Texas Tech Beat West Virginia 53-48 as Castellanos Throws Five Touchdowns in Lubbock Shootout

Texas Tech beat West Virginia 53-48 at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday night, November 7, 2026, in a game that changed leads in the second half and came down to a safety in the final minutes. Thomas Castellanos passed for 362 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another 102 yards for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders improved to 8-1 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12. West Virginia fell to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12. The two teams combined for 1,220 yards of offense, 638 for Texas Tech and 582 for West Virginia.

Texas Tech lead 41-27 at halftime

Texas Tech led 41-27 at halftime. The teams combined for 892 yards of offense in the first half, 494 from Texas Tech and 398 from West Virginia. J'Koby Williams gave Texas Tech a 14-10 lead with 4:26 left in the first quarter on a 75-yard touchdown run, the longest run of his career. The junior from Beckville finished with 160 rushing yards, and Texas Tech ran for 276 yards as a team. Castellanos threw touchdown passes through the first half as Texas Tech built the 14-point lead, but West Virginia kept scoring as well, and the 27 points at the break kept the Mountaineers in the game.

West Virginia score 21 straight points in the third quarter

West Virginia scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter and took the lead. Cam Cook tied the game 41-41 on a 2-yard touchdown run with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The drive was set up by a 75-yard reception by TaRon Francis, who was stopped at the Texas Tech 4. West Virginia scored again and led 48-41 with 1:12 left in the third quarter. Michael Hawkins Jr. finished with 303 passing yards and 88 rushing yards and accounted for four touchdowns for West Virginia. Texas Tech, which had led by 14 at halftime, went into the fourth quarter trailing by seven.

Field goal, go-ahead touchdown and a safety finish it

Stone Harrington kicked a 46-yard field goal with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter to cut the West Virginia lead to 48-44. Castellanos then hit Kenny Johnson for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:44 left, after a fourth-down conversion catch by Micah Hudson kept the drive alive. Texas Tech led 51-48. Trey White sacked Hawkins on fourth down in the closing minutes to force a turnover on downs and give Texas Tech the ball at the West Virginia 14. Texas Tech was then stopped on downs at the West Virginia 4. On the first play after that stop, White sacked Hawkins in the end zone for a safety. The safety made it 53-48, and Texas Tech ran out the clock after the ensuing kickoff.

What the numbers say

Castellanos accounted for 464 total yards on his own, 362 passing and 102 rushing, with five touchdown passes. Williams added 160 rushing yards and the 75-yard touchdown run. Hawkins matched much of that production for West Virginia with 391 total yards and four touchdowns. The difference was the finish. West Virginia scored 21 points in the third quarter and none in the fourth. Texas Tech scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, a field goal, a touchdown and a safety, and its defense recorded the two stops in the final minutes that ended the game.