Tahj Brooks carries load in 2OT Thriller

Saturday was a game changer-no-program changer for Texas Tech. I don’t want to harp on it too much, but those are games you lose under previous coaching staffs. But Joey McGuire & Co. found a way to win, a refreshing change for those of us that have almost gotten used to a losing brand of football over the past decade.

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At times, the offense looked shaky, the play-calling-at times-seemed what I’ll call conservative, but among the shakiness, stood Tahj Brooks. While the stat line may not jump off the page at 17 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD, but when Donovan Smith had a couple of down drives, Brooks was able to stabilize the offense and show true leadership.

Brooks’ TD came in the first OT, after a Trey Wolff 47-yd field goal with 0:03 left on the clock pushed the game to OT. The defense held strong in the second OT forcing Houston to settle for a field goal, then Tech drove from the Houston 25, and Donovan Smith iced the game with a 9-yd TD rush.

The game on Saturday was a tale of two halves and Tech needed 2OT to secure the victory, however, you could tell a difference in the team culture, the “brand”. This was a game that you can point to as a measuring stick for the culture change in Lubbock, and as far as I’m concerned, this staff aced the test.