BOULDER, Colo. — The 10th-ranked Texas Tech football team shook off a shaky first half rolled past Colorado 29-7 on Saturday, Oct. 3, outscoring the Buffaloes 26-0 in the second half for only its second victory all-time at Folsom Field.
Tech (5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12) intercepted Isaac Wilson four times in the second half. Cornerback Brice Pollock had two, and linebacker John Curry sent fans streaming to the exits by intercepting a pass in the Buffaloes' end zone. The pick-six was the Red Raiders third in two games and made the score 22-7 with 7:10 left.
Quentin Joyner, playing more because of a first-half injury to Cameron Dickey, added an insurance score with a 30-yard run.
Tech got a Stone Harrington field goal and a go-ahead touchdown from Terrance Carter Jr., both after interceptions in the third quarter, and Carter gave Tech its first lead of the night by catching an 11-yard touchdown pass from Will Hammond with 3:01 left in the third. Hammond rolled right, found Carter running along the back of the end zone and the tight end made a tumbling catch.
A two-point conversion try failed.
Harrington made field goals from 52, 27 and 46 yards. The latter came with 13:42 left in the fourth quarter and made it 15-7.
Here's a rapid-reaction report card on the Red Raiders.
Offense: C
J'Koby Williams (17 carries, 88 yards) and Terrance Carter Jr. (go-ahead touchdown catch) gave Tech just enough. Red Raiders got a total of 3 first-half points on series that reached the CU 28- , 41- , 7- and 29-yard lines. Those drives were torpedoed by a false start, two failed fourth-and-1 runs and a sack.
Defense: B
Two interceptions by Brice Pollock and one from Malik Esquerra helped the secondary rally after a rough start. John Curry applied the knockout blow with another pick-six.
Special Teams: B
Marcus Ramon-Edwards made the biggest play of his Tech career, snuffing out a fake punt. Stone Harrington made 3 of 4 field goals, including 52- and 46-yarders.
Coaching: C
The start, not so great. The second half ... Well, that must have been a heck of a halftime speech.
Overall: C
Tech continues to live dangerously, but being challenged into the fourth quarter by Oregon State, Houston and Colorado doesn't bode well for a team with CFP aspirations. Losing Cameron Dickey — for how long, to be determined — is a significant blow to an offense that tends to come and go.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football report card: What are 4 second-half INTs worth?
