Texas Tech Beat Arizona 34-26 in Big 12 Clash, Dealing Wildcats a Major Playoff Blow

In U.S. college football, No. 13 Texas Tech defeated No. 22 Arizona 34-26 in a Big 12 Conference game on Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. The loss delivered a major blow to Arizona's College Football Playoff chances and its Big 12 championship hopes.

It was Texas Tech's 13th straight win at home, tying a program record. The victory took the Red Raiders to 7-1 on the season, while Arizona fell to 6-2.

After last week's loss to Cincinnati, head coach Joey McGuire benched quarterback Will Hammond for Thomas Castellanos, and the move paid off. Castellanos completed 11 of 24 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 117 yards and another touchdown — the fifth game of his career with more than 100 rushing yards.

Texas Tech's run game was outstanding, rolling up 332 yards on the ground. Running back J'Koby Williams alone ran for 175 yards and a touchdown.

Arizona struck first, taking a 3-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal by kicker Michael Salgado-Medina on the opening drive. Texas Tech answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by Castellanos' 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Terrance Carter Jr., going ahead 7-3.

Arizona responded in spectacular fashion: from their own 6-yard line, quarterback Noah Fifita scrambled and threw to Isaiah Mizell, who raced up the sideline for a 94-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead. In the second quarter, Kedrick Reescano's five-yard touchdown run, finishing a 14-play, 81-yard drive, extended the lead to 17-7. A Texas Tech field goal before halftime cut it to 17-10.

Texas Tech tied the game 17-17 on the opening drive of the third quarter through Castellanos' eight-yard touchdown run. Arizona answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive ending in Reescano's second touchdown from the 1-yard line, but the extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the lead at 23-17.

Texas Tech capitalized on that mistake. On fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 27, Castellanos found wide receiver Kenny Johnson for a touchdown to put the Red Raiders up 24-23, and kicker Stone Harrington's 42-yard field goal extended the lead to 27-23.

In the fourth quarter Arizona reached Texas Tech's 18-yard line but Fifita's pass was too high for tight end Tyler Powell on fourth-and-1. Arizona then recovered a fumble by running back Cameron Dickey at the Texas Tech 43 but failed to take advantage, and was forced to punt.

Late in the game, on third-and-1, Williams burst through for a 64-yard touchdown that put Texas Tech ahead 34-23, completing a run of 17 unanswered points. Arizona added a late field goal but failed to recover the onside kick, sealing the 34-26 defeat.