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LUBBOCK, Texas -- Skyler Howard and his West Virginia teammates have had a goal all season to score at least 40 points.They did it and then some on Saturday as the 20th-ranked Mountaineers shut down Texas Tech 48-17. Howard ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to keep the Mountaineers unbeaten and in the hunt for the Big 12 title.It shows that we can do it, Howard said. It all goes back to the confidence.The Mountaineers (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) held Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2) to its lowest offensive output this season, just 379 yards, and harassed quarterback Patrick Mahomes most of the day. He threw for 305 yards, his second-lowest passing total of the season, and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Nic Shimonek.A 14-point turnaround in the second quarter helped the Mountaineers gain momentum. Sean Walters interception at the West Virginia 11 led to a TD pass from Howard to Justin Crawford at the other end of the field to put the Mountaineers up 17-7.We made some plays, got a good lead, Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. We were able to control the ball and shorten the game. Thats, in a perfect world, what we wanted to happen and thats what happened.Howard completed 21 of 31 passes for 318 yards. Rushel Shell, who finished with 104 yards rushing for West Virginia, scored two rushing TDs in the fourth quarter as the Mountaineers pulled away.The Mountaineers got solid play from their defense all game, adding to the mojo the offense felt, Howard saidIts always good when the other side of the ball is doing great, he said. The whole team has confidence.Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said his teams performance was embarrassing and not what he expected.Its the worst Ive seen since Ive been associated with Texas Tech, he said. We seemed intimidated and they took it.Kingsbury said some missed practices might be affecting Mahomes rhythm with the team. Holgorsen, though, thought the junior quarterback was off a bit physically.Mahomes, he needs to get healthy, Holgorsen said. You can tell hes not quite 100 percent right now. But the way he keeps it alive, Ive never seen anything like it. He keeps his eyes down field, makes any throw that you want him to. I mean, hes a fantastic player.TAKEAWAYSWest Virginia: The Mountaineers improved their success dramatically in the red zone. Coming into the game, West Virginia had found the end zone on just eight of 18 trips inside opponents 20 (44 percent). They scored on each of their eight trips there Saturday.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders streak of nine home games with at least 50 points -- an NCAA record -- ended with this loss. Their offense was stymied in every facet by West Virginias defense. Texas Techs run game, which typically sets up the pass, was nearly nonexistent. They finished with just 34 rushing yards.POLL IMPLICATIONS: Its not likely that West Virginia will move up much in The AP Poll after downing an unranked team. But one never knows. They moved up two spots after a bye last weekend.TOO FEW POINTSTexas Techs 17 points were the fewest the Red Raiders have scored since falling to Texas 34-13 in 2014. The second-quarter shutout by WVU snapped a streak of 28 straight quarters in which the Red Raiders have scored.INTERCEPTION STREAKWalters interception was the first of his career, and the team now has one in four straight games. The Mountaineers have forced a turnover in all five games this season and in 10 of their last 11. Walters interception was WVUs sixth of the season.UP NEXT:West Virginia: The Mountaineers host TCU next Saturday.Texas Tech: The Red Raiders host Oklahoma, which is led by former Texas Tech QB Baker Mayfield.---This story corrects spelling of Skyler Howard.Stitched Soccer Jerseys . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well.Rory McIlroy feels he can go in to next weeks Players Championship with plenty of confidence after a strong end to the week at Quail Hollow.The world No 3 saw his hopes of defending his Wells Fargo Championship title all-but ended with a one-over 73 on Saturday, but saved his best until last with a six-under 66 on Sunday.McIlroy, who also claimed his first PGA Tour victory in the tournament back in 2010, mixed eight birdies with two bogeys during the final round and believes he had the opportunity to get even closer to the top of the leaderboard. McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both posted 66s on Sunday If you take away the two fives at the start and the end, it was a pretty good scorecard, McIlroy told Sky Sports. I drove the ball well, hit a lot of better iron shots and converted a lot of chances.I did a lot of things right. Looking back at the 73s I shot in the first and third round, I probably just left myself a bit much to do going in to today.A 66 is a really good score and Im positive and confident going in to the next couple of weeks. The Players is a place where Ive continued to do a little bit better each and every year, and Im looking forward to next week with my game rounding in to a little bit of form. The world No 3 played alongside Adam Scott during the final round McIlroy made the worst start by ffailing to get up-and-down at the first, but bounced back by holing a six-footer at the fourth and a two-putt birdie from close-range at the next.ddddddddddddBack-to-back gains from the seventh saw the Northern Irishman reach the turn in 33, before he continued his move up the leaderboard by following a birdie-three at the 10th with a 25-footer at the 11th.The two-time Quail Hollow champion left a kick-in gain at 14 and picked up another shot at the 16th to move within two of the lead, only to finish with a bogey after narrowly avoiding the hazard with his approach in to the last. McIlroy misjudged his approach in to the par-four 18th It has been a good day overall and I felt like I had a chance around the middle of the back nine to post a number, but it just wasnt meant to be, McIlroy added. I was trying to post 10-under-par, that was the score in my mind, so I needed to birdie the last couple of holes.If I had two shots to take back, then the drive on 15 and the second shot at the last could have made it a different story. There were two soft bogeys at the first and at the 18th. At 18, it was just a complete wrong shot selection and it just wasnt the right shot to play.Watch Rory McIlroy in action at the Players Championship from May 12-15 live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golfAlso See:Rory takes encouragementWells Fargo leaderboardWells Fargo: R3 highlightsGolf live on Sky Sports 4 ' ' '