Backup QB Will Hammond sparks No. 17 Texas Tech to a 34-10 win over No. 16 Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Backup quarterback Will Hammond stepped into a stagnant Texas Tech offense in the third quarter and put together four scoring drives to lead the 17th-ranked Red Raiders to a 34-10 win over No. 16 Utah on Saturday.

Hammond threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 61 yards. He entered the game in relief of Behren Morton, whose helmet slammed on the turf after he slid head-first into contact with Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall during the Red Raiders’ (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) opening drive of the third quarter. Morton was ruled out after the hit with his team leading 10-3. He threw for 142 yards and two interceptions before exiting.

The offense didn’t skip a beat in Morton’s absence. If anything, it revved up.

“He trusts me,” Hammond said. “We watch film together, and that’s my guy. That’s always his message to me: ‘I trust you.’”

Utah QB Devon Dampier threw for 162 yards and two interceptions. The Utes (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) were held to 263 total yards and committed four turnovers.

“We didn’t show today what we’re capable of doing,” Dampier said. “We know, as a team, we know what our potential is.”

Texas Tech opened the scoring early in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Cameron Dickey, who finished the day with 67 yards and two scores. Stone Harrington’s career-long 58-yard field goal extended the Red Raiders’ lead to 10-0 late in the second quarter.

The Utes struggled to answer. Utah had turnovers on back-to-back first-half drives and a 69-yard TD pass from Dampier to Jackson Bennee called back on an ineligible receiver penalty.

After Wayshawn Parker scored on a 5-yard run to cut the deficit to 13-10 with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter, the Utes’ defense unraveled.

The Red Raiders reeled off three straight touchdowns to secure the win.

Hammond’s first touchdown pass – a 24-yarder to Terrance Carter Jr. – restored a double-digit lead. Dickey put the Red Raiders up 27-10 with 3:41 remaining when he took a handoff, squeezed his way through a scrum of players and popped out the other side for a 24-yard TD run.

Dampier threw an interception on Utah’s ensuing drive, which led to Hammond’s spot-on strike to Reggie Virgil for a 21-yard score.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders should move up in the AP poll following a smothering defensive performance.

Utah: The Utes will likely drop a few spots after struggling on offense for four quarters.

Texas Tech was flagged for 14 penalties for 122 yards. Half of those miscues came from false starts. Intense crowd noise at Rice-Eccles Stadium bothered the Red Raiders early before they finally adjusted to the atmosphere.

“There were times (earlier) in the game where we felt like we could open it up,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “We just couldn’t get out of our own way. Too many penalties and things we got to address.”

Utah had a quiet day on the ground by its usual standards. The Utes totaled just 101 rushing yards while averaging 3.3 yards per carry. On the other side, Utah allowed Texas Tech to gain 173 yards and score two touchdowns on the ground.

“I never would have believed if you were to say we would lose the line of scrimmage,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Never would have believed that in a million years, but we did.”

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have a bye before visiting Houston on October 4th.

Utah: The Utes visit West Virginia on Saturday.

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