LUBBOCK, Texas – Early miscues put the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in a tough spot to start Saturday’s season opener, and Texas Tech quickly took advantage.
The UAPB football team lost 67-7 to the Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium.
No. 23 Texas Tech (1-0) began three of its first four possessions in Golden Lion territory and scored touchdowns each time.
UAPB (0-1) started the game with the ball and picked up one first down before having to punt. Redshirt sophomore Zach Wieder shanked his first punt, allowing the Red Raiders to begin their first drive at the UAPB 39-yard line.
Tech quickly forced another punt on the next UAPB possession, and Tech safety Mikal Harrison-Pilot blocked it, setting up the Red Raiders at the UAPB 21-yard line.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Two drives later, Tech cornerback Amier Boyd intercepted UAPB quarterback Christian Peters, giving the Red Raiders the ball at the UAPB 28.
UAPB head coach Alonzo Hampton said a big underdog can’t afford to hurt itself.
“The blocked punt, we just missed the guy,” Hampton said. “They weren’t even trying to block it, honestly, and that’s frustrating. We gotta get that cleaned up, and on the interception, it’s just like, you gotta be smart with the football. Throw the ball in the ground. Throw the ball away. We’ll learn from it.”
Senior Tech quarterback Behren Morton capped off all three short-field possessions with touchdown passes. The Red Raiders later pulled Morton out of the game with 7:01 to play in the second quarter and a 37-0 lead. Morton completed 16 of 18 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns.
Texas Tech finished the game having scored on every offensive possession, though the UAPB defense forced two field goals. The Red Raiders finished with 314 passing yards across three quarterbacks and 294 rushing yards.
The UAPB offense struggled to get going. The Golden Lions collected five first downs in the first half, with two of those coming from Texas Tech penalties.
Peters completed 17 of 33 passes for 123 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Four receivers finished with 20 or more yards, led by Kareem Burke with three catches for 33 yards.
Hampton said he thought Peters, a graduate transfer from Division II Shaw University, did mostly well in his first Division I start.
“He made some plays, probably left some out on the field,” Hampton said. “He’s gotta be smart. When they got the (defensive) line that they got, you can’t hold that ball that long. The most important part is nobody got injured, so we were able to get out of that. They got some guys up there that can rush the passers, so that was a blessing to be able to get out without no injuries.”
On the ground, redshirt sophomore Za’Marion Webber got the bulk of the carries. He rushed 15 times for 42 yards.
The game entered a weather delay just as halftime began due to lightning in the area with Texas Tech leading 47-0. After a 1-hour, 50-minute delay, the teams returned to the field to play two 8-minute quarters.
UAPB scored its lone touchdown with 6:16 remaining in the game when freshman wide receiver Ellis Stewart caught a 7-yard pass from Peters in the end zone. Stewart finished with two receptions for 28 yards.
The touchdown capped off a 12-play, 75-yard drive and came two plays after junior running back Jaylen Jennings converted a fourth down and one with a 6-yard run up the middle.
Hampton said the Golden Lions were glad to avoid being shut out.
“I thought we had opportunities earlier in the game, but it’s good to get a touchdown,” Hampton said. “A freshman made a good play. So, happy for him. Happy for our team. It’s something we can build off of, and that’s, when you play these games here, you try to go back, you want to find all the positives, bottle them up and get to the next game.”
Stewart nearly scored a second touchdown in the final seconds but couldn’t handle the pass in the end zone on third down. True freshman kicker Ty Ackerman then missed a 47-yard field goal before Tech took a knee to end the game.