BLOG: Longhorns rally in final minutes, complete comeback with 63-56 win in overtime
LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas Longhorns just completed one of the most improbable comebacks in program history, defeating Texas Tech 63-56 in overtime.
Trailing Tech 56-41 with three minutes left in the game, the Longhorns rallied with two touchdowns to keep the game alive and head to overtime. It required a 40 second touchdown drive, an onside kick recovery, another touchdown and a two-point conversion.
In overtime, the Longhorns scored first on Sam Ehlinger's fifth touchdown pass of the day for a 63-56 lead.
The Longhorns defense, which didn't stop Tech often, held strong, ending the game on a 4th down stand at the 29-yard line.
Below is a live blog with a full recap of how this wild Texas win went down.
Live Blog
Pregame
Just a quick uniform update. Texas Tech will be wearing red jerseys at home. The Longhorns are wearing their "icy" all whites.
The Longhorns will start the game on offense.
Longhorns 1st drive, 1st quarter
What happened: The Longhorns faced little resistance on its first dive until reaching the Texas Tech 4-yard line. Faced with a 4th and 2, Texas planned to go for it, but the Red Raiders bailed them out by jumping offside. On the next play, Ehlinger took it himself with a lead blocker for a 2-yard touchdown run. The drive went 75 yards in 13 plays, taking up 5:49. Couldn't ask for a better start for the Longhorns offense.
Score: 7-0 Texas leads
Texas Tech 1st drive, 1st quarter
What happened: Well, that looked like a powerful, fast Texas Tech offense and the Longhorns defense didn't look much different from 2019. Tech QB Alan Bowman carved up the UT secondary with the help of missed tackles all over the place. Tech scored a touchdown on a 13-yard pass to KeSean Carter from Bowman. Tech didn't face a third down with Bowman completing all five of his passes.
Score: Tied at 7
Longhorns 2nd drive, 1st quarter
What happened: The Longhorns started in great field position after a 42-yard kickoff return by D'Shawn Jamison and quickly moved to the Tech 26-yard line. Roschon Johnson was stopped at the line of scrimmage on second down and Ehlinger couldn't hit Brenden Schooler on a deep ball toward the end zone on third down to halt the drive. Cameron Dicker hit a 43-yard field goal for the Longhorns lead. Texas is putting a focus on the ground game, calling 13 of 20 running plays.
Score: Texas leads 10-7
Tech 2nd drive, 1st quarter
What happened: The Longhorns defense was able to settle down and force the first "3 and out" of the game. Sophomore Chris Adimora made a great play on 3rd and 7, knocking the ball out of John Holcomb's hands in the middle of the field causing a Bowman incompletion. Tech punts to the Texas 29-yard line.
Longhorns 3rd drive, 1st quarter
What happened: Longhorns wide receiver Joshua Moore is turning into a can't miss target for Sam Ehlinger. At the Red Raiders 31-yard line, Ehlinger threw deep toward Moore with two Tech defenders in the area to intercept. Instead, Moore grabbed the ball out of the air in the end zone for a touchdown. That score undoubtedly belongs to Moore's exceptional play.
Score: Texas leads 17-7
Texas Tech 4th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: Longhorns were forced to punt for the first time this afternoon and a near block affected Ryan Bujcevski's kick. The Red Raiders started the drive at the Longhorns 49-yard line and needed three plays to go 49 yards for the touchdown. KeSean Carter ran free in the middle of the field, splitting the safeties for a 22-yard touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Tech looked to seize all momentum, going with an onside kick executed to perfection. Kicker Trey Wolff nudged the ball the required 10 yards and then recovered in the middle of the field.
Score: Texas leads 17-14
Texas Tech 5th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: Tech's momentum didn't last long. On the first play, unsurprisingly, Tech took a shot, but Bowman overthrew his receiver but a wide margin. Longhorns safety Chris Brown intercepted it and returned it near midfield. Bowman had a little pressure in his face, but that interception was on the Tech quarterback.
Longhorns 5th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: After the interception, a great 24-yard run by Ehlinger got Texas down to the 1-yard line. Roschon Johnson capped off the drive with a touchdown run for the 24-14 lead.
Score: Texas leads 24-14
Texas Tech 6th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: Tech is giving this Longhorns defense a crash course and it's unclear if they'll be able to withstand the pressure. Alan Bowman threw for 60 of the drive's 75 yards, registering a passing touchdown to Erik Ezukanma from 19 yards out.
Score: Texas leads 24-21
Longhorns 6th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns punting unit has some work to do. After nearly allowing a blocked punt earlier in the game, this Ryan Bujcevski punt was blocked. The Red Raiders recover in the red zone at the Longhorns 17-yard line.
Texas Tech 7th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: Two momentum swing plays for Tech and they fail to capitalize on either. Actually, they've swung momentum in Texas' favor each time. Bowman throws his second interception of the day to Chris Adimora. Adimora takes it 71 yards before being stopped by a Red Raiders lineman at the 19-yard line.
