Turnovers were vital as Texas Tech defeated Ole Miss 42-25 in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Wednesday night at NRG Stadium in Houston.
While the offenses moved up and down the field to the tune of more than 1,000 combined yards of offense, the defenses battled for extra possessions. The teams combined for eight total turnovers, five by Ole Miss, and Texas Tech took advantage.
The Red Raiders capitalized on two turnovers in the second quarter to go on a 16-0 run and build a 26-7 lead at the half. The Ole Miss offense came alive in the fourth quarter, but Texas Tech answered each score with one of its own and sealed the game with an interception.
WHAT TO KNOW
In honor of the late former Red Raider head coach Mike Leach, Texas Tech lined up in an Air Raid formation to start the game and took a delay of game penalty. Ole Miss declined the penalty as part of the tribute.
The win is the second consecutive bowl victory for Texas Tech (8-5) after defeating Mississippi State last season in the Liberty Bowl. For Ole Miss (8-5), it is a disappointing end to the season, considering they were 7-0 and ranked No.7 in October.
Ole Miss senior linebacker Troy Brown and starting defensive back Ladarius Tennison were both ejected from the game with targeting penalties. The penalty comes with an automatic ejection when confirmed by officials.
Texas Tech’s 7-5 regular season — which included wins over Texas and Oklahoma — earned first-year head coach Joey McGuire a six-year contract extension through 2028. The deal was announced mere hours before the bowl game and reportedly includes a $100,000 annual raise in salary, according to Sports Illustrated.
Ole Miss teased its uniform combination on social media earlier in the week, which led many to speculate that a new combination may debut on Wednesday night. As it turns out, there was no unique uniform combination, and this ended up being the first time the Rebels wore a previously used uniform this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Texas Tech was 6-0 this season with Tyler Shough as its starting quarterback, according to ESPN’S TV broadcast. Shough was named the Texas Bowl MVP, rushing for a career-high 111 yards and two touchdowns, and throwing for 242 yards and another touchdown.
During the trophy presentation, Shough, a senior, announced he would be using his extra COVID year of eligibility and return to Texas Tech for the 2023 season.
The Texas Bowl was the second game of the day to feature at least 1,000 yards of offense. Arkansas and Kansas combined for 1,284 in a triple overtime thriller in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, with Arkansas winning 55-53.
WHO SAID
Players were penalized during a scuffle early in the fourth quarter, and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said he believes they penalized the wrong guy.
“They announce our 11, which is Jordan Watkins, who wasn’t in the fight. It was their 11 that was fighting 71 [Ole Miss lineman Jayden Williams], and everybody knew because their own coaches were yelling at the guy,” Kiffin told ESPN.