LUBBOCK, Texas-- No. 13-ranked Texas Tech rebounded from its first loss of the season to beat No. 22 Arizona, 34-26, at Galaxy Stadium thanks to 328 team rushing yards.
The Red Raiders extended their home winning streak to 13 games, matching the program record, as new starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos posted 261 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns, and running back J'Koby Williams recorded his second career-high rushing performance in the last three games.
Castellanos, receiving extended snaps for the first time this season in place of Will Hammond, was 11-of-24 through the air for 144 passing yards and two touchdowns. He added a score on the ground to go with 117 rushing yards.
Williams' 64-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter put the nail in the coffin, completing his day with 175 rushing yards.
The ground attack established Texas Tech's first game with two rushers over 100 yards since 2023.
Texas Tech improves to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in Big 12 play. Arizona drops to 6-2 (3-2 Big 12), ending a five-game winning streak.
FINAL - Texas Tech 34, Arizona 26
2:41 p.m. - Texas Tech recovers the onside kick.
2:36 p.m. - Arizona tacks on a 22-yard field goal with 25 seconds to go in the game. Texas Tech leads 34-26.
2:21 p.m. - J'Koby Williams' 64-yard touchdown run puts the Red Raiders up 34-23.Williams joins Castellanos with over 100 yards on the ground.
2:17 p.m. - AJ Holmes gets home for his 6.5 sack of the season to force a fourth-down punt. Texas Tech takes over leading by four with 2:58 remaining.
2:12 p.m. - A false start on third down led to an incompletion as Texas Tech punted back to Arizona with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter.
2:05 p.m. - Arizona committed a holding penalty before Fifita's pass was incomplete. Red Raiders get off the field by forcing a 3-and-out after the turnover.
2:02 p.m. - Wildcats aren't out of it. Texas Tech running back Cam Dickey fumbles and the defense recovers. New life for Arizona from the Red Raiders' 43-yard line.
1:54 p.m. - Fifita converted another pressure-packed third down, and a Tech roughing penalty was tacked onto the end of the gain. The Red Raiders answered by forcing an incompletion on 4th-and-2 from their own 18-yard line. Texas Tech gets it back with 9 minutes to play.
1:48 p.m. - Stone Harrington connects from 42 yards away to put Texas Tech up 27-23.
1:42 p.m. - End of 3rd Quarter: Texas Tech 24, Arizona 23
1:35 p.m. - Arizona wide receiver R.J. Mosley was carted off the field after a gruesome left leg injury. He was tackled on third down as the Red Raiders stopped an Arizona offense that had found the end zone on its last three full drives.
The punt return was brought back for a touchdown, but a Texas Tech holding wiped away the touchdown.
1:27 p.m. - Williams picked up 27 yards on the ground, then on 4th-and-3, Castellanos completed to Kenny Johnson for a 27-yard touchdown. The extra point gives Texas Tech a 24-23 lead.
1:18 p.m. - Fifita threaded a needle to Mizell for a gain of 35 yards on 3rd-and-4. The Wildcats punched in a 1-yard touchdown, but the point-after try was blocked. Arizona leads 23-17.
1:03 p.m. - Texas Tech got explosive running back J'Koby Williams involved for the first time in a while. Arizona committed an illegal hands-to-face penalty ... but Tech gives the 15 yards right back on an unnecessary roughness flag moments later. Castellanos takes a 8-yard run into the end zone to tie the game at 17 all.
12:38 p.m. - Halftime: Arizona 17, Texas Tech 10
12:36 p.m. - Castellanos scampers for runs of 24 and 25 yards to get the Red Raiders inside the red zone for the first time today. Tech settles for a 29-yard field goal. Arizona still leads 17-10.
12:25 p.m. - Arizona's long series continued as a late flag flew in for defensive pass interference on fourth down. The Tech penalty set up the Wildcats for a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Kedrick Reescano. Arizona takes a 17-7 lead with under two minutes left in the first half.
12:11 p.m. - Castellanos rushed for a short gain, then was incomplete to two tightly-covered receivers downfield. Arizona takes over after another Texas Tech punt.
12:03 p.m. - Fifita extended a third-down pressure and completed a long pass to Isaiah Mizell, who broke free down the sideline for a 94-yard touchdown. Arizona takes a 10-7 lead.
11:58 a.m. - Texas Tech's solid drive is pushed back by a chop block. Instead of being on the edge of field goal range, the Red Raiders are forced to punt with 11:38 to go in the second quarter.
11:53 a.m. - Texas Tech benefits from another third-down false start. Arizona's offense continues to lag, and punts back to the Red Raiders.
11:46 a.m. - End of 1st Quarter: Texas Tech 7, Arizona 3
11:40 a.m. - Now the Wildcats turn it over on downs. Fifita's hurl to the sideline was caught and pushed out of bounds, but receiver Brandon Phelps came down short of the line to gain.
11:35 a.m. - Texas Tech is stopped on fourth down. Running backs Cam Dickey and Quinten Joyner are stopped on carries up the middle. Red Raiders' defense will need to step up again, but this time with the Wildcats in more favorable field position.
11:30 a.m. - Arizona commits a false start, and Fifita is sacked for a second time. The Wildcats' punt gives it back to Texas Tech from their own 41-yard line.
11:23 a.m. - Castellanos drops it into the bucket for tight end Terrance Carter Jr. The 24-yard touchdown puts Texas Tech ahead 7-3. An excellent opening drive for the new quarterback in his first extended series of the season.
11:21 a.m. - Castellanos picked up a pair of third downs and a fourth down into Arizona territory, twice converting with his legs.
11:12 a.m. - Fifita converts a 3rd-and-3 with a 55-yard completion to Giovanni Richardson. In the red zone, Texas Tech gets a sack by Trey White to force a field goal. Arizona takes a 3-0 lead.
11:05 a.m. - Texas Tech wins the toss and defers to the second half. Noah Fifita and Arizona's explosive offense gets the ball first.
PREGAME: Tech backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos has been announced as the starter, replacing Will Hammond.
Last week, Castellanos did not get a single snap of playing time.
"That was a total failure by my part of not, at some point, putting him in the game and seeing what he could do," Tech coach Joey McGuire said after the loss to Cincinnati.
Through seven games, Castellanos has appeared in five. Most of his snaps have come in low red zone situations where he becomes a threat as a rusher in addition to a passer.
McGuire pointed to the idea of forcing Arizona to contain Castellanos' dual-threat ability in explaining the move pregame.
This season, Castellanos is 3/5 through the air for 45 yards with two passing touchdowns and one interception - which came on the Red Raiders' first play from scrimmage against Houston in Week 3. He also has 15 rushes for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
