Doege delivers for Red Raiders
FORTWORTH— It only hurt when Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege tried to describe the longest game of his college career.
Still showing the effects of an afternoon standing up to a furious TCU pass rush, a wobbly Doege wasmoving slowly early Saturday evening.
“It even hurts to talk,” Doege said. “But the thing is that it feels a lot better that we scored.”
He might not have seen the finish, but his 8- yard strike to Alex Torres catapulted the No. 18 Red Raiders to a dramatic 5653 triple- overtime victory over TCU.
It kept Tech ( 6- 1, 3- 1) alive in the Big 12 title race after its second victory over a newcomer to the conference in two weeks.
“They outplayed us for most of the game, outcoached us and had us on our heels,” Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. “What a bizarre football game.”
The experience of Doege was the biggest reason. The redshirt senior passed for 318 yards and a career- best seven touchdown passes, including three in overtime as the Red Raiders committed no turnovers.
“Itmeans somuch to have an experienced quarterback,” Tuberville said. “He knew tonight he was going to get hit. They brought five, they brought six, they brought seven ( defenders). But he just kept standing in there throwing it.”
Frogs fight back
Despite being outgained and dominated at times, the Red Raiders played well in flurries. They took control scoring two touchdowns late in the second quarter boosted by recovering an onside kick.
They later added two more touchdowns late in the game after Kenny Williams’ 47- yard TD run provided a seemingly safe 36- 26 cushion with 4: 06 left.
But TCU stormed back on a 60- yard pass from Trevone Boykin to LaDarius Brown, and Jaden Oberkrom delivered 42- yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to tie the game at 36 at the end of regulation.
“It was kind of devastating, but there never was any doubt with this team,” Tech senior wide receiver Austin Zouzalik said. “It took a little air out of us, but we picked up and kept going.”
Tech’s defense, which was ranked fourth nationally in total defense, was gashed for 516 yards. But the Red Raiders did a good job of making stops when they needed them as TCU ( 5- 2, 2- 2) finished 5- of- 17 third- down conversion attempts.
That set the stage for Oberkrom, who set a school record and tied the Big 12 mark with six field goals.
Stops hard to come by
“They moved the ball up and down the field, and we didn’t play very well defensively,” Tuberville said. “We didn’t look like a top- ranked defense, but we did make enough plays as it went along.”
The biggest was a third- down deflection by safety Cody Davis that forced Oberkomto settle for a 38- yard field goal to start the third overtime.
Four plays later, Doege fired a pass that he said was one of Torres’ favorite patterns.
“I was hoping for that play call,” Doege said. “We practiced it over and over and over. ( The defender) covered it a little, but the way Torres sells the run, he bit it just enough to where I could fit it in there.”