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Castellanos starts at QB over Hammond and No. 13 Texas Tech beats Arizona a week after 1st loss
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- Castellanos starts at QB over Hammond and No. 13 Texas Tech beats Arizona a week after 1st loss
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Tommy Castellanos sent a text to Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire early in the week excited about the opportunity for another start that the dual-threat quarterback wasn't sure he would get with the No. 13 Red Raiders.
Castellanos then went out and helped Texas Tech bounce back from its first loss of the season. He did start ahead of Will Hammond on Saturday throwing two touchdown passes and running for 117 yards with another score in a 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona.
"I'm excited, not gonna lie," said Castellanos, who signed with the Red Raiders a week before the season opener after being granted a fifth season of eligibility. "I can't even express my feelings in the way I'm feeling right now."
The start came a day after the latest court ruling preserving the eligibility of Castellanos and 29 other athletes who sued over the issue of whether they should get a fifth season under the NCAA's new five-for-five model.
Castellanos ran for an 8-yard touchdown early in the second half to tie the game at 17. The Florida State transfer, who previously played for UCF and Boston College, put the Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) ahead to stay with a 27-yard TD pass to Kenny Johnson on a fourth-down play that made it 24-23 with 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
"He gave us juice today. It was great leadership from him," McGuire said. "He plays with confidence. He's played a lot of football. That's what you saw, a very experienced quarterback out there today, and made some really good plays. I thought he played really well, and we've just got to build on it."
This wasn't the first start for Castellanos at Tech
It was actually the second start at Tech for Castellanos, but the first one was a change-of-pace decision before Hammond came in. Castellanos threw an interception on his first play in another AP Top 25 matchup at home, a 28-26 victory over Houston in September.
This time, Castellanos played the entire game as the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders tied a school record with their 13th consecutive win at home.
"He was afraid after the Houston interception that he was really becoming like a red zone quarterback, stuff like that, how we could use him," McGuire said. "And so he was fired up about the opportunity."
Castellanos gets Tech a quick touchdown this time
The quarterback switch came a week after Hammond and the Red Raiders struggled in a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati, prompting McGuire to say he was as frustrated as he has ever been in 32 years of coaching.
Castellanos, who ran 19 times and was just 11-of-24 passing for 144 yards, led the first opening touchdown drive since the season opener for Texas Tech. He capped the 13-play, 75-yard drive with a 24-yard pass to Terrance Carter Jr.
He kept the drive alive with a 7-yard run on fourth-and-2 and converted a pair of third downs, including one with another scramble.
"I thought he was really effective, just all the plus-one quarterback stuff, his ability to keep, to stay alive, keep scrambling alive and making plays down the field," Arizona coach Brent Brennan said.
Castellanos started all 12 games for the Seminoles last year in what was expected to be his final college season. He went undrafted and had a tryout with the Miami Dolphins but was never on the roster. He joined the host of athletes seeking another year of eligibility.
The addition of Castellanos was part of a summer of turmoil at quarterback for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders spent most of the offseason believing Brendan Sorsby could be the starter before the gambling saga that ultimately ended Sorsby's college career.
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