Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the face of the NFL today, and no one else comes close. With his insane stats and dazzling plays, he has captured the hearts of football fans everywhere. The Chiefs are always Super Bowl contenders with him at QB, and he is well on his way to winning his second MVP in five years.
Before he became an NFL superstar, though, Mahomes played college ball at Texas Tech. He put up the same incredible stats, but the team success was nowhere near what it is today. Granted, that wasn't really his fault, but considering how successful his teams are today, it may be surprising to those unfamiliar with his college escapades.
That said, Mahomes still had some fantastic moments as a Red Raider. He thrived in Kliff Kingsbury's air-raid offense and showed enough promise for the Chiefs to take him 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. In fact, Texas Tech inducted him into the team's ring of honor in 2022.
Without further ado, here are Patrick Mahomes' best moments from his time at Texas Tech.
3. Mahomes takes over the starting job and never looks back
As hard as it may be to believe, Mahomes was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school. And like most three-star quarterbacks, he didn't start right away, instead sitting behind current New York Giants backup Davis Webb. Late in the 2014 season, though, Webb suffered an injury and Mahomes took over the starting job for the rest of the year.
Mahomes' first start came against Texas when he completed 13-of-21 passes for 109 yards. After that mild start, though, Mahomes threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns in each of the next two games against Oklahoma and Iowa State. Then in the season finale against Baylor, Mahomes had a special performance with 598 passing yards and six touchdowns.
After that great stretch, Mahomes would keep the starting job for the remainder of his college career. He broke several records in the following two years, and the rest is history.
2. Mahomes goes out with a bang
In 2016, Mahomes had already established himself as a high-profile NFL prospect. Despite that, the Red Raiders entered their final game at 4-7 and out of bowl contention. This meant that the regular season finale against Baylor would almost certainly be Mahomes' last in college, and he certainly made it count.
Patrick Mahomes torched the Bears' defense for 586 yards and six touchdowns, an eerily similar stat line to his game against them as a freshman. This time, though, the Red Raiders defeated their in-state rival 54-35 at AT&T Stadium. This win marked Texas Tech's first win over Baylor since 2010.
A few weeks later, Mahomes officially confirmed that he would enter the NFL Draft. By doing so, he ensured his final game as a Red Raider was one of his most memorable.
1. Record-shattering shootout against Oklahoma
If there's one game that epitomizes Big XII football, it is the 2016 game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Amazing offense combined with absolutely no defense, or in other words, just another Saturday in the Big XII. While the Red Raiders came up just short in a 66-59 loss, Mahomes' performance was nothing short of historic.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Texas Tech transfer, had a historic game in his own right, completing 27-of-36 passes for 545 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Mahomes' stat line of 52-of-88 passes for 734 yards, five touchdowns, and an interception is something straight out of a video game. He also ran 12 times for a team-high 85 yards and two touchdowns.
To this day, Patrick Mahomes holds the record for FBS single-game passing yards and total yards. His 88 attempts were also one shy of the FBS record. Mahomes led the country in many yardage and scoring stats in 2016, and this game was his biggest of the year.
This game is one of the more memorable regular season games in recent years, and Mahomes' insane performance is the main reason why.
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