Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
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Eastern Washington
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Texas Tech Races Past Eastern Washington, 56-10
September 02, 2017 | Football
The Red Raiders rack up 626 yards of offense & force three turnovers Saturday
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Nic Shimonek threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start and Texas Tech opened the 2017 season with a 56-10 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday.
Shimonek completed his first 14 passes and finished 26-of-30 as the Red Raiders pulled away with three touchdowns each in the second and third quarters, capped by Willie Sykes' 33-yard interception return for a 49-10 lead the first play after Justin Stockton's second TD run.
Gage Gubrud threw for 207 yards and a touchdown for Eastern Washington, which upset Washington State in last year's opener on the way to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.
Texas Tech led 7-3 when Shimonek threw the first of three second-quarter touchdowns, a 75-yarder to Derrick Willies. Keke Coutee caught the other two from 68 and 17 yards, finishing with 99 yards receiving. Willies had 126 yards receiving.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury improved to 5-0 in openers at his alma mater.
Aaron Best lost his coaching debut at his alma mater to the same school that beat former coach Beau Baldwin 49-24 in his debut in 2008. Best went to the same high school as Baldwin in Tacoma, Washington, and was Baldwin's offensive line coach all nine seasons at EWU before Baldwin left to become offensive coordinator at California.
Tech backup McLane Carter threw a 22-yard pass to Quan Shorts to complete the scoring early in the fourth quarter as the Red Raiders outgained Eastern Washington 626-301.
Terence Grady had 93 yards receiving and EWU's only touchdown, a 22-yarder in the second quarter.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders didn't get off to the kind of hot start Kingsbury would have preferred, but EWU hasn't been a pushover against the higher division. The Eagles have three FBS wins in the past five seasons.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech: The Red Raiders face the bye week next week, then return to action on Sept. 16 at home against Arizona State.Â
Team Stats
EWU 0, TTU 7
TTU - Stockton, J. 25 yd run (Ewton, Michael kick), 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:32
EWU 3, TTU 7
EWU - ALCOBENDAS R. 22 yd field goal 16 plays, 71 yards, TOP 6:19
EWU 3, TTU 14
TTU - Willies, D. 75 yd pass from Shimonek, Nic (Ewton, Michael kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:11
EWU 3, TTU 21
TTU - Coutee, Keke 68 yd pass from Shimonek, Nic (Ewton, Michael kick) 3 plays, 68 yards, TOP 1:39
EWU 10, TTU 21
EWU - GRADY, Terence 22 yd pass from GUBRUD, Gage (ALCOBENDAS R. kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:38
EWU 10, TTU 28
TTU - Coutee, Keke 17 yd pass from Shimonek, Nic (Ewton, Michael kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:38
EWU 10, TTU 35
TTU - King, Tre 1 yd run (Ewton, Michael kick), 10 plays, 81 yards, TOP 4:15
EWU 10, TTU 42
TTU - Stockton, J. 4 yd run (Ewton, Michael kick), 11 plays, 85 yards, TOP 3:10
EWU 10, TTU 49
TTU - Sykes, Willie 33 yd interception (Ewton, Michael kick)
EWU 10, TTU 56
TTU - Shorts, Quan 22 yd pass from Carter, McLane (Ewton, Michael kick) 9 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:07
