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Texas Tech needs 2 OTs to beat Kansas

Nov 10, 2012 - 11:45 PM Lubbock, TX (Sports Network) - Eric Stephens Jr. ran for a touchdown and threw for another in overtime as No. 25 Texas Tech outlasted Kansas, 41-34, in double overtime.

Seth Doege completed 45-of-59 passes for 476 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Red Raiders (7-3, 4-3), who were coming off a loss to Texas last week.

Eric Ward caught 12 balls for 180 yards in the victory.

Tony Pierson had 202 yards on 16 carries to pace a Kansas (1-9, 0-7) rushing attack that racked up 390 yards.

"You have to think that the offensive line did a heck of a job, because you don't get numbers like that without a lot of people being in line," Kansas coach Charlie Weis said

James Sims added 30 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns for the Jayhawks, who have dropped 19 straight conference games. He became the first Kansas running back ever to rush for more than 100 yards in six consecutive games.

Michael Cummings threw for just 29 yards with two touchdowns on 6-of-15 efficiency in the loss.

Texas Tech carried a 21-17 edge into the second half and neither team could get much going offensively in the third quarter until Doege's 29-yard reception on a trick play in which he tossed the ball to Austin Zouzalik on the right side before the receiver threw the ball back across the field to Doege. That highlighted a 9-play, 71-yard trek Ryan Bustin capped with a 27- yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining in the frame.

Texas Tech made it a two-possession game following a Kansas punt with a 27- yard kick by Bustin, but Pierson ripped off a 69-yard run on the first play of the Jayhawks' ensuing drive to set up Sims' 3-yard touchdown run up the middle two plays later, bringing Kansas back within 27-24 with 8:59 left in the fourth quarter.

The Red Raiders drove down to the Kansas 12 on their next touch seeking to regain some cushion, but they opted to go for a 4th-and-2 at the Jayhawks' 12- yard line and Stephens was stopped a yard short to turn the ball over on downs.

Kansas then used another big run to move the ball down the field as Cummings' 44-yard scamper placed the ball at the Texas Tech 20.

The Jayhawks would gain just six more yards, though, and Nick Prolago connected on a 32-yard field goal to knot the game at 27-27 with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Doege quickly moved his team down to the Kansas 23-yard line with completions of 13, 14, 13 and 15 yards, but Bustin missed a 41-yard field goal wide left as time expired to force overtime.

After the teams traded a 5-yard touchdown grab by Sims and a 1-yard scoring run by Stephens in the first overtime period, Texas Tech opened the second overtime with a 3-yard catch in the right side of the end zone by Darrin Moore on a jump pass by Stephens from the Wildcat.

Stephens took the snap and ran to the right before jumping up and flipping a pass to Moore, who managed to keep his feet in bounds just as he secured the ball for the deciding score.

Kansas netted five yards on a pair of runs on its next possession before Pierson was stuffed for a 4-yard loss on an option run.

Faced with a 4th-and-9, Cummings sent a pass over the middle of the end zone intended for Chris Omigie, but Texas Tech's D.J. Johnson got a hand on it to break it up and end the game.

"We didn't play the best that we could play, but you've got to give a lot of credit to Kansas. They came in and ran some formations on us and got us confused early," Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We never really stopped the option play other than right there at the end. We stopped it one time."

Texas Tech received the ball first and marched right down the field to go on top, converting a 4th-and-7 at the Kansas 29-yard line with a 15-yard reception by Tyson Williams before Jakeem Grant hauled in a 9-yard touchdown catch to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive.

But Kansas was also able to cross the goal line on its first touch of the contest as Sims reeled off runs of 12, 13, and 10 yards before finishing off an 8-play, 63-yard drive with a 6-yard rush up the middle.

The teams traded punts from there until the Red Raiders regained the ball at their own 46 late in the first quarter and Doege found Moore and Ward for gains of 19 and 17 yards, respectively, to set up Williams' 16-yard catch in the back corner of the end zone on the first play of the second quarter, giving Texas Tech a 14-7 lead.

The Red Raiders' offense went back to work at their own 43 following another Kansas punt and capitalized on the favorable field position in just four plays as Ward hauled in a 31-yard reception and Kenny Williams recorded a 20-yard catch-and-run before Doege found Moore in the right side of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.

Kansas was able to use a turnover to cut into its deficit as Bradley McDougald intercepted an errant Doege pass and returned it 32 yards down to the Texas Tech 39.

Five plays later, Brandon Bourbon grabbed a short pass to the right side and rumbled across the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown, bringing the Jayhawks within 21-14 with 5:30 left in the half.

The Jayhawks marched all the way down to the Texas Tech five with the aid of a 49-yard run by Pierson on their next possession, but Kansas could not push the ball into the end zone and had to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Prolago to make it a 21-17 game at the break.

Game Notes

Texas Tech has now won six straight games against Kansas and leads the all- time series, 13-1 ... Cummings carried the ball eight times for 41 yards ... Kenny Williams finished with 37 yards on nine carries and 20 yards on one reception ... The Red Raiders managed just 63 yards on the ground but outgained Kansas, 571-419.