On a Wednesday night in Houston, a Texas Tech team that had spent the season learning a new voice under coach Joey McGuire showed what it could be when the game turned on turnovers and patience. The Red Raiders beat Ole Miss 42-25 in a bowl game dedicated to the memory of Mike Leach, the coach whose Air Raid once defined the program and who died in December. For Tech it was a season closed at eight wins, the first such year since 2013, while for the Rebels it was a bitter ending to a year that had promised far more.
Shough Accounts for Three Touchdowns as Texas Tech Routs Ole Miss 42-25 in Texas Bowl
On its first offensive play, Texas Tech did nothing at all.
Mark
Why does the opening play get so much attention in a game that was decided by turnovers?
Mimi
Because it showed what the night was about for both sidelines. Tech stood still until a delay-of-game flag, Kiffin declined it, and both teams wore Leach decals. Leach had died just over two weeks earlier.
Mark
And the game itself? Was it really that lopsided?
Mimi
The halftime score was 26-7, and the cause was Ole Miss giving the ball away. Dart threw two of his three interceptions and lost a fumble before the break.
Luke
Worth noting that Dart still threw for 361 yards. The final 42-25 flatters Tech a bit, since Ole Miss closed to 35-25 before the onside kick return.
Mark
So the onside kick sealed it?
Mimi
Fouonji's 44-yard return made it 42-25 and ended any real chance of a comeback.
Luke
Fair, but the report says the return pushed the lead to 42-25. It doesn't say what the odds were of a comeback, so I'd leave that as a judgment.
Mark
What about the bigger picture for each team?
Mimi
Tech ended on four straight wins under a first-year coach with a new contract. Ole Miss started 7-0 and lost five of its last six.
Luke
And the thing nobody can answer yet is Shough. The source says only that Tech is waiting to see if he returns. There's no indication either way.
Le Pouls
- Tech's quarterback Tyler Shough threw a touchdown and ran for two more, the sort of early surge that made the first half feel decided before it was half over.
- Ole Miss handed the ball away five times and fell apart under eight penalties, letting a fast start slip into a 26-7 halftime hole.
- Jaxson Dart's 361 yards and late touchdowns kept the Rebels fighting, but every comeback push ran into another mistake.
- A late onside kick recovered by Loic Fouonji sealed the margin and closed the door on any Ole Miss rally.
- Tech ends with four straight wins and a coach with a new contract, while the open question of Shough's return lingers over the offseason.
On a Wednesday night in Houston, a Texas Tech team that had spent the season learning a new voice under coach Joey McGuire showed what it could be when the game turned on turnovers and patience. The Red Raiders beat Ole Miss 42-25 in a bowl game dedicated to the memory of Mike Leach, the coach whose Air Raid once defined the program and who died in December. For Tech it was a season closed at eight wins, the first such year since 2013, while for the Rebels it was a bitter ending to a year that had promised far more.
Texas Tech opened the Texas Bowl with a gesture rather than a play. The Red Raiders lined up in Mike Leach's Air Raid formation and waited until the referee threw a flag for delay of game, a quiet tribute to the coach who built the program and died in December at 61. Both teams wore helmet decals honoring him, Tech's showing pirate flags and Ole Miss's showing a cowbell-shaped "I" for Mississippi State's tradition.
The game itself was mostly decided in the first half. Tyler Shough was intercepted in the end zone early, but he bounced back to run for two scores and throw a touchdown to Jerand Bradley, carrying Tech to a 26-7 halftime lead. Ole Miss kept giving the ball away, and Jaxson Dart's two first-half interceptions and a fumble kept the Rebels from ever getting close.
Ole Miss fought back in the second half, cutting the margin to 35-25 with a pair of late touchdowns and an onside kick attempt. Loic Fouonji recovered it and returned it 44 yards, and the Red Raiders had their final margin. Tech finished 8-5, its first eight-win season since 2013, and coach Joey McGuire, who had signed a new contract that day, closed his debut year with momentum. Ole Miss finished 8-5 too, but after a 7-0 start it had lost its last four games. For Tech, the open question now is whether Shough returns.
On its first offensive play in the Texas Bowl, Texas Tech did nothing at all. The Red Raiders lined up in Mike Leach's famous Air Raid formation, with the linemen spread wide and four receivers out wide, and simply stood there until a flag came for delay of game. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin declined the penalty, and Tech then ran its real first play. It was a tribute to Leach, who coached at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009 and died Dec. 12 at 61 while he was the coach at Mississippi State.
Both teams honored him with helmet decals. Tech's looked like pirate flags, a nod to his fascination with pirates. The Rebels' said "Mike," with the "I" shaped like a cowbell, for the Mississippi State tradition of ringing them at games.
What followed in Houston on Wednesday night was a 42-25 Texas Tech win, built almost entirely in the first half. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 242 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores, finishing with a career-high 111 rushing yards. The win lifted the Red Raiders to 8-5, their first eight-win season since 2013, and capped the debut year of coach Joey McGuire, who had been given a new six-year, $26.6 million contract earlier that day.
The start was not smooth. Shough was intercepted in the end zone on Tech's first possession. On the next drive he ran 2 yards for a score and a 7-0 lead. Ole Miss tied it when Zach Evans ran 8 yards for a touchdown with about 5½ minutes left in the first quarter. After a field goal made it 10-7, Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart was intercepted by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, but Tech came up empty when Shough's fourth-and-goal pass from the 3 fell incomplete.
Dart was picked off again on the next possession, and this time Tech cashed in. Shough ran for his second 2-yard score, making it 17-7 with about seven minutes until halftime. Ole Miss then went for it on fourth-and-6 from its own 29 and was stopped short. Tech added a field goal, Dart fumbled, and Shough hit Jerand Bradley on a 12-yard touchdown pass. A failed 2-point try left Tech up 26-7 at the break.
Dart finished with 361 passing yards, two touchdown throws and a rushing score, but he threw two of his three interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half. Ole Miss committed five turnovers in all, had eight penalties for 86 yards, and had two defenders ejected for targeting. Dart connected with Jordan Watkins on an 11-yard touchdown with about nine minutes left in the third quarter to make it 26-13. Early in the fourth, SaRodorick Thompson scored on a 1-yard run, though Tech's 2-point attempt failed and left it 32-13. After Dayton Wade fumbled on Ole Miss's next drive, the Red Raiders settled for a field goal and a 35-13 lead with 9½ minutes left.
Ole Miss scored consecutive touchdowns to cut it to 35-25 with three minutes to go, then tried an onside kick. Tech's Loic Fouonji grabbed it and returned it 44 yards, pushing the lead to the final margin. The Rebels did run for 197 yards, led by freshman Quinshon Judkins with 91. His 1,567 yards this season are the second-most by a freshman in SEC history, behind Herschel Walker's 1,616.
The loss closed a collapse for Ole Miss (8-5), which opened 7-0 and then dropped its final four games and five of its last six. Texas Tech finished with four straight wins. The Red Raiders now wait to learn whether Shough will return next season or whether they will need a replacement, while Ole Miss can count on Judkins anchoring the running game as it tries to put together a complete season.
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