Texas Tech vs. Texas: Game Grades, Analysis for Red Raiders and Longhorns

Behind some big performances from its seniors, Texas Tech held off the Texas Longhorns in Austin by a 48-45 score on Thanksgiving.

DeAndre Washington led the way for the Red Raiders, running for 173 yards and two touchdowns. With him doing steady damage, receiver Jakeem Grant broke the Longhorns' back for 147 offensive yards and two touchdowns on just four touches.

Still, Texas showed some fight in the form of running back Chris Warren. On a night when five starters succumbed to injury, the freshman brought the Horns back almost single-handedly, setting freshman records with 276 rushing yards and four touchdowns. 

In the end, the Texas defense just couldn't stop Kliff Kingsbury's Red Raiders. 

Positional Unit	1st Half	Final
Passing Offense	B	B
Rushing Offense	A	A
Passing Defense	A	A
Rushing Defense	D	F
Special Teams	A	C
Coaching	B	B+

Grade Analysis for the Red Raiders

Passing Offense

Patrick Mahomes has had better games. We saw some of his usual magic on the scramble drill, but he definitely felt the heat at times and airmailed a few throws. The sophomore finished with one interception, and was bailed out on a miraculous play by Grant on his 65-yard touchdown.

Rushing Offense

Washington ran all over a depleted Texas front, seeming to find the big run every time Tech needed it. Mahomes deserves more credit for what he does as a dual-threat. Jakeem Grant crushed the Longhorns with his 40-yard sprint out of the fake kneel.

Passing Defense

Texas got 64 yards on 23 dropbacks, but that's mostly a product of one of the nation's worst aerial attacks. There were receivers running free and the Horns couldn't hit them. Nigel Bethel made a tremendous play on his first-half interception.

Rushing Defense

Texas ran for 406 yards and six touchdowns. The Red Raiders knew what was coming, and they were hopeless to stop it. Some better play-calling from Texas, and the run defense costs the Red Raiders a huge road win.

Special Teams

Clayton Hatfield connected on both of his field-goal attempts, including a 51-yarder. Kickoff and punt return yardage was awful in the second half.

Coaching

The Red Raiders are still a nightmare on defense, but Kliff Kingsbury's offense got it done. His call on the fake kneel basically destroyed Texas' chances at a comeback.

What matters is that the third-year coach got it done against an in-state rival on national television. That will give him something to build on while he makes the recruiting rounds over the next few months.

Positional Unit	1st Half	Final
Passing Offense	F	F
Rushing Offense	A	A+
Passing Defense	B	C
Rushing Defense	C	D
Special Teams	B	A
Coaching	B	C-

Grade Analysis for the Longhorns

Passing Offense

Texas got 64 yards and an interception on 23 dropbacks. The receivers dropped everything Jerrod Heard gave them, and Tyrone Swoopes couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. There were plays to be made, but the Horns don't have the personnel to turn those opportunities into yardage.

Rushing Offense

Warren set a freshman record with his performance on the ground, and his 276 rushing are the sixth-most in school history. His four touchdowns covered 143 of those yards, including a ridiculous 91-yarder. At 6'2", 232 pounds, he has an incredibly bright future in Texas' backfield.

When Warren was tired of bullying people, Swoopes took over and churned out 98 yards with two scores. This running game has a chance to enter elite territory in the near future.

Passing Defense

The Horns got decent pressure on Mahomes, forcing several errant throws. Dylan Haines picked one of those off, and Holton Hill got the worst of breaks when his would-be pick got popped loose right into Grant's hands.

Overall, coverage was fine, but it was way too easy for the Red Raiders to pick up big yardage after the catch.

Rushing Defense

It was a brutal night for the run defense. A lot of this can be chalked up to Malik Jefferson, Peter Jinkens, Hassan Ridgeway and Poona Ford all going down along the front seven. All four of those guys could be counted among the Horns' best defensive players, and Texas doesn't have great depth behind them.

Without them, the whole defense fell apart.

Special Teams

Daje Johnson had a great night in the return game, getting 194 yards on kickoffs and punts. Michael Dickson was solid punting the ball, and Nick Rose connected on his one field-goal attempt.

Coaching

You can't blame Charlie Strong for injuries. Texas lost five starters in this game, and the four it lost on defense torpedoed a group that wasn't giving up much to the Red Raiders early on. Had the injury bug not hit so hard, you have to think the outcome would have been different.

Once again, it's very clear that Jay Norvell needs to be relieved of his play-calling duties at the end of the year. He asked Swoopes to throw far too much against the nation's worst run defense, including a baffling shot downfield on a crucial 4th-and-7. Strong's future depends on making a good, if not great, hire at this spot during the offseason.