Defensive purists, avert your eyes.
In what was expected to be an offensive shootout, Texas Tech and Houston exceeded most of those expectations as the Red Raiders claimed a 63-49 win in a decidedly defense-optional affair. The two teams combined for 1,339 yards of offense (TT 717, UH 24) and 64 first downs (TT 36, UH 24), yet still combined to punt the ball away 13 times (TT 7, UH 6).
Alan Bowman was easily the star of the offensive show staged by both squads in Lubbock. Making his second career start, Bowman threw for 605 yards and five touchdowns on his 59 pass attempts (72.9 completion percentage). The yardage broke the school’s freshman record previously set by current Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes.
Bowman was at least within shouting distance of the all-time single-game FBS record of 734 first set by Washington State’s Connor Halliday in 2014 and then matched by Mahomes two years later. He also fell just short of breaking the freshman record of 611 yards set by Nevada’s David Neill in 1998, but did break the Big 12 record for a first-year player.
On the receiving end of a sizable chunk of Bowman’s yardage was Antoine Wesley, who caught 13 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Wesley’s yardage total set a school record as well.
Records broken on this play:
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) September 15, 2018
➡️ #TexasTech single game receiving yards (Antoine Wesley, 261)
➡️ Big 12 single-game freshman passing record (Alan Bowman, 605 yards, a record previously held by @PatrickMahomes5 😏)
🔴#WreckEm⚫️ pic.twitter.com/UMrRgLugA9
In a losing effort, D’Eriq King set career-highs for both passing yards (431) and passing touchdowns (five). King also added a touchdown on the ground for good measure.