2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team The 2010 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team was coached by first - year head coach Tommy Tuberville and played its home games at Jones AT & T Stadium . They were members of the South Division of the Big 12 Conference . They finished the season 8 – 5 , 3 – 5 in Big 12 play and were invited to the inaugural TicketCity Bowl where they defeated Northwestern 45 – 38 . Pre - season . Coaching changes . On December 28 , 2009 , head coach Mike Leach was suspended by Texas Tech University pending investigation of alleged inappropriate treatment of Adam James , a redshirt sophomore wide receiver , and the son of former SMU Mustangs and New England Patriots running back Craig James . The suspension came after allegations that Leach treated Adam James unfairly following a mild concussion . Leach was terminated by the university on December 30 , 2009 . Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill was named interim head coach and led the team during their appearance in the 2010 Alamo Bowl . On January 9 , 2010 , Tommy Tuberville was named head coach , replacing interim head coach Ruffin McNeill . Tuberville was introduced at a press conference on Sunday , January 10 , 2010 . Inside receivers coach Lincoln Riley , running backs coach Clay McGuire , cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and special teams coordinator Eric Russell were released from the coaching staff . Safeties coach Carlos Mainord retired after six seasons with the program . Offensive graduate assistant Sonny Cumbie and offensive line coach Matt Moore were the only coaches to remain with on staff after Tuberville was hired . Moore remained in the same position while Cumbie replaced Lincoln Riley as inside receivers coach . Neal Brown was hired as offensive coordinator after four seasons with the Troy Trojans , after two seasons in the same position . James Willis , former assistant to Tuberville at Auburn , was hired as defensive coordinator . Willis previously served as associate head coach and outside linebackers coach with the Alabama Crimson Tide for the 2009 season . Game notes . SMU . This game marked the 48th meeting of the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the SMU Mustangs . This was their first match - up since September 13 , 2008 , when Texas Tech defeated SMU with a final score of 43 – 7 at Jones AT & T Stadium . Going into the game , the Red Raiders led the all - time series against the Mustangs with a record of 31 – 16 . The SMU Mustangs won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick off . Donnie Carona kicked the opening kick off , a 70 yard touchback , for the Red Raiders . The Mustangs opening drive proved to be unfruitful and ended in a punt . The Red Raiders opening drive was equally as unproductive ending with a field goal by Matt Williams being blocked . Texas Tech ' s first score of the game came in their third drive after the Red Raiders recovered a fumbled punt . Following four rushing plays , Taylor Potts completed a touchdown pass to Lyle Leong for 2 yards . Matt Williams successfully converted the PAT , bringing the score to 7 – 0 . Neither team would score any more points in the first quarter . The Red Raiders would be the first to score in the second quarter with a 6 yard Taylor Potts pass to Detron Lewis for a touchdown . Matt Williams kicked the extra point and brought the score to 14 – 0 . The Mustangs would be the next to score , five drives later , by way of a 2 yard rush by Zach Line for a touchdown , their first of the game . Matt Szymanski followed up with a successful extra point kick for a score of 14 – 7 . The Red Raiders answered the Mustangs score with a touchdown of their own on the next drive when Taylor Potts once again found Detron Lewis in the end zone for a 16 yard touchdown pass . Matt Williams extra point attempt was good ending the last drive of the half . Texas Tech led at the half with a score of 21 – 7 . Following halftime , the Red Raiders received the opening kick - off of the second half . Their opening drive of the half consisted of six plays , and ended with a 4 yard touchdown pass by Taylor Potts to Lyle Leong . Matt Williams ' extra point attempt was good bring the score to 28 – 7 . The Mustangs would be the next to score on the very next drive with a 17 yard pass by Kyle Padron to Cole Beasley and an PAT by Matt Szymanski for