Throwback Thursday: Sheffield dazzles with 7 TDs in rout of K-State
2009 was undoubtedly an up and down season for Texas Tech football, including a 2-2 start with road losses to Texas in Austin and an upset by Houston.
The Red Raiders would get back on track in week five with a win over New Mexico at Jones Stadium, a game where Steven Sheffield came in before the half to relieve an injured Taylor Potts. The former walk-on quarterback would then go on to start the next week against Kansas State, an opportunity for the man called Sticks to truly prove himself.
Sheffield didn't disappoint.
Texas Tech got on the board early with a 52 yard touchdown pass from Sheffield to Tramain Swindall, a play that set the tone for what was in store the rest of the evening. Sheffield would later connect with Alex Torres on a 6 yard touchdown, putting Tech up 14-0 at the end of the first.
The junior signal caller threw for 3 touchdown passes in the second quarter, connecting on a 4 yard touchdown to Detron Lewis, a 72 yard touchdown strike to Jacoby Franks, and a 28 yard touchdown to Torres just before the half to make it 38-0 Red Raiders. Sheffield had an eye-popping 370 yards and 5 touchdowns at the half, and the rout was on.
The QB made his only mistake of the game in the third quarter when he tossed an errant pass that was intercepted by Jeffrey Fitzgerald and returned for a touchdown.
Sheffield exited the game with 10 minutes left in the game and the score in the Red Raiders favor, 59-7. The Wildcats would later add a garbage time touchdown before then-redshirt freshman QB Seth Doege connected on a touchdown with fellow Frenship graduate Brik Brinker.
Sheffield finished the game with 490 yards passing and 7 touchdowns, tailback Baron Batch finished with 86 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries, and the Red Raiders notched 739 yards of total offense.
Not to be forgotten, the Red Raiders held Kansas State to just 284 yards and 10 first downs. To this day, it's still the biggest loss that Kansas State's Bill Snyder has ever been a part of.
This game was Steven Sheffield's coming out party, as he would go on to lead Tech to a road victory over a ranked Nebraska team and Ndamukong Suh the next weekend. Texas Tech would eventually finish the year 9-4, including an Alamo Bowl win over Michigan State.
