Filed under: Northwestern, Texas Tech, Big 10, Big 12, Bowl Games
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have won the inaugural TicketCity Bowl, which was played in the Cotton Bowl, in a wild 45-38 game. The Red Raiders piled up 551 yards in total offense behind a high-octane passing attack. Quarterback Taylor Potts completed 43 of 56 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns. The big recipient was senior wideout Lyle Leong, who ended his career with a huge 10-catch, 118-yard game. He found the end zone twice as well. Potts added a rushing touchdown. Eric Stephens also had a rushing touchdown to go with his 126 yards on just 14 carries.
Northwestern found nearly all its offensive success on the ground. Three Wildcats attempted passes, completing only 14 of 30 attempts for 145 yards. Freshman quarterback Kain Colter actually paced Northwestern on the ground, gaining 105 yards on 18 carries and scoring a touchdown when he recovered his own fumble in the end zone.
Early, it looked like Tech might run away and make this one a laugher, but Northwestern battled back. Texas Tech held a 24-6 lead at halftime and had stretched it to 31-9 before the Northwestern rally began. The Wildcats, playing without injured star quarterback Dan Persa, ended up making the game close by sticking with a strong ground game and taking the ball away. A Jordan Mabin 39-yard interception return for a touchdown cut the Tech lead to seven with 5:49 left, but that was as close as the Wildcats could get. Northwestern did get the ball back with less than a minute remaining and no timeouts, but was unable to drive the length of the field. The game ended on a Tech interception.
The loss means Northwestern ends the season with a three-game losing streak. Not coincidentally, those three games were played without Persa. The Wildcats were 7-3 with him, 0-3 without.
On the flip side, Texas Tech (8-5) closes Tommy Tuberville's first season on a three-game winning streak.
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