a score of 28 – 14 . After a D . J . Johnson interception on the Mustangs next drive , the Red Raiders would march down the field on their third drive of the half for another touchdown . This touchdown was courtesy of a 3 yard rush by Eric Stephens , with an extra point by Matt Williams for a score of 35 – 14 . The final scoring drive of the third quarter would end with a 24 yard Mustangs field goal by Matt Szymanski . The final score at the end of the third quarter was 35 – 17 . The Mustangs would be the only team to score in the fourth quarter . Their first score came on their first drive with a SMU school record 61 yard field goal by Matt Szymanski . Their next score , and the last of the game , would come two drives later with a 13 yard touchdown pass by Kyle Padron to Cole Beasley and an extra point by Matt Szymanski . The final score at the end of the game was 35 – 27 . The Red Raiders rushed for a total of 72 yards and passed for 359 yards in 34 completed passes . The Red Raiders only had 1 turnover by way of a fumble during a failed 4th down quarterback dive in the 4th quarter . The Mustangs rushed for a total of 109 yards and passed for 218 yards in 21 completed passes . In contrast to the Red Raiders , the Mustangs had 4 turnovers , 3 of which were interceptions . New Mexico . The Red Raiders first 2010 road game was against the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque . This game was the 42nd meeting of the two teams , with Texas Tech leading the series with an all - time record of 33 – 6 – 2 going in . Texas Tech defeated New Mexico in the 2009 season with a final score of 48 – 28 . Texas Tech won the coin toss and elected to receive the kick off . The Red Raiders first drive ended in 4 plays with a 55 yard touchdown pass by Taylor Potts to Austin Zouzalik . Matt Williams kicked the extra point kick to bring the score to 7 – 0 with 14 : 15 left in the first quarter . New Mexico ' s first drive lasted 9 plays and ended in blocked punt by which gave the Red Raiders the ball on the Lobos 3 yard line . The Red Raiders capitalized on the blocked punt on the next play with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by Eric Stephens and a successful extra point by Matt Williams for a score of 14 – 0 . New Mexico ' s next possession ended with successful 28 yard field goal , for a score of 14 – 3 . New Mexico ' s kickoff was returned 93 yards to the New Mexico 7 yard line by Eric Stephens . The Red Raiders scored two plays later with a Barron Batch rushing touchdown for 2 yards . The Matt Williams extra point brought the score to 21 – 3 . Neither team would score on their remaining drives in the first quarter . The Red Raiders first drive of the 2nd quarter ended in a Barron Batch fumble in the Lobos ' end zone . New Mexico recovered the fumble and returned it to their 7 yard line . The Lobos would be unable to capitalize on the turnover and punted the ball away 5 plays later . The next drive ended with a Red Raider field goal by Matt Williams for a score of 24 – 3 . The Lobos first touchdown of the game came on the next drive with a B . R . Holbrook touchdown pass to Lucas Reed . James Aho kicked the extra point for the Lobos and brought the score to 24 – 10 . The Red Raiders answered the Lobos ' touchdown with one of their own on their next possession . This touchdown came way by a 25 yard Taylor Potts pass to Lyle Leong with a Matt Williams extra point for a score of 31 – 10 . The Lobos scored the final score of the half after Chris Hernandez recovered his own team ' s fumble for a touchdown . James Aho kicked the extra point and brought the final score at the half to 31 – 17 . The Lobos received the opening kick of the 2nd half . The Lobos first drive of the third quarter ended with a blocked punt by Jonathan Brydon of the Red Raiders , placing the ball on New Mexico ' s 1 yard for Texas Tech ' s first drive . The Red Raiders were able to capitalize on the turn over with a Baron Batch touchdown rush for 1 yard . Matt Williams successfully point after attempt would be the last score by either team in the 3rd quarter . The final score at the end of the 3rd quarter was 38 – 17 . The Red Raiders would be the only team to score in the 4th quarter . Their first score would come during their first possession of the quarter when Tyler Potts completed at 11 yard touchdown pass to Lyle Leong . Matt Williams kicked the extra point to bring the score to 45 – 17 . The final score by either team came after a B . R . Holbrook pass was intercepted by Jarvis Phillips of the Red Raiders on the New Mexico 40 yard line . Phillips returned the ball 27 yards to the New Mexico 13 yard line setting the Red Raiders up for a 10 yard rushing touchdown by Steven Sheffield two plays later . Matt Williams extra point was the last score of the game , bringing the final score to 52 – 17 . The Red Raiders passed for a total of 310 yards , with Potts completing 24 of his 41 passes and Sheffield 2 of his 7 passes . Texas Tech led in rushing for a total of 152 yards . The Lobos passed for a total of 336 yards and rushed for 97 yards . New Mexico had a total of 3 turnovers , 2 interceptions and a fumble , and 2 blocked punts , in contrast to Texas Tech ' s 2 fumbles . Texas . For the first time since the Texas Tech upset over Texas in the 2008 season the Longhorns returned to Jones AT & T Stadium for an evening game . This game marked the 60th meeting of the two teams , and the Longhorns led the overall series with a record of 44 – 15 going into the game . At their last meeting in 2009 , the Longhorns defeated the Red Raiders with a final score of 34 - 24 . This game also marked the first sell out at the Jones AT & T Stadium since the recent expansion was completed , and a new attendance record of 60 , 454 was set . Tech got off to a rocky start , with the first snap of the game going over the head of quarterback Taylor Potts . The ball was recovered by the Longhorns ' Jackson Jeffcoat at Tech ' s 7 - yard - line , and the Horns quickly scored for an early 7 - 0 lead . The Texas lead grew to 14 - 0 and the Longhorns were threatening again when Tech ' s Jarvis Phillips intercepted a Garrett Gilbert pass and returning it 87 yards for a touchdown . Tech tied up the game at 14 - 14 before halftime as Potts connected with his former high school teammate , Lyle Leong , on a fade route in the corner of the end zone for a 15 - yard touchdown . The score was 17 - 14 in the third quarter when the Longhorns began a 22 - play , 9 - minute drive for a touchdown . The touchdown drive was aided by a controversial 15 - yard taunting penalty against Tech ' s Will Ford after an incomplete Longhorn pass on 3rd down and 13 at Tech ' s 27 - yard line . Tech ' s offense was held to 144 total yards in the loss . Potts threw for only 158 yards , and the Longhorns held Tech to minus - 14 yards rushing . Iowa State . The Texas Tech Red Raiders faced the Iowa State Cyclones at the Jack Trice Stadium in Ames , Iowa for their second road game of the season . This game marked only the ninth time the two teams have met and the start of an annual conference series . The Red Raiders dominated the overall series heading into this matchup with a record of 7 – 1 . However , the Red Raiders fell 52 – 38 to Iowa State marking their first loss to the Cyclones since 2002 . Turnovers played a big role in this meeting as Texas Tech had three ( two fumbles , one interception ) while the Cyclones had none . A poor first half also contributed to the Red Raider loss . Baylor . The Red Raiders and Bears faced off in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas , with the Red Raiders hoping to bounce back from their road loss at Iowa State . Tech was considered the " home " team in the second neutral - site game between the two teams ; the 2009 Tech - Baylor game had been played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington . The Bears got on the board first , taking the opening kickoff and marching 82 yards before scoring on Robert Griffin ' s 1 - yard run . Tech responded with a 9 - play , 80 - yard drive , knotting the score at 7 - 7 on a 10 - yard run by Eric Stephens . Then came a special teams disaster for Tech as the Red Raiders attempted an on - side kick . However , the ball failed to travel 10 yards , and Baylor ' s Terrance Ganaway scooped up the ball and ran past the Tech kickoff team for an easy 38 - yard touchdown and a 14 - 7 lead . Tech came back again , however , with a touchdown pass from Taylor Potts to Alexander Torres to tie the score again . Baylor took the lead again early in the second quarter on a Griffin TD pass to Josh Gordon , who had been arrested for marijuana possession earlier in the week after being found asleep in the drive - through lane at a Taco Bell in Waco . Trailing 21 - 14 , the Red Raiders responded with three straight touchdowns to