LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Oklahoma State Cowboys stayed unbeaten by surviving a shootout with Texas Tech.

Quarterback J.W. Walsh made the key plays in the fourth quarter, helping No. 12 Oklahoma State to a 70-53 victory on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Texas Tech led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but Oklahoma State surged ahead in the third quarter and finally overcame the Red Raiders in a second half that featured three lead changes.

"I thought Mike (Yurcich) and the staff did a great job of staying with our game plan and not extending ourselves," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "We had to stay balanced, but we had to slowly but surely work ourselves back into the game."

Walsh broke free for a 64-yard run to the Texas Tech 2, then ran it in on the next play to put the Cowboys ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.

With Texas Tech needing a stop late in the fourth quarter, Walsh hit James Washington for a 73-yard touchdown to re-establish a 10-point lead.

"J.W. obviously hit the big plays and had the long run," Gundy said. "We weren't using him enough."

Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 480 yards and four touchdowns, but he gave up two interceptions and a fumble. Oklahoma State cornerback Ramon Richards returned a Mahomes interception 59 yards for the Cowboys' final score with six seconds left.

Oklahoma State shut out Texas Tech in the third quarter and punt returner Jalen McCleskey scored on a 67-yard return to cut Texas Tech's lead to 38-35 and help turn the momentum. The Cowboys then went ahead on Raymond Taylor's 28-yard touchdown run with 1:49 left in the third.

Gundy credited his staff for finding answers at halftime.

The coaches did a really good job of staying calm, making adjustments," Gundy said. "They took the majority of the allotted time at half to make adjustments."

Washington scored midway through the fourth quarter on a 75-yard reverse play to give the Cowboys an 11-point cushion.

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said his offense missed the chance to give the Red Raiders control after halftime.

"They came out playing harder than we did," Kingsbury said. "We missed some things and didn't take advantage of those opportunities."

The Cowboys (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) wore out Texas Tech's defense as they posted 662 yards of total offense.

Texas Tech (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) raced to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter as Mahomes hit Justin Stockton for touchdowns of 42 and 3 yards and the Red Raiders converted an interception into kicker Clayton Hatfield's 42-yard field goal.

When Oklahoma State finally got on the scoreboard on a double pass from wide receiver Austin Hays to receiver Blake Jarwin for a 19-yard touchdown, the Red Raiders had a quick answer.

Texas Tech wide receiver/kick returner Jakeem Grant took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown.

Grant earlier baffled the Cowboys with a 90-yard pass reception in which he laterally crossed the field twice before being stopped at the Oklahoma State 7. He finished the first half with six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown and 230 all-purpose yards.

"He played tough," Kingsbury said. "He's been great for us all year and he keeps going, keeping grinding."

But Oklahoma State kept from being buried in the first half.

The Cowboys scored two touchdowns midway through the second quarter, cutting Texas Tech's lead to 31-28 when quarterback Mason Rudolph hit Brandon Sheperd for a 31-yard touchdown.

The Red Raiders took a 10-point lead to the break after Mahomes surged over the goal line for a one-yard touchdown run.

NOTES: Texas Tech last defeated Oklahoma State, 56-20, in 2008 in Lubbock when the Red Raiders were ranked No. 2 in the nation. Since then, the Cowboys have won seven straight, including four times in Lubbock. ... Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury are the only two coaches in the Big 12 and two of 14 in the nation coaching at their alma mater. ... Entering the game, Oklahoma State had held its last six opponents to 207 passing yards or fewer. But Mahomes raised the average with his 480 yards. ... Before the game, Texas Tech honored the victims of last weekend's tragedy in Stillwater, Okla., with a moment of silence prior to the playing of the Oklahoma State alma mater.