Batch Helps Texas Tech Beat Kansas
Texas Tech 42, Kansas 21
By BETSY BLANEY
Updated 8:00 AM CST, Sun, Nov 1, 2009
Texas Tech's offensive line gave Baron Batch plenty of room to work with in the second half, and the junior running back took care of the rest.
Batch rushed for 123 yards and four touchdowns to help the Red Raiders beat Kansas 42-21 on Saturday.
"Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered which running back was back there," said Batch, who had seven carries for 7 yards before the break. "They did a great job stepping up."
The Red Raiders scored 28 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to hand the Jayhawks their third consecutive loss. Batch had three of his four scores in the period.
Dezmon Briscoe had nine receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown for Kansas (5-3, 1-3 Big 12), which lost four of its five fumbles. Todd Reesing completed 20 of 35 passes for 181 yards, his worst outing since he got 162 yards last year against Kansas St., and was replaced by Kale Pick with 7:05 to go.
Reesing said he was surprised when Pick came in.
"At that point, we were two possessions down, but by no means was the game over," Reesing said. "It's not my decision. I obviously gave them a a reason to turn the ball over (to Pick), so I accept it and move forward."
Coach Mark Mangino downplayed the move, saying he also was concerned about how many hits Reesing was taking. Reesing was sacked six times.
"I don't think it was a big deal," he said. "He was not able to get anything moving, or at least consistently, so we just felt like if Kale took a shot maybe we could get something moving."
Reesing's 6-yard toss to Briscoe gave the Jayhawks a 21-14 lead with 5 seconds left in the third but Texas Tech (6-3, 3-2) dominated the fourth.
Batch had TD runs of 1 and 17 yards to give the Red Raiders a 28-21 lead with 8:49 remaining. LaRon Moore returned a fumbled snap 31 yards for another touchdown before Batch's 11-yard run capped the scoring with 2:05 left.
"Those were some of the easiest touchdowns I've scored at Tech," he said of his last two TDs.
The two offenses started slowly, with neither team crossing the 50 in the first quarter. Each team punted five times in the first half.
Texas Tech's Seth Doege, a redshirt freshman making his first start, completed 14 of 28 passes for 159 yards, including a 61-yard strike to Detron Lewis that tied it at 7 early in the second.
Taylor Potts replaced Doege in the second half and finished 11-for-19 for 94 yards. Potts was the starter until he sustained a concussion Oct. 3 against New Mexico. Batch finished with 17 carries.
"I thought Potts did a great job of checking the run," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Then Baron made the most of his opportunities."
Doege fumbled twice, leading to two Kansas TDs. Maxwell Onyegbule returned one 3 yards for the game's first score. Toben Opurum had a tying 2-yard run with 47 seconds remaining in the second after Doege coughed it up again.
Copyright Associated Press
First Published: Nov 1, 2009 7:45 AM CST
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