 yards on their final five possessions, one of those actually resulting in a touchdown after freshman Matt Sieg's 74-yard punt return to the Texas Tech 6.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.'s night included 303 yards and a touchdown through the air with 88 yards and three scores on the ground. Three of Hawkins's completions were to Taron Francis for 169 yards - one of those going for a 73-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Francis came into tonight's game without a reception on the season.
Hawkins's three touchdown runs now give him 19 for the season – a WVU record topping the 18 produced by Amos Zereoue in 1997 and duplicated by Pat White in 2006.
Cam Cook led WVU with 149 yards on 23 attempts and now shows 1,072 yards for the year to become the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since Leddie Brown did it in 2021.
In a game that saw the two teams combine for more than 1,200 total yards, the Red Raider defense came up with critical stops on three consecutive possessions after the Mountaineers outscored them 21-0 in the third quarter.
Trailing 48-41 with 13:40 remaining and the football at their own 3-yard line after Bryan Hansen's 64-yard punt, the Red Raiders converted three third downs and were aided by two pass interference penalties to get into position for Stone Harrington to kick a 46-yard field goal.
The drive consumed 15 plays and 69 yards in 5:45.
The go-ahead score, Kenny Johnson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 2:42 remaining, was made possible by Castellanos's 26-yard fourth down completion to Micah Hudson among a sea of black and white jerseys at the WVU 34. There were three Texas Tech players and three West Virginia defenders in the general vicinity of the pass.
"The deep ball … we probably need to work on that more in practice," Rodriguez said.
West Virginia, faced with a fourth and 10 at its 25, the clock stopped at the 2-minute mark and possessing all three of its timeouts, opted to go for it.
Hawkins was sacked for an 11-yard loss, giving the Red Raiders possession of the football at West Virginia's 14-yard line. The Mountaineer defense was able to hold, however, and West Virginia regained possession of the ball with 1:30 left when Tech couldn't convert a fourth and 2 at the 5. But unfortunately for West Virginia, Hawkins was sacked in the end zone for a safety, and the Red Raiders recovered the onside kick to secure the victory.
WVU's final five possessions, which included two sacks, were without starting offensive guard Bubba Grayson who was watching the game on crutches in the second half.
"We moved the ball pretty well, but we didn't when we needed to," Rodriguez said.
Before intermission, the two teams combined for 68 points and 873 total yards in a first half that saw 10 total touchdowns, the longest scoring drive lasting just 3:38 by the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech's first half touchdown marches consisted of five plays for 65 yards, one play for 75 yards, seven plays for 75 yards, eight plays for 75 yards, two plays for 81 yards and six plays for 75 yards.
West Virginia's opening possession of the game was an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown march that consumed 3:36. The Mountaineers' two other first half touchdown drives were accomplished in 3:29 and :31.
WVU's two first-half scoring possessions that ended in field goals were the result of red-zone procedure penalties. When adding the two pass interference penalties called on the Mountaineers during Texas Tech's fourth quarter field goal, that amounts to 11 total points - eight West Virginia didn't get on touchdowns and the three Tech was able to get on the board out of them.
With nine minutes still remaining in the second quarter, the two teams had combined for eight 30-plus-yard plays.
West Virginia outscored Texas Tech 21-0 in the third quarter, thanks to a Mountaineer defense that held the Red Raiders to just 12 yards for the quarter.
Tech's third quarter possessions consisted of three plays for minus-12 yards, four plays for 10 yards and three plays for 2 yards.
West Virginia, meanwhile, got a pair of touchdown runs from Hawkins, the second one coming with 1:12 left in the third quarter to put the Mountaineers ahead 48-41.
Texas Tech improves to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play to keep its College Football Playoff aspirations alive. The Red Raiders have games remaining at Oklahoma State, at Baylor and home to TCU to conclude the regular season.
The Mountaineers return to Morgantown to face Kansas next Saturday seeking a sixth victory of the season to become bowl eligible. The Jayhawks lost a heartbreaker to UCF earlier today in Lawrence.
Tickets for the game remain on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
The 16 ½-point underdog Mountaineers used a 21-point third quarter to take a 48-41 lead into the final period, but the 13th-ranked Red Raiders made the winning plays at the end for their 14th-straight home triumph.
Quarterback Thomas Castellanos threw five touchdown passes and accounted for 464 all-purpose yards against West Virginia's struggling defense.
The senior completed 18 of his 27 aerials for 362 yards while adding 102 on the ground on 23 attempts. J'Koby Williams contributed a game-best 160 yards rushing as Texas Tech rolled up 638 total yards.
