5 observations from Texas Tech football's dramatic win over Kansas

The Texas Tech football team somehow found a way to pull one out, knocking off 19th-ranked Kansas 16-13 on the road Saturday.

The Red Raiders move to 5-5 on the season and 4-3 in Big 12 play. They'll host UCF next week with a chance to become bowl eligible for the third year in a row.

Well, that was easy...

Kansas took the ball to start the game and went three-and-out. Texas Tech responded by feeding Tahj Brooks. A short 50-yard field was nothing for Brooks, who had six carries for 31 yards before scoring the touchdown.

Another three-and-out by the Tech defense followed another good drive for the offense. The only downside was a holding call wiped out Brooks' second touchdown, but Gino Garcia converted the field goal to make it 10-0 with 3:26 left in the quarter.

Through two drives, Brooks had 70 yards. The Jayhawks had two.

Shoe on the other foot

Texas Tech knows the struggles of having to play a freshman quarterback due to injury. Kansas dealt with that on Saturday.

Jason Bean suffered an apparent lower body injury late in the first quarter, which forced freshman walk-on Cole Ballard into action. Much like Jake Strong's solid start to his time against Kansas State, Ballard was serviceable in his first bit of action, even driving the Jayhawks from goal line to goal line in 8:43. That was before the Texas Tech defense came up with a stop on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Rabbit continues hot streak

The surest tackler for the Red Raider has started to come on strong with takeaways.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson had a pair of interceptions — he could've had about six — in last week's win over TCU. His most impressive one of the season came against the Jayhawks.

The man known as Rabbit put his arm into the perfect position to rip the ball away from the KU receiver, turned what would've been a big game into Tech territory into a turnover to give the ball back to the Red Raiders.

That takeaway puts Taylor-Demerson at four interceptions on the season.

In the fourth, Rabbit came off a blitz to sack Ballard for a loss of 11 yards right after a missed Gino Garcia field goal.

... Almost too easy

It seemed inevitable. The Jayhawks are too good as a whole to be completely shut down for an entire game, even with a freshman QB.

Kansas got its mojo back in the fourth quarter. Down 13-0, Devin Neal took the option pitch and went untouched 60 yards for a touchdown. Texas Tech was then forced to punt and Kansas into the red zone, but the Red Raiders were able to hold and force the field goal, a 24 yarder that made it 13-10 with 4:44 left.

That escalated quickly

After Kansas knotted the game 13-13 all, it took just 19 seconds for the Red Raiders to get from their own 25 down the Kansas 12 to set up Gino Garcia's game-winning 30-yard FG with three seconds left.