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Just like last week, the Red Raiders came out hot. They didn't quite put up the 42 first half points of last week but I'll take 38 points too. Texas Tech didn't let up in the second half either. This week they finished off the game racking up 31 more points and put up 69 total points for the game.
Overall Grade: A+
Any time an offense can put up 69 points there's a very good chance they're going to win. The Red Raiders had 445 yards through the air and piled on 229 yards on the ground. The offensive line looked great again and the receiving group tidied up some of their drops from last week.
Quarterback Grade: A
Patrick Mahomes looks like a seasoned veteran so far. He has great pocket awareness and what I really like is his ability to extend the play. Even when he does scramble outside of the pocket his eyes are down field looking for an open receiver. Mahomes threw for 4 more touchdowns this week and had zero interceptions. He threw for 361 yards and ran for 23 yards while also adding 2 rushing TDs. The only reason I didn't give the QB grade an A+ here is because Mahomes completed 54.5% of his passes. You'd ideally like to see that a little higher. Davis Webb got some playing time again, completing 5 of 9 for 84 yards. It's nice to see him get to play. If Mahomes goes down, we have one of the best backups out there.
Running Back Grade: A+
Last week the run game wasn't a big factor in the win for Texas Tech, but this week it looked great. As a team, the Red Raiders rushed for 229 yards and averaged 7.6 yards a carry. DeAndre Washington had 12 carries for 138 yards, that's an average of 11.5 yards a carry. He even busted a 51-yarder for a TD. Justin Stockton also had a better showing, he ran the ball 6 times for 37 yards. If the Red Raiders run game can resemble something close to this performance each week then things are looking very good down the line.
Wide Receiver Grade: A
This week the wily veteran Jakeem Grant led the way for the receiving core. Grant hauled in 7 catches for 141 yards which is a nice 20.1 yards per catch. He started the game off with a 60 yard TD that set the tempo of the game. Reginald Davis stepped up against UTEP. He was second on the team with 3 catches and 72 yards while also adding on a TD of his own. The receivers as a group did well but did still have some drops, just not as many as last week.
Offensive Line Grade: A+
Last week I gave the offensive line a grading of an A, and the only reason it wasn't an A+ is because the run game didn't really do anything. This week the hogs up front earned a well deserved A+ grade. They once again didn't give up a sack and paved the way for a very impressive 69 point game. These guys are what allow our offensive to perform at such a high level. This coming Saturday against Arkansas will be the o-line's first real test of the season.