Raiders Outscore Falcons Air Force Can’t Keep Up With Texas Tech’s 2-Pronged Attack

Texas Tech figured out how to offset Air Force’s wishbone - trump the running game with a player like Byron Hanspard and add the arm of Zebbie Lethridge.

Hanspard upstaged the Falcons and set Copper Bowl records with 260 yards and four touchdowns Wednesday night, and Lethridge threw for 245 yards while directing a no-huddle offense that powered Tech to a 55-41 victory.

“I knew it was going to be an offensive game,” said Lethbridge, who also ran for 85 yards. “We were going to have to put points on the board to keep up with them. With the offense they have, you have to put it together on every opportunity.”

He said the Red Raiders (9-3) worked on a no-huddle attack in practice but never showed it during the season. Coach Spike Dykes credited offensive coordinator Dick Winder for the ploy.

“We came out with the intention of showing them something different. We knew they would be keying on me,” said Hanspard, a sophomore, who led the Southwest Conference in rushing in its last year of existence.

Air Force (8-5) made a game of it early in the third quarter, taking advantage of mistakes by the Red Raiders to close a 31-13 halftime deficit to 31-28 in the first seven minutes of the period.

But Hanspard got his third TD with 5:06 left in the period, then ran 63 yards to set up another Tech score and a 45-28 lead.

Air Force, which was No. 3 in the NCAA in rushing offense and No. 105 in passing offense, wasn’t able to come from behind.

“We had several points where we were about to turn the game around,” quarterback Beau Morgan said. “But it seemed like we were playing catch-up the entire game.”

The teams shattered most of the offensive records in the 7-year-old bowl, which is sponsored by Weiser Lock.

Hanspard, who carried 24 times, scored on runs of 2, 11, 2 and 29 yards.

Lethridge threw a 38-yard scoring pass to Stacy Mitchell and scored on 1- and 3-yard runs. Tony Rogers kicked field goals of 24 and 31 yards for Tech.

Air Force cornerback Mickey Dalton, the defensive player of the game after picking off a pass by Lethridge, who had set a SWC record with 211 consecutive throws without an interception, said the quick-paced Raiders attack didn’t wear him out.

“We just had poor execution,” Dalton said. “We didn’t tackle very well and we had a lot of breakdowns on defense.”

Air Force’s Danta Johnson scored on 71- and 60-yard runs. Nakia Addison ran for scores of 2 and 7 yards. Jake Campbell ran for a 7-yard TD and Morgan scored on a 1-yard run.

Johnson was the first to break the previous Copper Bowl rushing record of 133 yards by Kansas State’s J.J. Smith in 1993. Johnson had 145 of his 148 yards in four carries, but Hanspard, with 201 yards in the second half, passed him.

The Raiders opened a 28-7 lead by marching 80, 75, 74 and 80 yards to TDs on their first four possessions.

Lethridge had big plays in three of the four drives - a 42-yard run before his pass to Mitchell for the first score, a 46-yard pass to Donnie Hart to set up Hanspard’s first TD, and a 25-yard run and 26-yard pass to Field Scovell before he produced the 21-point lead with his keeper.

But the biggest play of the third drive was a penalty after the Falcons had stopped Tech.

Air Force’s Sam Ransom slid into Tech punter Brad Cade, incurring a 15-yard penalty that kept the drive going. Hanspard broke loose for 12 yards to the Raiders 47-yard line on the next snap, and Lethridge minutes later got 13 yards on back-to-back plays - a keeper and a pass to Scovell - before Hanspard’s run.

Johnson cut the deficit to 28-13 with the longest run in Copper Bowl history, but the Raiders responded with Roger’s 24-yard field goal before halftime.

Campbell’s TD early in the third quarter and a two-point conversion run by Addison following Dalton’s 32-yard interception return to the Tech 20 tightened the score to 31-21, and Johnson’s 60-yard gallop put the Falcons within three points with 8:00 left in the period.

Texas Tech 55, Air Force 41

Texas Tech 21 10 7 17 - 55

Air Force 7 6 15 13 - 41

TT-Mitchell 38 pass from Lethridge (Rogers kick) AFAAddison 2 run (Thompson kick)

TT-Hanspard 2 run (Rogers kick)

TT-Hanspard 11 run (Rogers kick)

TT-Lethridge 1 run (Rogers kick) AFAD.Johnson 71 run (kick failed)

TT-FG Rogers 24 AFACampbell 7 run (Addison run) AFAD.Johnson 60 run (Roberts kick)

TT-Hanspard 2 run (Rogers kick)

TT-Lethridge 3 run (Rogers kick)

TT-FG Rogers 31 AFAMorgan 1 run (Roberts kick)

TT-Hanspard 29 run (Rogers kick) AFAAddison 7 run (run failed)

A-41,004.

AFA TT First downs 25 28 Rushes-yards 67-431 39-361 Passing 83 245 Return Yards 43 12 Comp-Att-Int 7-13-0 22-41-1 Punts 3-39 3-43 Fumbles-Lost 3-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 6-51 11-90 Time of Possession 35:08 24:52

RUSHINGAir Force, D.Johnson 5-148, Morgan 22-129, Addison 17-72, Ellers 4-29, Campbell 6-20, Tanner 4-17, Brown 4-13, Ruff 3-3, Wilkerson 1-2, Carr 1-(minus 2). Texas Tech, Hanspard 24-260, Lethridge 10-85, Hobbs 3-14, DuBuc 1-1, Walker 1-1.

PASSINGAir Force, Morgan 5-11-0-51, Brown 2-2-0-32. Texas Tech, Lethridge 22-41-1-245.

RECEIVINGAir Force, Campbell 4-43, Ranger 2-21, Hancock 1-19. Texas Tech, Darden 7-47, Mitchell 4-53, DuBuc 4-26, Scovell 2-39, Hanspard 2-18, Adams 2-16, Hart 1-46.