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Receivers shine in Texas Tech football rout of WVU, Big 12 title game up next
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- Receivers shine in Texas Tech football rout of WVU, Big 12 title game up next
This story was updated to add post-game comments.
Texas Tech football wide receivers haven't been bad this season, but none have necessarily emerged as the go-to guy, and dropped passes have been an issue. Caleb Douglas and Coy Eakin went into the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 29, with only one 100-yard performance apiece, and Reggie Virgil with none.
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Behren Morton and the Red Raiders pass catchers, though, were the primary fuel source in a 49-0 rout of West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.
Tight end Terrance Carter Jr. made 10 catches, a career high, for 98 yards. Douglas caught five passes for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns. Eakin kept alive a first-half touchdown drive with a 14-yard catch on fourth down.
"I thought the quarterbacks and the receivers executed at a really high level," Tech coach Joey McGuire said. "The (offensive) line gave our guys enough time to get the ball out. Caleb Douglas made some big plays. Coy Eakin made some big plays."
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Tech (11-1, 8-1 in the Big 12) will play Brigham Young (11-1, 8-1) at 11 a.m. next Saturday, Dec. 6, in the Big 12 championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The matchup was set late Friday, following Arizona's victory over Arizona State. The Red Raiders beat the Cougars 29-7 on Nov. 8 at Jones AT&T Stadium.
West Virginia finished a rebuilding season under Rich Rodriguez at 4-8 and 2-7 in the Big 12, but the Mountaineers had played four close games in a row, sandwiching wins against Houston and Colorado between losses of 23-17 against TCU and 25-23 at Arizona State.
Nov 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Caleb Douglas (5) makes a catch and runs for extra yards during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Tech, however, put away the Mountaineers early, scoring touchdowns on four of its first five possessions. The latter two were Morton touchdown passes to Douglas. A 19-yarder made it 21-0 in the first quarter. The Red Raiders stretched it to 28-0 before halftime when Douglas went up along the right sideline in the end zone and made a juggling grab over a defender.
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Douglas' 127 receiving yards were the second most of his four-year career, split between Florida and Texas Tech. In addition to the touchdown, he caught a 43-yard pass in the second quarter and a 50-yarder in the third. The latter moved the Red Raiders into the red zone, and J'Koby Williams scored on a 9-yard run two plays later.
Nov 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders tight end Terrance Carter Jr. (7) makes a catch and is tackled by West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Ben Cutter (15) during the second quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Carter made all 10 of his catches in the first half. Among them were a 27-yarder that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jacob Rodriguez, followed by three in a row that converted third downs.
"We've been good on third down," McGuire said. "That's a big deal for us."
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Tech liberally substituted for most of the second half, and true freshman Lloyd Jones III threw TD passes of 15 and 30 yards to Micah Hudson. It was the first TD passes of Jones' career and the first TD catches of Hudson's.
Morton finished 25 of 32 for 310 yards and 3 TDs, playing only the first series after halftime.
The senior from Eastland has dealt with a right lower-leg injury since the season opener. In recent weeks, the Tech medical staff has kept Morton in an orthopedic boot, and his practice time has been limited.
Asked if he would throw the boot away, Morton said, "I'm trying to. Coach McGuire, I don't know if he'll let me yet. ... I felt good today."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Receivers shine in Texas Tech football rout of West Virginia
