Will Hammond threw for 189 yards Saturday night and the go-ahead touchdown as No. 13 Texas Tech rallied for a 35-24 road win over Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore.
Hammond, who hit 20 of 27 passes, hooked up with Coy Eakin for a 32-yard score at the 6:31 mark of the fourth quarter, enabling the Red Raiders to improve to 2-0. Backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos tacked on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Matt Ludwig with 1:03 remaining to ice it.
Braden Atkinson starred in defeat again for the Beavers (0-2), completing 29 of 49 passes for 399 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jesse Legree sliced the Texas Tech secondary apart to the tune of eight catches for 240 yards and a pair of scores.
But Oregon State, even after taking a 24-21 lead on Caleb Ojeda’s 34-yard field goal with 13:23 remaining in the game, couldn’t finish off a potential top 25 upset for the second straight week. It threatened No. 23 Houston last week before falling 33-20.
After a scoreless first quarter, Castellanos got Texas Tech on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run at the 7:35 mark of the second quarter. Ten seconds later, Atkinson and Legree responded by hooking up for a 75-yard strike to tie the game.
The Red Raiders took a 14-7 edge into halftime when Cameron Dickey plunged in from the 1 to complete an 11-play, 73-yard drive. However, the Beavers responded with 11:17 left in the third quarter when running back AJ Newberry found Atkinson for a 4-yard touchdown pass.
J’Koby Williams, who rushed for a game-high 116 yards on 20 attempts, made it 21-13 at the 8:05 mark of the third quarter on a 38-yard scoring jaunt. Atkinson answered back with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Legree with 4:55 remaining in the period, then tied the score on a 2-point conversion run.
Oregon State outgained Texas Tech 472-351 but couldn’t generate enough of a running game, managing only 69 yards on 21 carries.
