Texas Tech crushes Mississippi State in Liberty Bowl

Kickoff at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee saw the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (7- 5) go head-to-head.

The Bulldogs were considered the favorite in the matchup with Coach Mike Leach at the helm. Leach coached at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009 before being pushed out due to allegations of player abuse.

But the Red Raiders prevailed and won a huge and very decisive victory over MSU, 34-7.

Texas Tech earned a trip to its first bowl game since 2017 after star kicker Jonathan Garibay nailed a 62-yard field goal as time expired against Iowa State to give the Red Raiders six wins.

Tech started the season 5-2 against a light schedule and lost games against No. 8 Baylor and Kansas State by a combined four points. The Red Raiders also started three different quarterbacks because of injuries.

Texas Tech fired head coach Matt Wells halfway through the season despite a winning record at the time. Offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie served as interim coach before he moves on to his new gig as coach at Louisiana Tech. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Keith Patterson left to take the head-coaching job at Abilene Christian. Newly hired head coach Joey McGuire will pick up the reins at the end of the season.

Even with the upheavals and coaching changes during the season and with the exception of a shutout loss against then-No. 9 Oklahoma State on Nov. 20, the Red Raiders have excelled offensively, scoring at least 21 points in each of their games this season. Texas Tech eclipsed the 40- point mark on three occasions, topping out at 54 in a victory over Florida International in September. Texas Tech's ground attack has accounted for the majority of the team's scoring, producing 27 touchdowns against 17 through the air.