Texas Tech senior quarterback Taylor Potts threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns as the Red Raiders held off Northwestern, 45-38, in the inaugural TicketCity Bowl at the Cotton Bowl. Potts completed 43 of 56 passes and caught a touchdown pass. Texas Tech had 551 yards in total offense. Northwestern freshman quarterback Kain Colter rushed for 105 yards as the Wildcats used the speed option offense throughout the game. Red Raiders tailback Eric Stephens ran for 126 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.

Texas Tech kicker Matt Williams started the scoring by kicking a 24-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Potts then hit sophomore Austin Zouzalik on a 13-yard slant pass for a touchdown and Texas Tech led 10-0. Northwestern countered in the second quarter when Colter ran around left end for a one-yard touchdown. Northwestern missed the extra point after a bad snap and trailed 10-6. Zouzalik then, on a halfback pass, threw back to Potts who ran in from 13 yards out. Potts later threw his second scoring strike, a 16-yarder to Lyle Leong, and the Red Raiders led at halftime, 24-6.

Northwestern recovered the opening kickoff of the second half, the first turnover of the game. Stefan Damos kicked an 18-yard field goal for the Wildcats to close the lead to 24-9. Then, on the Red Raiders first play from scrimmage, sophomore Stephens bolted up the middle and ran 86 yards for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 31-9. Colter scored his second touchdown midway through the third quarter when he recovered his own fumble in the end zone after a 15-yard run. Colter then passed to Josh Rooks for a two-point conversion and Northwestern closed to 31-17 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Northwestern quarterback Evan Watkins - who alternated with Colter throughout the game - then scored on a four-yard run as Texas Tech lead, 38-24. Watkins hit Demetrius Fields on a fourth and four with an 18-yard scoring pass and the Wildcats trailed by seven, 38-31. Potts threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, an 8-yarder to Leong. Jordan Maybin intercepted Potts and returned the ball 39 yards for a touchdown. With 5:37 remaining, theWildcats trailed 45-38. On Northwestern's last play of the game, Watkins was intercepted to end the contest/.

This was Texas Tech's 11th straight bowl game and, with the win, finished the season 8-5 with three straight victories. In their last three games, the Red Raiders scored 144 points. Northwestern ended the season 7-6 with their third consecutive loss. The Wildcats have lost eight straight bowl games and have not won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl.