Touchdown Thomas: Castellanos Ignites Texas Tech Offense During Masterful Night

LUBBOCK -- No. 15 Texas Tech made Red Raider faithful stay up late on Saturday to catch its game against West Virginia, which began at around 8:30 p.m. in Lubbock.

For those that were able to avoid turning in for night, they were treated to a classic Big 12 shootout between the hometown Red Raiders and upset-minded Mountaineers inside Galaxy Stadium.

Despite the constant fireworks and heart-pounding final moments, Texas Tech rallied for a 53-48 victory over West Virginia to improve to 8-1 and 5-1 within the Big 12.

While the Red Raiders get to boast the win, both teams were equally impressive throughout the entire night on the box score, especially on offense.

The Red Raiders and Mountaineers combined for over 1,200 yards of offense and an astounding 13 touchdowns in a high-scoring affair able to keep anyone watching awake.

One person accounted for nearly half of these total scores and almost all of Texas Tech's seven touchdowns, as newly named starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos went nuclear.

READ MORE: Texas Tech Beats West Virginia 53-48 in Late-Night Shootout: Live Blog Updates

In his third career start with the Red Raiders, Castellanos threw for 362 yards and a career-high five touchdowns alongside a zero in the interception column in a performance that showcased why he earned the starting job in Lubbock.

Outside of the air, Castellanos also took the most carries for Texas Tech with 23 and finished as the team's second-leading rusher at 102 yards, which trailed only J'Koby Williams.

Following a lethargic and lackluster outing in Nippert Stadium two weekends ago that resulted in its lone loss to Cincinnati, Texas Tech has become a totally different team on the offensive side of the ball.

Since essentially being held without an offensive touchdown by the Bearcats, the Red Raiders have rattled off 87 points off of 11 offensive touchdowns across a two-game span.

No singular individual can be credited with the night-and-day difference exemplified by Texas Tech, but it cannot be argued that Castellanos played a huge role in sparking the sudden turnaround.

Although the numbers were not as eye-popping against No. 22 Arizona, Castellanos showed initial glimpses of the talents he could bring in a huge win over the Wildcats.

In his past two starts, Castellanos now has over 500 passing yards with seven touchdowns and just shy of 250 rushing yards with a score on the ground, as well.

He also has a pair of wins in those previous two games as the leading man under center, which is the most important stat of all for a team looking to get back to the sport's biggest stage.

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With those eight wins under their belt, the Red Raiders control their destiny to get back to the Big 12 Championship. But the path to Arlington is anything but a cakewalk, with the next matchup for Texas Tech potentially being the most daunting.

Oklahoma State will host Texas Tech inside Boone-Pickens Stadium on November 14 in what could become a contest just as riveting as against West Virginia.

The Cowboys tout one of the conference's most lethal scoring offenses, led by quarterback Drew Mestemaker, which most recently hung 66 points on Kansas State in their game on Saturday.

If Texas Tech is going to continue its march toward a spot to defend its title, the Red Raiders will need to keep the flames stoked on their freshly blazed offense that is undoubtedly going to be commanded by Castellanos from here on out.