Arizona State rallies past No. 7 Texas Tech 26-22 as Hammond starts

Arizona State rallied late to beat No. 7 Texas Tech 26-22 on Saturday in Tempe, handing the Red Raiders their first loss of the season after backup Will Hammond made his first career start in place of injured starter Behren Morton. The Sun Devils took the lead on a one-yard touchdown by Raleek Brown with 34 seconds remaining, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive led by returning quarterback Sam Leavitt.

Morton, sidelined by a hyperextended knee that has limited him throughout the season, did not practice this week and was ruled out, although he was listed as available only in an emergency role. Hammond, a dual-threat redshirt freshman who had repeatedly filled in for Morton this season, started and engineered a late comeback that briefly put the Red Raiders ahead. Hammond scored on a one-yard run and later connected with Reggie Virgil on a 12-yard touchdown pass, then ran in the two-point conversion to give Texas Tech a 22-19 lead with 1:59 left.

Leavitt, back after missing the previous game with a foot injury, responded on Arizona State’s final possession, completing five of seven passes for 61 yards on the drive. He finished with 319 passing yards and also threw a touchdown to...