Texas Tech Wears Down SMU
DALLAS (AP) — Baker Mayfield threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns while running for another score as Texas Tech beat SMU 41-23 on Friday night.
Mayfield, who completed 43 of 60 passes, made a nifty cut to avoid a defender on his 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter before throwing two TDs in the final 6 minutes — 3 yards to Jakeem Grant and 22 yards to Reginald Davis, who caught the pass near the line of scrimmage on the right side and ran across the field, breaking two tackles before scoring.
Mayfield certainly seemed at ease under the Friday night lights — just like the past two seasons as a starter at Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, while winning a state championship. The 43 completions were the most by a Texas Tech quarterback in his career start.
That is the same high school where SMU’s Garrett Gilbert won two state titles.
Gilbert, starting his second season as a graduate student at SMU, completed 41 of 62 passes for
388 yards. He scrambled 23 yards for a touchdown with 5 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, but the Mustangs didn’t get in the end zone again until Prescott Line’s 2-yard run with 1:05 left in the game.
Gilbert transferred to SMU from Texas, where he played in the BCS championship game as a freshman four seasons ago against Alabama when he took over for an injured Colt McCoy. He started all 12 games for the Longhorns in 2010 and got a medical redshirt after starting only two games in 2011 before a shoulder injury.
Both teams had 14-play opening drives that ended with field goals.
Mayfield was 7-of-9 passing for 46 yards on his first series, the last pass a drop by Davis near the 10 that would have been a first down. Mayfield was sacked on the next play before Ryan Bustin kicked a 43-yard field goal.
The Mustangs then got to the 10 before Chase Hover’s 27-yard field goal. Hover also had kicks of 34 and 51 yards before halftime, but was wide right on a 27-yard attempt to end the first drive of the third quarter. The third quarter miss came after a questionable holding call was called on SMU after the Mustangs connected on a touchdown reception.
After that short miss, Tech drove 80 yards in 13 plays with Mayfield throwing a 10-yard TD to Brad Marquez for a 20-9 lead.
SMU is back in action next Saturday, Sept. 7 when they host Montana State at Ford Stadium. Kickoff if slated for 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased online at smumustangs.com/tickets.
