San Diego—It was all about the Red Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium Monday night. Texas Tech snapped a five game losing streak dominating from start to finish defeating Arizona State 37-23.
The Red Raiders were able to find their momentum early in the game and never looked back. They racked up 484 yards offensively, while No.14 Arizona State amassed 412.
Offense:
Texas Tech freshman National Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP quarterback Davis Webb showed why he’ll be a college favorite in the years to come. He threw for 403 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions, very impressive.
Webb also tied the record for most touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl. His partner in crime throughout the night was tight end Jace Amaro, who caught eight passes for 112 yards. Amaro who broke the NCAA record for most receiving yards in a single-season by a tight end, announced he will declare himself eligible for the NFL draft.
Although Webb’s target won’t be by his side next year, he’s still an athlete you most definitely want to keep an eye on. The Sun Devils junior quarterback Taylor Kelly could not find his comfort zone in San Diego. He threw for 125 yards and a pick. Kelly did damage with the option, rushing for 125 yards on 25 carries.
Including a 44-yard touchdown. But his performance wasn’t enough to get his team the win. Kelly and his teammates didn’t come ready to play the unranked Raiders and it showed on the field.
Defense:
Texas Tech’s defense was full of energy. They held the Sun Devils quarterback to 16-of-29 and an interception. Despite Arizona State running back D.J. Foster 132 yards on 32 carries, Texas did a prolific job at slowing down Arizona’s line of scrimmage.
Kelly looked uncomfortable every time he tried to deliver the ball in the air. The Red Raiders top performers on defense were linebacker Will Smith, defensive lineman Kerry Hyder and Dartwan Bush. Smith mindset going into the game was in the right place, he had 14 tackles.
His teammate Hyder wasn’t two far behind him with five tackles.
Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton had four tackles, but that wasn’t enough to contain Texas Tech offense.
Special Teams:
The Red Raiders speedster Reginald Davis showed off his sweet feet returning an outstanding 90-yard kickoff return in front of 10, 000 fans.
End of season:
The Red Raiders has won their last 9 of 11 bowl games and finished the season (8-5). Arizona State settled for a (10-4) record to end their season.
Tamara is a graduate of Cal State Los Angeles where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. Tamara is passionate about covering sports. She has covered the NBA and Major League Baseball routinely for the past several years. A Southern California native, Tamara developed her skills as a sports journalist while working for various Los Angeles-based news publications.