Morton throws for 3 TDs, LB Rodriguez scores on offense again and Texas Tech whips WVU 49-0

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Behren Morton threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez scored his second offensive TD in as many games and No. 7 Texas Tech beat West Virginia, 49-0, on Saturday in the Red Raiders’ final tuneup before the Big 12 championship game.

Texas Tech (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 5 CFP) already had clinched a spot in the title game against No. 11 BYU in Arlington, Texas, when Arizona State lost to Arizona on Friday night. But the Red Raiders had plenty of motivation, needing a win over the Mountaineers to continue their trajectory toward at least hosting a first-round home game in the College Football Playoff.

Texas Tech was dominant from the start, scoring touchdowns on four of their first five drives.

Unlike two weeks ago when he scored on a short run against UCF, Rodriguez didn’t strike a Heisman pose after taking a direct snap and rushing for a 1-yard TD on Texas Tech’s first offensive series. His other TD this season came on a 69-yard fumble return.

Just before halftime, Rodriguez, who began his college career as a quarterback at Virginia, lined up in the wildcat again from the West Virginia 1. He threw a pass intended for Terrance Carter that the Mountaineers’ Ben Cutter intercepted in the back of the end zone.

Morton showed no mobility problems while playing through a leg injury that prompted him to wear a boot during the team’s bye week. Morton threw TD passes of 19 and 4 yards to Caleb Douglas and 4 yards to Cameron Dickey. Morton, who was replaced by Mitch Griffis early in the third quarter, completed 25 of 32 passes. Douglas had five catches for 127 yards.

Freshman Scotty Fox Jr., the fourth starting quarterback for West Virginia (4-8, 2-7) this season because of injuries, was replaced in the third quarter by Max Brown. Brown’s first completion as a Mountaineer was followed by a 67-yard interception return by Texas Tech’s Amier Boyd. That set up the first of Micah Hudson’s two TD catches from Lloyd Jones III.

The Red Raiders advance to the Big 12 championship game for the first time in school history. In their 30th season in the league, they’ve never won a Big 12 title.

The Mountaineers didn’t get a first down until their sixth offensive series midway through the second quarter and were held to 180 total yards, including 37 on the ground.