The Sports Xchange
Sep 11, 2016

Kalen Ballage tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns to lead Arizona State to a 68-55 victory over visiting Texas Tech in a shootout Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

Ballage ran for 137 yards and seven touchdowns and also hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass for Arizona State (2-0). His eight touchdowns matched the FBS record for touchdowns versus a major college opponent. Manny Wilkins threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns while Demario Richard rushed for 114 yards on 31 carries.

Patrick Mahomes III passed for 540 yards and five touchdowns for Texas Tech (1-1). Cameron Batson had nine catches for 148 yards.

Texas Tech led 14-9 at the end of the first quarter after Mahomes scored on a one-yard run and threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Willies. Then came a wild second quarter in which the two teams combined for seven touchdowns on nine possessions.

Arizona State went up 16-14 on a one-yard run by Ballage early in the second. The Red Raiders reclaimed the lead on a 75-yard pass from Mahomes to Justin Stockton. The Sun Devils went back on top with a crazy 39-yard double-lateral flea flicker from Wilkins to Ballage. The Sun Devils took a 30-21 lead on a one-yard run by Ballage and went up 37-27 when Ballage scored on a four-yard run, but the Red Raiders scored in the final minute to cut the deficit to three.

Mahomes threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Wilkins threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas Tech scored early in the third to go up 41-37. Arizona State responded with four more touchdown runs by Ballage, including a 75-yarder that put the Sun Devils up 65-48 early in the fourth.