Will Texas Tech football get an A after beating Cincinnati?

Coy Eakin caught two touchdown passes from Behren Morton and Tahj Brooks had two touchdowns in another 100-yard rushing performance as the Texas Tech football team defeated Cincinnati 44-41 in Big 12 play at Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday night .

Cincinnati kicker Nathan Hawks missed a 51-yard field goal just as time expired.

Tech (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12) overcame an early 11-point deficit. The Red Raiders got two field goals from Gino Garcia and one from Reese Burkhardt. Garcia's final goal made it 44-34 with 7:50 to play.

Brooks' 1-yard run tied the game at 24-24 late in the second quarter, and his 2-yard run gave Tech the lead early in the third quarter. He finished the game with 32 carries for 172 yards, surpassing the 100-yard mark for the 12th time in his last 15 games.

Safety AJ McCarty gave Tech breathing room with a 51-yard interception return touchdown with 12:40 left in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Ben Roberts hit Brendan Sorsby, who threw a crankbait behind the intended receiver.

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It was the second pick-six for McCarty at Jones AT&T Stadium. He did it for Baylor against Tech two years ago.

Sorsby threw for 426 yards and four touchdowns for Cincinnati (3-2, 1-1). The final two, for 71 yards and 3 yards to Manny Covey, narrowed the gap to 41-34 and 44-41 with 3:24 remaining.

After McCarty's touchdown made it 41-27, Cincinnati answered when Covey took a screen pass for a touchdown. It was the third week in a row the Techs allowed a short pass of more than 65 yards.

Morton completed 19 of 29 passes for 251 yards and Josh Kelly caught eight for 111. Cincinnati's Xzavier Henderson caught seven passes for 127 yards and Covey caught six for 100.

Offense: B

Eakin and Brooks fueled the unit with two touchdowns each. Kelly continues to be a security blanket for Morton.

Defense: D

Sudden transitions and big touchdowns continue to be a problem. De'Braylon Carroll, Roberts and Jacob Rodriguez were bright spots.

Special Teams: C

Cincinnati converted Kelly's fumbled punt into a field goal. Drae McCray's opening kickoff return gave the offense good field position for its first scoring drive, and Garcia and Burkhardt ensured Tech was perfect on field goals this season.

Coach: B

The Red Raiders had a depleted secondary and an 11-point deficit entering the game. Give employees credit for keeping a team in check.

Overall: B

Texas Tech's offense continues to get better and the defense dodged a bullet against a team with some quality weapons. Now the Red Raiders travel to Arizona next week with some momentum.

Offense: B

Defense: D

Special Teams: C

Coach: B

Overall: B

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