Texas Tech came right out of the gate with a bit of an unexpected game plan by attacking the strength of the Mississippi State defense. The Bulldogs were ranked 10th in the nation against the run coming into tonight’s matchup, but the Red Raiders established early on that they were still planning on running the football all the same. Texas Tech opened the game with a four-yard pass to Travis Koontz, but an illegal formation would bring it back to a first-and-15 from the TTU 20-yardline. The Red Raiders would run the ball on the next eight plays to cover the remaining 80 yards and capped off the drive with a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Tahj Brooks, giving Texas Tech the early, 7-0, lead. SaRodorick Thompson had 43 yards rushing on the opening drive, and Brooks added another 37 yards on the ground. The Red Raider running game set the tempo early and the momentum they created helped spark the offense in this contest.

The Red Raiders were able to add six points on two Jonathan Garibay field goals to take a, 13-7, lead to the half. Donovan Smith was 7-of-16 with 60 yards through the air in the first half, but that didn’t deter the redshirt freshman quarterback from taking his looks downfield in the passing game. On Texas Tech’s second drive of the second half, Smith would shake off his rough start and lead the team on a 4 play, 95-yard scoring drive. Smith connected with Koontz for a 39-yard pass and catch and two plays later would connect with Jerand Bradley on a 52-yard pass that would get the Red Raider offense down to the MSU 1-yardline. Smith would carry it in from there on a one-yard quarterback draw for the touchdown, giving Texas Tech a, 20-7, lead with 9:03 remaining in the third quarter.

Down 13 points midway through the third quarter, it felt like now or never for Mississippi State to get something going on offense to make the Liberty Bowl a competitive matchup. After starting the drive on their own 34-yardline, the Bulldogs would move the ball 56 yards to get inside the redzone. On third-and-five from the TTU 20-yardline, Tyree Wilson would get to Will Rogers for the sack, losing 11-yards on the play. In classic Mike Leach fashion, Mississippi State would attempt to go for it on fourth-and-16, but Wilson couldn’t be stopped at this point and was able to bring down Rogers again for a loss of nine and turnover on downs. This was the second time this season that Wilson was able to sack the quarterback on back-to-back plays on third and fourth down at a critical juncture in the football game.

After taking over on downs following the pair of sacks by Wilson, Smith would march the Tech offense right back down the field. The Red Raiders would put together a 9 play, 60-yard scoring drive that would essentially put away the Bulldogs. Smith was 3-of-3 passing for 32 yards on the drive and added a 17-yard run that would set Texas Tech up in the redzone. On third-and-nine, Smith would complete a 14-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Sparkman in the back of the endzone, capping off the drive and giving the Red Raiders a, 27-7, lead with just two seconds remaining in the third quarter. Texas Tech would dominate the fourth quarter as well, and the offense would put together one final 8 play, 85-yard scoring drive with Thompson adding the final nail in the coffin on a one-yard touchdown run. The fourth quarter score would give Texas Tech a, 34-7, victory over Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl.