Davis Webb threw for 403 yards and four touchdowns to lead Texas Tech to a 37-23 upset win over flat, bumbling No. 14 Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl on Monday night.
With the victory, the Red Raiders snapped a five-game losing streak and finished their season at 8-5. The Sun Devils lost their second-straight to close out at 10-4.
Tech raced out to a 27-6 lead and then held off every attempt by ASU to come back. Not that the Sun Devils were doing themselves any favors, as mistake after mistake kept them from making the game more interesting.
To wit, ASU closed to within a touchdown at 27-20 when Taylor Kelly rushed for a 44-yard score early in the third quarter. But Reginald Davis took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and the Red Raiders went back on top by two scores. The teams traded field goals and Kelly uncorked a bomb that should’ve been a touchdown, except receiver Richard Smith dropped the ball in the end zone and ASU never really threatened again.
It’s not often that a team rushes for 287 yards and loses by 14 points, but that’s what the Sun Devils did. Those turned out to be meaningless yards. In the end, this game was about Texas Tech’s execution on both sides of the ball. ASU thought it could muddle through somehow and it showed in the final result.
The Sun Devils will now hit the offseason wondering What if? This was a team that could’ve been in the Rose Bowl, but instead it ended up as the latest Pac-12 team to disappoint in the Holiday Bowl. It could’ve won 11 games for the first time since 1996. Instead, it wound up with two straight embarrassing losses. A lot of talent returns next year, but Todd Graham has more work to do in changing the mentality of this program.
As for Texas Tech, it showed great resilience in winning this bowl game when almost no one thought it could. Kliff Kingsbury had this team ready to play and that allowed him to cap off his first season as a head coach in style. It’ll be interesting to see if Tech can keep up with the Big 12 Joneses in the next few seasons. At the very least, the Red Raiders look like they’ll be competitive.
