Texas Tech edges Iowa State in frigid Ames to clinch bowl eligibility

AMES, Iowa — When Texas Tech and Iowa State kicked off on a bitter cold Saturday night, the temperature was 22 degrees with the wind chill factor at 14. Three hours later, thermometers showed 11 degrees with the wind chill down to zero.

The Red Raiders felt it less after a grand performance from their defense gave them their first road victory under new coach Joey McGuire and the promise of ending the season in a bowl for the second year in a row.

Tyler Shough threw a go-ahead touchdown pass late to Baylor Cupp and the defense repeatedly rose up in its own end as Tech beat Iowa State 14-10 in frigid conditions, spoiling the Cyclones' senior night at Jack Trice Stadium.

"I was proud of our guys," McGuire said. "I thought they really wanted to play. (The conditions) didn't matter. I thought we had a great plan of how we were going to stay warm, from hot cocoa and chicken broth in the locker room to heated benches to Vaseline on anything that was going to get any kind of wind.

"Our equipment staff did an amazing job of having everything those guys wanted. I told them, 'I don't care how you dress. I just need you to play fast and play hard.' "

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Shough's 4-yard TD pass capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive with 6:10 remaining. Quarterback Donovan Smith, on the field as a receiver, motioned toward tight ends Henry Teeter and Cupp, giving the Red Raiders three receivers to the left. Cupp outfought cornerback Tayvonn Kyle for the ball in the back left corner of the end zone.

"That last drive, they clicked. Everything hit," McGuire said. "The play at the end, we'd been working on it all week. We had three different options. It was either going to be Teeter or Cupp or Donovan that came open. Cupp came open and made a great catch in the end zone."

Iowa State went ahead 10-7 when Hunter Dekkers connected with Easton Dean for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 11:18 left. The big tight end was isolated along the right sideline, caught the ball at the 14 and hurdled cornerback Rayshad Williams at the 4 as he tumbled into the end zone.

At that point, Tech had 36 yards on its five previous possessions, none lasting more than five plays. But the offense went down the field for the game winner.

"Those guys didn't flinch," defensive tackle Tony Bradford said. "They went out there and said, 'Hey, we've got y'all.' They drove the ball on those guys. They made it look easy."

Tech (6-5, 4-4 in the Big 12) is bowl eligible for the second year in a row. The Red Raiders host Oklahoma next Saturday with a chance to end a 12-year streak of finishing below .500 in conference play.

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Iowa State (4-7, 1-7) was in Tech territory on eight series and failed to score on six. The Red Raiders made goal-line stands twice in the third quarter. Defensive end Jesiah Pierre tackled Eli Sanders for a 3-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 at the Tech 2-yard line, and on the next series Bradford sacked Hunter Dekkers on a fourth-and-goal from the 2.

"It was really just guys stepping up and not folding," Pierre said.

Iowa State outgained Tech 422 yards to 246, a season low by the Red Raiders. The Cyclones, came in leading the Big 12 in all major defensive categories, but Tech's timely stops made the difference.

"The goal this week was to outplay their defense," Bradford said. "And so with those opportunities to step up and make plays on fourth down and things like that, we just had to prove ourselves.

"We knew it was going to be a battle because they're supposedly the number-one ranked defense in this conference. I mean, they're talented and everything, but we've got guys that are some dogs on this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball."

Iowa State was in Tech territory on five series in the first half and came away with only a Drake Nettles field goal. The half ended with 6-foot-6 defensive end Myles Cole blocking another Nettles field-goal attempt, keeping Tech's lead at 7-3.

On Iowa State's first three possessions, the Cyclones reached the Tech 13 and missed a field goal, reached the 24 and punted and reached the 48 and punted. After ISU's first-and-10 at the Tech 24, Pierre and Marquis Waters combined on a tackle for loss, Krishon Merriweather and Jaylon Hutchings combined on a sack and Dekkers threw away a pass on third down before the punt.

Most of Tech's total offense in the first half came on its only scoring drive, for 14 plays and 96 yards. Smith capped it with a 1-yard run featuring a lot of misdirection.

Smith, in for the first time at that point, lined up behind Shough, who then shifted behind right guard and pointed toward the defense while calling out dummy signals. Smith took a direct snap, faked an end-around handoff to Myles Price, who was going right, and kept toward left tackle for the touchdown.

Price set up the TD, laying out for all he was worth to haul in a 28-yard reception to the Iowa State 4. Teeter took a shovel pass to the 1 on the play before the touchdown.

Running back SaRodorick Thompson got the Red Raiders off the goal line starting the drive with a 15-yard run out to the Tech 19 and converted two third downs on the march.

Quick hits

Tech tight end Mason Tharp and cornerback Malik Dunlap didn't travel for the game. McGuire said both got hurt in practice during the week. Though both should return to the field Sunday or Tuesday, McGuire said their inability to play at full speed, coupled with the Big 12 roster limit, meant taking more able bodies.

Adrian Frye and Kobee Minor rotated in Dunlap's usual cornerback spot. ...

Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald got his 34th career sack, tying the Big 12 record held for the past 20 years by former Tech defensive end Aaron Hunt. ...

Cyclones wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson finished with eight catches for 101 yards. Hutchinson has caught at least eight passes in every game this season. It was his 13th game with at least 100 yards, breaking a school record he'd shared with Allen Lazard, who played for ISU from 2014-17. ...

Red Raiders backup boundary linebacker Jacob Rodriguez suffered an injured left ankle in the first half and did not return. ...

With Tech sacks leader Tyree Wilson out with a foot injury, true freshman Joseph Adedire started in his place at field-side defensive end and shared time with Myles Cole. Redshirt freshman Isaac Smith spelled Jesiah Pierre at boundary end. Smith switched to No. 17 after wearing No. 59 since the beginning of his career. ....

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech football clinches bowl eligibility with win over Iowa State