take a 35 - 21 lead . Tech scored on a 37 - yard run by Baron Batch , another short touchdown pass from Potts to Torres , and a 10 - yard pass from Potts to Detron Lewis with 1 : 38 remaining in the half . Griffin and Baylor then burned Tech ' s defense , with Griffin hooking up with Kendall Wright on a 62 - yard touchdown pass to narrow Tech ' s lead to 35 - 28 going into halftime . In the third quarter , Tech scored on a Williams field goal to go up 38 - 28 , and the Red Raiders extended their lead to 45 - 28 with a touchdown pass from Potts to Batch midway through the third quarter . The Bears added 10 points and kept Tech from scoring again , but the Red Raiders held on for the win . The Red Raiders had one of their best offensive showings of the year , with Potts throwing for 462 yards and the Red Raiders adding 169 rushing yards as they avoided their first - ever 0 - 3 start in Big 12 play . Colorado . Down 17 - 7 in the third quarter , Texas Tech outscored Colorado 20 - 7 in the final 23 : 43 to win in Boulder , capped by a Matt Williams 36 yard field goal with 2 : 08 left . This was Texas Tech ' s first ever victory in Boulder , CO , and it occurred in the final season of Big 12 Conference play for the Buffaloes , as they will compete in the Pacific - 12 Conference in the 2011 football season . Missouri . Tech picked up its most impressive regular season win of 2010 with its win over the Tigers , ranked # 14 in the AP poll and # 12 in the BCS rankings . Tech fell behind early , trailing 14 - 0 after the Tigers scored on two of their first three possessions . Senior quarterback Steven Sheffield started the game in place of Taylor Potts , and Sheffield led Tech to a first - quarter field goal to make the score 14 - 3 . Late in the second quarter , Potts came in at quarterback and quickly led Tech to a touchdown , an 8 - yard pass to Detron Lewis . Potts played the entire second half at QB for Tech , adding a pair of touchdown passes to Lyle Leong as the Tech offense got untracked . Tech moved into scoring position with a chance to extend the lead , but a Taylor Potts interception gave the Tigers a chance to tie the game . The Tech defense shut out Missouri ' s offense in the second half , holding Blaine Gabbert to just 12 of 30 passing and 95 passing yards for the entire game . Tech ' s defensive backs knocked down two potential game - tying touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to preserve the win , which improved Tech ' s season record to 5 - 4 . Weber State . Tech clinched their 11th straight bowl berth with an easy non - conference win over FCS opponent Weber State . The Red Raiders opened the game with touchdowns on their first three possessions . Taylor Potts scored on a 2 - yard run and threw scoring passes to Baron Batch and Lyle Leong as Tech quickly went up 21 - 0 . Tech ' s defense forced a safety late in the first quarter to give Tech a 23 - 0 lead . Potts threw for 272 yards before ending his day late in the 2nd quarter . Steven Sheffield came in to throw a TD pass to Aaron Crawford as Tech ' s second - team offense came in a few minutes before halftime . Tech ' s reserves played the entire second half , with Ben McRoy scoring on two touchdown runs and Matt Williams and Donnie Carona adding a field goal each as the rout continued . Sheffield completed 8 of 12 passes for 109 yards in one quarter of play , and Seth Doege completed 3 of 4 passes for 58 yards on two touchdown drives . Houston . The Red Raiders came into their final regular season , on Thanksgiving weekend at Jones AT & T Stadium , seeking revenge for their 2009 road loss to the Houston Cougars . Tech ' s victory improved the Red Raiders ' record to 7 - 5 and denied the Cougars bowl eligibility , as the Cougars finished with a 5 - 7 record . Tech took the lead early on a Taylor Potts touchdown pass to Detron Lewis , but the Cougars came back to take a 10 - 7 lead . Tech went up 14 - 10 on a 26 - yard run by Eric Stephens , and the Red Raiders added to their lead with another Potts - to - Lewis touchdown throw . Potts threw second - half touchdown passes to Lyle Leong and Baron Batch as Tech pulled away for the win . The Cougars actually outgained Tech in total yardage and first downs , but Tech ' s defense forced three interceptions on the Cougar ' s freshman quarterback , David Piland , playing for the injured Case Keenum . Houston ended up with 585 total yards to Tech ' s 488 .