No. 12 Texas Tech did not need its offense to get on the board at No. 25 Oklahoma State on Saturday night. Malcolm Simmons fielded Jake Kim’s opening kickoff at the Texas Tech 3-yard line and went the full 97 yards for a touchdown, putting the Red Raiders ahead just 14 seconds into the game at Boone Pickens Stadium.
MALCOLM SIMMONS TAKES THE OPENING KICKOFF TO THE HOUSE! pic.twitter.com/gtXxkRQNxf
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— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 15, 2026
It was Simmons’ only kick return of the night through the first quarter, and it set the tone for a lopsided opening 15 minutes. J’Koby Williams followed with a 34-yard touchdown run at the 12:03 mark, and Thomas Castellanos found T. Carter Jr. for an 8-yard score with 53 seconds left in the quarter to make it 21-0.
Oklahoma State finally answered early in the second quarter with a 40-yard Sam Keltner field goal, but Texas Tech still led 21-3 midway through the second quarter in a matchup of ranked Big 12 teams.
The Ball Exclusives take
Special teams rarely get to set the terms of a road game this cleanly. Simmons silenced Stillwater before Oklahoma State's offense touched the ball, and Texas Tech played downhill from there. For a Red Raiders team with Big 12 title hopes, a third phase that can flip a game on one play is a real weapon going into the final stretch.
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