Texas Tech Leads Arizona 27-23 in the Fourth Quarter in Lubbock, Behind a Quarterback Change
Thomas Castellanos, starting after a week of questions in Lubbock, has thrown two touchdown passes and run for a third, and No. 14 Texas Tech took a 27-23 lead over No. 21 Arizona into the fourth quarter at Galaxy Stadium.
LUBBOCK - The quarterback change is winning the game, at least through three quarters and change. No. 14 Texas Tech led No. 21 Arizona 27-23 early in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Galaxy Stadium, after Stone Harrington's 42-yard field goal at 1:48 p.m. Central extended the lead with 14:43 to play, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's live account of the game read this run. This is a live file; the final result files tonight.
Thomas Castellanos, the Florida State transfer who got no snaps in last week's 37-24 loss at Cincinnati, started after coach Joey McGuire confirmed the switch on the pregame radio show. He opened the scoring with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Carter Jr., tied the game at 17-17 in the third quarter with an 8-yard touchdown run, and put Tech ahead 24-23 late in the third by hitting Kenny Johnson for 27 yards on a fourth-and-short gamble.
Arizona has punched back all afternoon. Noah Fifita's 94-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Mizell - on third-and-12 from the Wildcats' own 6 - flipped an early deficit, and Kedrick Reescano scored on runs of 5 yards and 1 yard as Arizona led 17-10 at halftime and 23-17 in the third, with a blocked extra point keeping the margin thin. McGuire told the Tech radio network at halftime: 'The difference in the game right now is two blown coverages.'
Both teams came in 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, and the loser leaves Lubbock a game behind in a conference race that already punished Tech once. Arizona arrived on a five-game winning streak and with the league's most dangerous deep ball, as the Mizell play showed. The fourth quarter, and with it second place in the Big 12's chasing pack, was still being decided as this file staged.
