LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Tommy Castellanos started at quarterback for No. 13 Texas Tech over Will Hammond, and the Red Raiders rebounded from their first loss of the season.
A week after Hammond and the Red Raiders struggled, dual-threat Castellanos threw two touchdown passes and ran for 117 yards with another score in a 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona on Saturday.
Castellanos ran for an 8-yard touchdown early in the second half to tie the game at 17. The
Florida State transfer put the Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) ahead to stay with a 27-yard TD pass to Kenny Johnson on a fourth down play that made it 24-23 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
Coach Joey McGuire made the QB change after Hammond and the Red Raiders lost 37-24 at Cincinnati, prompting McGuire to say he was “as frustrated as I’ve ever been in 32 years of coaching.”
Hammond didn’t get into Saturday's game as the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders tied a school record with their 13th consecutive win at home.
Castellanos, who ran 19 times and was just 11-of-24 passing for 144 yards, led the first opening touchdown drive since the season opener for Texas Tech. He capped the 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 24-yard pass to Terrance Carter Jr.
He kept the drive alive with a 7-yard run on fourth-and-2 and converted a pair of third downs, including one with another scramble.
The start came a day after the latest court ruling preserving the eligibility of Castellanos and 29 other athletes who sued over the issue of whether they should get a fifth season under the NCAA's new five-for-five model.
It was actually the second start for Castellanos, but the first one was a change-of-pace decision before Hammond came in. Castellanos threw an interception on his first play in another AP Top 25 matchup at home, a 28-26 victory over Houston. This time, Castellanos was still in the game into the second quarter.
Castellanos started all 12 games for the Seminoles in what was expected to be his final college season last year. He went undrafted and had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins but was never on the roster. He joined the host of athletes seeking another year of eligibility and signed with Texas Tech just a week before the season opener.
The addition of Castellanos was part of a summer of turmoil at quarterback for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders spent most of the offseason believing Brendan Sorsby could be the starter before the gambling saga that ultimately ended Sorsby's college career.
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