Lamar Cardinals vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Match Player Stats On Sep 08, 2018

Bruised pride is a powerful motivator. The Texas Tech defense is proof positive of that.

The Red Raiders stifled Lamar from the get-go Saturday on the way to a 77-0 victory at Jones Stadium with a defense that came into the season regarded as the team's strength.

While the Texas Tech defense made life miserable for Lamar, the Raiders' offense rattled and hummed most of the day, with a balanced attack and two young quarterbacks leading the charge.

Making his first career start, freshman Alan Bowman connected on 22 of 25 passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns in one half of action as Texas Tech (1-1) roared to a 42-0 lead by halftime. Sophomore Jett Duffey took over in the second half and guided the Raiders to four touchdowns, starting with his own 11-yard keeper on a zone read play.

Texas Tech piled up 683 total yards, 419 through the air and 264 on the ground. DeMarcus Felton, Ta'Zhawn Henry and Sarodorick Thompson finished with a pair of rushing scores apiece.

The Red Raiders' special teams chimed in as well. De'Quan Bowman's 49-yard punt return set up the second touchdown of the opening quarter to help open the flood gates.

The story of the day was Texas Tech's defense, though.

A week after getting peppered for 546 yards in a lopsided loss to Ole Miss in the season opener, a veteran defense showed why and how it earned a solid preseason reputation. The Raiders swarmed the Cardinals all day and wound up with a pair of sacks, 11 quarterback hurries and four turnovers (three interceptions) after collecting only one against Ole Miss.

The Cardinals (1-1) never got comfortable on offense, with the Red Raiders particularly suffocating in the first half when they permitted only 70 yards on 38 snaps covering seven full possessions. Lamar punted nine of the first 10 times it had the ball, with the other series ending at halftime. Texas Tech limited Lamar to 182 total yards on 74 snaps.

Bright spots were few and far between for Lamar. Defensive back Davon Jernigan paced the Cardinals with nine tackles (seven solo).

Texas Tech's scoring output was its most since an 80-21 romp over Sam Houston State in 2005, and the shutout was the Raiders' first since they blanked Southeastern Louisiana 62-0 in 2006.

--Field Level Media