West Virginia's defense has given up 609, 577, 482, 622, 484 and now 638 yards in its last six games since losing to Oklahoma State 41-24 on Sept. 26.
"Our defense was gross," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said afterward. "(Texas Tech) was going against air in the first half."
The Mountaineers, now 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play, finished the night with 562 total yards, but netted minus-5 yards on their final five possessions, one of those actually resulting in a touchdown after freshman Matt Sieg's 74-yard punt return to the Texas Tech 6.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.'s night included 303 yards and a touchdown through the air with 88 yards and three scores on the ground. Three of Hawkins's completions were to Taron Francis for 169 yards - one of those going for a 73-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Francis came into tonight's game without a reception on the season.
Hawkins's three touchdown runs now give him 19 for the season – a WVU record topping the 18 produced by Amos Zereoue in 1997 and duplicated by Pat White in 2006.
Cam Cook led WVU with 149 yards on 23 attempts and now shows 1,072 yards for the year to become the school's first 1,000-yard rusher since Leddie Brown did it in 2021.
In a game that saw the two teams combine for more than 1,200 total yards, the Red Raider defense came up with critical stops on three consecutive possessions after the Mountaineers outscored them 21-0 in the third quarter.
Trailing 48-41 with 13:40 remaining and the football at their own 3-yard line after Bryan Hansen's 64-yard punt, the Red Raiders converted three third downs and were aided by two pass interference penalties to get into position for Stone Harrington to kick a 46-yard field goal.
The drive consumed 15 plays and 69 yards in 5:45.
The go-ahead score, Kenny Johnson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 2:42 remaining, was made possible by Castellanos's 26-yard fourth down completion to Micah Hudson among a sea of black and white jerseys at the WVU 34. There were three Texas Tech players and three West Virginia defenders in the general vicinity of the pass.
"The deep ball … we probably need to work on that more in practice," Rodriguez said.
West Virginia, faced with a fourth and 10 at its 25, the clock stopped at the 2-minute mark and possessing all three of its timeouts, opted to go for it.
Hawkins was sacked for an 11-yard loss, giving the Red Raiders possession of the football at West Virginia's 14-yard line. The Mountaineer defense was able to hold, however, and West Virginia regained possession of the ball with 1:30 left when Tech couldn't convert a fourth and 2 at the 5. But unfortunately for West Virginia, Hawkins was sacked in the end zone for a safety, and the Red Raiders recovered the onside kick to secure the victory.
WVU's final five possessions, which included two sacks, were without starting offensive guard Bubba Grayson who was watching the game on crutches in the second half.
"We moved the ball pretty well, but we didn't when we needed to," Rodriguez said.
Before intermission, the two teams combined for 68 points and 873 total yards in a first half that saw 10 total touchdowns, the longest scoring drive lasting just 3:38 by the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech's first half touchdown marches consisted of five plays for 65 yards, one play for 75 yards, seven plays for 75 yards, eight plays for 75 yards, two plays for 81 yards and six plays for 75 yards.
West Virginia's opening possession of the game was an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown march that consumed 3:36. The Mountaineers' two other first half touchdown drives were accomplished in 3:29 and :31.
WVU's two first-half scoring possessions that ended in field goals were the result of red-zone procedure penalties. When adding the two pass interference penalties called on the Mountaineers during Texas Tech's fourth quarter field goal, that amounts to 11 total points - eight West Virginia didn't get on touchdowns and the three Tech was able to get on the board out of them.
With nine minutes still remaining in the second quarter, the two teams had combined for eight 30-plus-yard plays.
West Virginia outscored Texas Tech 21-0 in the third quarter, thanks to a Mountaineer defense that held the Red Raiders to just 12 yards for the quarter.
Tech's third quarter possessions consisted of three plays for minus-12 yards, four plays for 10 yards and three plays for 2 yards.
West Virginia, meanwhile, got a pair of touchdown runs from Hawkins, the second one coming with 1:12 left in the third quarter to put the Mountaineers ahead 48-41.
Texas Tech improves to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 play to keep its College Football Playoff aspirations alive. The Red Raiders have games remaining at Oklahoma State, at Baylor and home to TCU to conclude the regular season.
The Mountaineers return to Morgantown to face Kansas next Saturday seeking a sixth victory of the season to become bowl eligible. The Jayhawks lost a heartbreaker to UCF earlier today in Lawrence.
Tickets for the game remain on sale through the Mountaineer Ticket Office and can be purchased by logging on to WVUGAME.com.
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