When West Virginia and Texas Tech take the field Saturday in Lubbock, it will be two teams who historically have been evenly matched over the past decade.
Since joining the Big 12 Texas Tech and West Virginia each hold five wins against each other. The Mountaineers are 3-2 on the road, but the Red Raiders have won three consecutive meetings. All-time, West Virginia leads Texas Tech 6-5, with their first win coming in 1938. But, since 2012, these two teams are deadlocked at 5-5 against each other.
2012
In 2012, No. 5 West Virginia rolled into Lubbock where they would get thrown around by Texas Tech. Tech quarterback Seth Doege — brother of former West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege would pass for 499 yards and six touchdowns. The Mountaineers who started that season 5-0, would lose five straight games beginning with that game against Texas Tech.
2013
In 2013, West Virginia would lead 27-16 with 4:36 to play in the third quarter against No. 16 Texas Tech. Davis Webb was making his first career start on the road at quarterback for the Red Raiders and led them to a 37-27 comeback win. Webb threw for 462 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
2014
2014 brought West Virginia their first win against Tech since joining the Big 12. West Virginia went on the road to face Webb for the second straight year. Webb would only pass for 348 yards this time around, while the Mountaineers relied upon quarterback Clint Trickett. Trickett, threw the ball 44 times, completing 28 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell would each rush for over 100 yards, and a 55-yard field goal from Josh Lambert would erase the 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit the Mountaineers had to overcome in a 37-34 victory. This win would be the second of four in a row, as the following week West Virginia returned home and beat No. 4 Baylor.
2015
In 2014, West Virginia’s victory launched the beginning of what would be a five-year winning streak for the Mountaineers against the Red Raiders. West Virginia would face Patrick Mahomes in 2015, holding him to 196 yards. The Mountaineers would break a four-game losing streak, as they rushed for 300 total yards with Smallwood and Shell again both eclipsing the 100-yard mark.
2016
In 2016, everything clicked for West Virginia. The Mountaineers had 650 total yards of offense and held the Red Raiders to only 345 yards passing. The Mountaineers would be 5-0 following the win, and were fueled by Shell again going over 100 yards rushing along with Skyler Howard passing for 318 yards in their 48-17 win.
2017
In 2017, Texas Tech would roll into Morgantown ranked 24th in the country. The Mountaineers led by Will Grier, would score 29 second-half points, and win 46-35. The Mountaineers scored 22 points in the fourth quarter after trailing for the majority of the game, including trailing by 18 points at halftime.
2018
2018 featured a Top 25 matchup between No. 12 West Virginia traveling to No. 25 Texas Tech. The Mountaineers would come into this game at 3-0 and with all the expectations in the world. The Red Raiders were coming off a victory on the road against No. 15 Oklahoma State. The difference in West Virginia’s 42-34 win would be a 51-yard pick-six by the Mountaineers with just over three minutes to play in the game. Grier passed for 370 yards and three touchdowns and that would be enough to lift the Mountaineers to the win.
2019
In 2019, both Texas Tech and West Virginia were not great. The Red Raiders finished the year with four wins, while the Mountaineers did them one better with five. West Virginia started Neal Brown’s tenure 2-1, but the loss to Texas Tech would be the last of a five-game losing streak which stretched from Oct. 5 to Nov. 9. The Mountaineers would lose to Texas Tech, 38-17, totaling 549 yards of total offense, but they turned the ball over four times.
2020
A 56-yard fumble return touchdown was the difference in Texas Tech’s 34-27 win over West Virginia. The Mountaineers again had over 400 yards of total offense, but would shoot themselves in the foot, with Sam James fumbling the ball late putting the final nail in the coffin for West Virginia.
2021
In 2021, Texas Tech raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead. The Mountaineers would score 17 unanswered points to tie the game and then tie the game again at 20-20 with 4:34 to play. The Red Raiders would then go on a game-winning drive, as a field goal with 18 seconds to play was the final blow in Texas Tech’s 23-20 victory.
