Red Raiders roll, 49-14

LUBBOCK, Texas – The matchup between Texas Tech and No. 5 West Virginia featured a quarterback who put up cartoonish numbers, throwing for six touchdowns and 499 yards.

And that quarterback’s name was Seth Doege.

Doege led Texas Tech’s offense while the Red Raiders’ defense shut down Heisman Trophy hopeful Geno Smith, upsetting the Mountaineers, 49-14, on Saturday.

Fans of the Red Raiders stormed the field after the win, Texas Tech’s most lopsided victory over a team ranked in the top five.

Smith completed 29 of 55 passes for 275 yards but couldn’t get the ball in the end zone.

The Red Raiders had no such trouble.

“When you don’t have a pass rush it’s a lot easier to make your reads,” said Doege, who threw TD passes of 39, 19, 16, 2, 29 and 7 yards. He completed 32 of 42 passes and the six touchdowns matched his career-high. Darrin Moore caught three TD passes, which tied his career-high.

Texas Tech (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) had 18 plays of 15 yards or more, including a 61-yard pass to Jace Amaro and a 53-yard touchdown run by SaDale Foster. Amaro had five receptions for 156 yards.

The Mountaineers (5-1, 2-1) last week converted all five fourth-down tries in their 48-45 win at Texas, but against the Red Raiders they made just one of six.

“Those guys did a great job of just attacking us,” Smith said. “They attacked us the entire game.”

Doege had one interception, an improvement over the five he’d thrown in the previous two games.

“He came out and played loose and he was on point today,” Texas Tech offensive coordinator Neal Brown said.

The win for Texas Tech was the second over a top 10 team in as many seasons. The Red Raiders beat then-No. 3 Oklahoma, 41-38, to break the Sooners’ 39-game home win streak in Norman, Okla., last season.

In seven first-half possessions the Red Raiders scored five touchdowns. Texas Tech wasn’t as efficient in the second half but by then the game was at a point it didn’t matter.

Doege said his protection was key.

“It’s huge for a quarterback to sit back there,” Doege said. “We had a lot of opportunities to get the ball downfield, and if they play the way they played today, it’s just going to continue and we’re going to make plays. We have so many weapons that we can expose at any time.”

Known as a passer, Doege even ran for a first down on fourth-and-3 near the end of a drive that led to a 14-0 lead for the Red Raiders.

“I about fell out when he ran the ball, and he made a couple of first downs,” Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. “He’s hard-nosed.”

The Mountaineers fell short of their scoring average (52) by 38 points and were held to one touchdown in the second half.