Texas Tech 37, Arizona State 23
SAN DIEGO -- Quarterback Davis Webb tied the Holiday Bowl record with four touchdown passes, and Texas Tech breezed past 14th-ranked Arizona State 37-23 at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday.
The Sun Devils' losing streak in the Holiday Bowl, now sponsored by National University, is up to four.
Webb, who threw all four of his scoring passes before halftime, finished 28-for-41 for 403 yards. The other quarterbacks who threw four touchdown tosses in a Holiday Bowl were BYU's Jim McMahon (1980), Kansas State's Brian Kavanagh (1995) and Texas' Major Applewhite (2001).
Red Raiders wide receiver Jakeem Grant made six receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro finished with eight catches for 112 yards.
Texas Tech (8-5) scored on four of its first five possessions en route to snapping a five-game losing streak. The Red Raiders stymied Arizona State, which was averaging 41 points a game, in the final two quarters after building a 27-13 halftime lead.
Arizona State (10-4) fell short in its bid to win 11 games for the first time since 1966. The Sun Devils lost to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game.
Zane Gonzalez's fourth-quarter, 33-yard field goal, his third of the game, pulled Arizona State within 37-23.
Texas Tech went ahead 37-20 on Ryan Bustin's 23-yard field goal with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
Reginald Davis' 90-yard scoring kickoff return pushed the Red Raiders ahead 34-20 early in the third quarter. Moments earlier, a 44-yard touchdown run by quarterback Taylor Kelly pulled the Sun Devils within 27-20.
Kelly gained 135 yards on 25 carries, and he completed 16 of 29 passes for 129 yards. He threw one interception.
Sun Devils running back D.J. Foster cut the Red Raiders' lead to 27-13 when he rushed for a 20-yard touchdown in the middle of the second quarter.
Webb threw fourth touchdown pass with 10 minutes to go before halftime, a 21-yard connection with Grant. The touchdown was Grant's second of the season, and it gave the Red Raiders a 27-6 advantage.
Webb's third touchdown pass came when he found wide receiver Bradley Marquez alone in the end zone for a 23-yard completion in the opening minute of the second quarter.
The Sun Devils relied on their kicking game for offense in the first quarter. Gonzalez converted field goals of 44 and 31 yards, slicing the Red Raiders' edge to 13-6.
Gonzalez's second field goal followed a turnover. Grant fumbled a kickoff return, and the ball was recovered by Sun Devils linebacker Steffon Martin.
The Red Raiders extended their first-quarter cushion to 13-0 on a short pass that paid big dividends. Webb pitched the ball in front of him to Grant, and the receiver went 18 yards around the right side for the score.
Texas Tech quickly cranked up its fast-paced offense, scoring on the game's opening possession. Webb passed to running back Rodney Hall for a 1-yard touchdown.
Webb was 19 of 24 for 301 yards in the first half.
NOTES: Arizona State was without its leading rusher, RB Marion Grice, who had an undisclosed injury. ... Sun Devils QB Taylor Kelly began the night with 3,510 passing yards this season, the third-highest total in school history. ... DT Will Sutton was selected a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year, only the 15th Sun Devil to accomplish the feat. ... Texas Tech met Arizona State once before, in the 1999 season opener, a 31-13 Sun Devils win. In that game, current Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, then a redshirt freshman, made his collegiate debut as a backup quarterback. He completed two passes for 15 yards. ... The Red Raiders scored in their school-record 207th consecutive game.
