The recipe was made loud and clear as far as what Texas Tech intended to do Saturday against Houston. The Red Raiders were going to run the ball often, and they found success doing so. Tahj Brooks continued his hot streak against the Cougars, garnering his third straight game with 100 or more yards on the ground. Brooks had the ingredients to the recipe, and he cooked it up to perfection.

“I didn’t feel no stress or anything, no pressure,” Brooks said following Tech’s 49-28 victory over Houston. “It was just me doing my job. Just me being that guy to take that stress off Behren (Morton) and the rest of the team, just moving those yards and keep moving forward… being that one person for the team.”

It was a stark difference from the offenses that Tech faithful are used to seeing, especially on the day where the late Air Raid mastermind Mike Leach was honored. It was a purposeful attack on offense, which functioned so effectively due to Brooks’ sheer determination when he carried the rock. The decision to run Brooks 22 times was also a necessity when considering the health of the Red Raiders’ quarterback Behren Morton.

The sophomore from Eastland made his first start of the season, replacing an injured Tyler Shough. Morton was not without his own ailments, however, and his first pass of the week did not come until warmups Saturday afternoon. Morton suffered a shoulder injury against West Virginia, which lingered throughout the game into this week. It was a different kind of preparation for Morton, but at the end of the day he and the team were able to execute.

“Right, yeah it really goes back to your rhythm part of the game,” Morton said. “I think coach (Zach) Kittley and all the other offensive coaches, they really helped me out this week and just understand the way Houston plays and a lot of different stuff… We knew going into this week it was going to be a lot of mental stuff, we knew it was going to be a lot of treatment.

“We did a good job with our game plan, we did a good job with everything we had going into this weekend. There was never a hesitation in my mind that this was going to be a different week. It’s another week and another Big 12 game for us.”

Morton’s hurt shoulder changed the complexion of the game from a preview standpoint, but the offense stayed afloat thanks to a heaping dose of the run game. Brooks rushed for 106 yards and a pair of scores. Cam’Ron Valdez, finally fully healthy, left his mark with 106 of his own yards on only five carries. It was a long time coming for Valdez and Brooks shared his admiration for his younger counterpart.

“I was happy for him, glad he made the play,” Brooks said, in reference to Valdez’s 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. “In this game, especially in the running back room, we all excited for each other, especially when we score a touchdown. That was maybe his first touchdown here. It was a fun time and our little handshake at the end just summed it up. He’s a great guy, he’s a hard worker, he learns the playbook. He’s ready to put that on display.”

The Red Raiders found themselves with victory No. 1 on their Big 12 slate. It is a quick turnaround for the Red Raiders, though, with a road trip to Baylor up next on the schedule.

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