Longhorns 7th drive, 2nd quarter
What happened: With the final minutes of the half ticking down, Texas' short drive ends in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brenden Schooler to give the Longhorns some time to catch their breath and some cushion going into the locker room.
Score: Texas leads 31-21 at halftime
Tech 8th drive, 3rd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns defense stalled Tech on three plays, but the Longhorns special teams falters again. D'Shawn Jamison couldn't field the Austin McNamara punt cleanly. He fumbled near the 20-yard line and Tech recovers for a touchdown. The Longhorns are giving Tech several unearned opportunities to stay in the game and the Red Raiders are seizing them.
Score: Texas leads 31-28
Tech 9th drive, 3rd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns have struggled in special teams this afternoon, but finally a bright spot early in the third quarter. Texas blocks McNamara's punt at the 23-yard line and Central Texas product Jahdae Barron registers his first touchdown as a Longhorn, recovering the punt in the end zone. Barron is a freshman out of Pflugerville Connally.
Score: Texas leads 38-28
Longhorns 9th drive, 3rd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns haven't had the ball too much in the second half and they haven't done much with their possessions. 10 plays for 20 yards.
Tech 11th drive, 3rd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns defense couldn't stop Tech on a 3rd and 16. Bowman goes to T.J. Vasher for a 22-yard gain. Three plays later, it's Vasher again for a 29-yard touchdown from Bowman, cutting the deficit to three points midway through the third quarter.
Score: Texas leads 38-35
Longhorns 10th drive, 3rd quarter
What happened: The Longhorns offense isn't in rhythm. Sam Ehlinger made his first mistake of the 2020 season. Looking for Schooler near the sideline, the throw was off target and into the hands of Tech defensive back Alex Hogan, who took it back to the Longhorns 10-yard line.
On the Red Raiders' first offensive play of the drive, SaRodorick Thompson tip toed down the sideline and into the end zone, giving Tech its first lead of the football game. Tech scored 21 points in the third quarter to grab the lead.
Score: Tech leads 42-38
Longhorns 11th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: Texas needed to answer with a sustained drive in the second half. Running back Keaontay Ingram turned off two double-digit runs, 26 and 10, to get Texas in scoring position. With help from the offensive line, Roschon Johnson pushed ahead for a two-yard gain on 4th and 1 at the Tech 19-yard line. However, the Longhorns drive stalled at the 9-yard line, ending in a Dicker 26-yard field goal.
Score: Tech leads 42-21
Longhorns 12th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: The Texas Tech defense played its best series of the game when they need it, pushing the Longhorns back to its own 7-yard line. Texas went backward 21 yards after a holding penalty and a sack on Ehlinger. On the sack, the Red Raiders were able to get to Ehlinger with just three defensive linemen.
Tech 14th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: The Longhorns defense is beyond struggling. Tech faced one third down on a six play, 56-yard drive for a touchdown to give the Red Raiders an eight point lead with seven minutes remaining. T.J. Vasher made an outstanding catch in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard score.
Score: Tech leads 49-41
Longhorns 13th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: The Longhorns offensive line is struggling and the Tech defense has played excellent in the second half, holding Texas to three points. The Longhorns lone second half touchdown came on a blocked punt. The Longhorns drive goes backward for a second straight time, losing 16 yards on three plays.
Tech 15th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: Tech has just about iced this game. SaRodorick Thompson sheds at least four weak Longhorns tacklers and bounces out for a 75-yard touchdown run.
Score: Tech leads 56-41
Longhorns 14th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: If the Longhorns have a chance, they needed to work quickly and they did. Ehlinger led a four play, 59 yard touchdown drive. Brennan Eagles catches a 12-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to get the Longhorns within a score.
Score: Tech leads 56-48
Ensuing kickoff, 4th quarter
What happened: Just about everything that can happen in a football game has happened today in Lubbock. Dicker laid down the onside kick, it bounces off the hands of a Texas Tech player and into the hands of Malcolm Epps for a Longhorns recovery.
Longhorns 15th drive, 4th quarter
What happened: With new life, the Longhorns take advantage, but it wasn't easy. Starting at the Texas Tech 42-yard line, the Longhorns moved down to the Red Raiders 8-yard line in five plays. Then, back-to-back Longhorns penalties pushed the ball back to the 18. On the next play, Ehlinger found Joshua Moore wide open in the end zone to get Texas within 56-54.
On to the two-point conversion, the Longhorns called timeout to set up the play. Receiver Brennan Eagles made a good move to get inside of the Tech defensive back for the catch and to tie the game at 56.
Score: Tied at 56
On to overtime...
What happened: Tech won the toss and opted to play defense first. The Longhorns needed three plays to score first in the extra period. Ehlinger hit Joshua Moore for 12-yard touchdown pass.
Score: Texas leads 63-56
What happened: The Texas defense pushed Tech back to the 29-yard line on first down. After an incomplete pass on second down, the Longhorns thought the game was over on a fumble. However, after a review, the call was reversed to incomplete.
Tech had one last chance needing 14 yards on 4th down. Longhorns safety Caden Sterns makes the interception for the Texas victory.
LONGHORNS WIN 63-56 IN OVERTIME