Hodges throws for 333 yards, TD in Big 12 opener

 

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Top 25 Overview

It was over when... Texas Tech's Alex Trlica booted a 46-yard field goal to put the Red Raider up 13 with four minutes left. Gameball goes to... Cody Hodges, who threw for 333 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score against the Jayhawks. Stat of the game... 33.3: The Red Raiders' 30 points were 33.3 less than their season average, but this was their first true test. Complete Top 25 Overview

Team Stat Comparison
1st Downs	19	24
Total Yards	271	380
Passing	154	333
Rushing	117	47
Penalties	9-95	9-107
3rd Down Conversions	5-17	4-15
4th Down Conversions	0-1	0-0
Turnovers	3	3
Possession	29:37	30:23

Individual Leaders

Kansas Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Luke 13/27 109 1 2 Barmann 8/10 45 0 0	Texas Tech Passing   C/ATT YDS TD INT Hodges 34/52 333 1 1 Johnson 0/1 0 0 0
Kansas Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Cornish 17 111 1 26 Green 8 42 0 8 Herford 2 4 0 2	Texas Tech Rushing   CAR YDS TD LG Henderson 11 63 0 22 Filani 1 5 0 5 Amendola 1 -6 0 0
Kansas Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Simmons 5 44 1 17 Murph 5 39 0 13 Henry 4 27 0 8 Fine 3 22 0 12	Texas Tech Receiving   REC YDS TD LG Hicks 9 112 1 45 Henderson 9 43 0 12 Johnson 5 58 0 30 Filani 5 53 0 13

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER				KU	TTU
	TD	11:12	JARRETT HICKS 4 YD PASS FROM CODY HODGES (ALEX TRLICA KICK) Drive info: 12 plays, 80 yards.	0	7
SECOND QUARTER				KU	TTU
	FG	10:52	ALEX TRLICA 41 YD FG Drive info: 8 plays, 43 yards.	0	10
	TD	10:48	JOHN SALDI 0 YD FUMBLE RETURN (ALEX TRLICA KICK)	0	17
	FG	0:28	ALEX TRLICA 39 YD FG Drive info: 8 plays, 42 yards.	0	20
THIRD QUARTER				KU	TTU
	TD	12:52	JON CORNISH 11 YD RUN (SCOTT WEBB KICK) Drive info: 1 plays, 23 yards.	7	20
	TD	10:20	CODY HODGES 5 YD RUN (ALEX TRLICA KICK) Drive info: 6 plays, 56 yards.	7	27
	TD	1:13	MARK SIMMONS 17 YD PASS FROM BRIAN LUKE (SCOTT WEBB KICK) Drive info: 7 plays, 73 yards.	14	27
FOURTH QUARTER				KU	TTU
	FG	14:45	SCOTT WEBB 27 YD FG Drive info: 5 plays, 27 yards.	17	27
	FG	4:44	ALEX TRLICA 46 YD FG Drive info: 10 plays, 34 yards.	17	30

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Texas Tech and Cody Hodges faced some decent competition for the first time this season, had a few rough spots, and managed to stay undefeated.

Cody Hodges passed for 333 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score in the 16th-ranked Red Raiders' 30-17 victory over Kansas on Saturday night.

Hodges threw an interception and fumbled four times, losing two that the Jayhawks (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) converted into points.

"I'm disappointed because our offense only scored two touchdowns, but I would rather have an ugly win than a pretty loss," Hodges said. "We didn't play smart at times."

Hodges, though, didn't get much support from his offensive line as he has earlier this season. In Tech's first three games, the line allowed the first-team offense to scored pretty much at will. The Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0) led the nation in scoring coming into the game, having tallied 56, 80 and 63 points against Florida International and two Division I-AA schools.

Kansas defenders put pressure on Hodges throughout the game, forcing him to hurry numerous passes and sacking him four times.

"I don't think I will be able to get up in the morning, to be honest," Hodges said. "Kansas is a physical team, and they take great pride in that."

He completed 34 of 52 passes and his yardage was a season low for when he's played in all four quarters. Jarrett Hicks caught nine passes for 112 yards -- one of them a 4-yard TD pass.

Leach said blame for the hits Hodges took should be spread around.

"At times, if he would have recognized better, it would have saved him some hits," he said. "And at other times, if our offensive line would have recognized fronts better it would have saved him some hits."

But the Jayhawks' offense couldn't match the defense's effort, at least not in the first half.

In the second half, the Jayhawks came to life. Down 20-0, Kansas finally got on the scoreboard after a turnover by Tech. Hodges faked a pass and the ball slipped from his hands at his own 23. Jayhawks end Charlton Keith picked up the ball and returned it to the Tech 11.

The Jayhawks scored on their first play when John Cornish ran for a touchdown to whittle the margin to 20-7 early in the third quarter.

But Tech drove 56 yards in six plays on the ensuing possession and made it 27-7, when Hodges ran around end for 5 yards and a touchdown.

The Jayhawks found its rhythm three possessions later, driving 73 yards to pull within 27-14. The drive included four catches for 43 yards by Mark Simmons, who caught the last one for 17 yards and a touchdown to close within 27-14.

On Tech's ensuing possession, Hodges fumbled again and gave Kansas the ball at the Tech's 38. Five plays later, Scott Webb's field goal made it 27-17 Tech.

A career-best 46-yard field goal by Tech's Alex Trlica put the game out of reach at 30-17 with 4:44 remaining in the game.

Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino said the difference in the game was Hodges.

"He is a tough kid," he said. "We knocked him down, sacked him and got after him all night and he just kept competing, making play after play after play."

Kansas made it tough on itself in the first half. On first down from the Jayhawks' 10, Tech linebacker John Saldi forced a fumble as Kansas quarterback Brian Luke attempted to pitch the ball to running back Clark Green. Saldi recovered the ball in the end zone to put Tech up 17-0.

"It was cool to do that," Saldi said. "I've always wanted to do that, so it was good."

On its next possession, Kansas drove into Tech territory for the first time with 9:08 remaining in the half before a pass from Luke was intercepted by Sylvester Brinkley.

But Tech immediately reciprocated when Hodges' pass to Danny Amendola was deflected by Jerome Kemp and intercepted by Rodney Fowler, who ran it back for an apparent touchdown.

But an illegal blocking penalty against Kansas called it back and the Jayhawks got the ball on Tech's 31. But even with a second chance the Jayhawks couldn't score. Kyle Tucker's field goal attempt from 51 yards out fell short.

Luke completed 13 of 27 passes and Adam Barmann was 8-for-10. They combined for only 154 yards passing.

"If it wasn't a misfire, it was a drop," Mangino said. "If it wasn't a drop, then it wasn't a well-run route."