FORT WORTH -- One of the loudest cheers at Amon Carter Stadium on Thursday night came when the clock already hit zero.

Defensive lineman Houston Miller had already carried the Saddle Trophy around to all the Tech fans who made the trip to Fort Worth. Most of the Texas Tech personnel had left the field, save for linebacker Dakota Allen, some big money boosters and a few other strugglers.

But when Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury walked towards the tunnel, the lower bowl came alive. Some fans chanted his name. Others just stood and applauded as one of Lubbock’s favorite sons gave a radiant smile and a guns up salute before retreating into the stadium.

Keep in mind, this was a TCU home game.

A 17-14 dogfight that took football back to the stone age wasn’t quite what the Red Raider (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) fan base had in mind when Texas Tech and offensive genius Kingsbury traveled to face off against TCU (3-3, 1-2). Being on the 17 side sure helps.

A performance like this would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, maybe a few weeks even. The over/under for this game opened at a cool 62.5. These two teams combined to average 72.5 points per game in the matchups since TCU joined the Big 12 in 2012.

Heck, just four short years ago, TCU dropped 82 points on a hapless Texas Tech defense. Amon Carter Stadium ran out of fireworks after the jaw-dropping offensive display.

This TCU offense isn’t quite as good. It might be below average nationally. But still, what Texas Tech did against the Horned Frogs cannot be ignored.

“It feels good man,” said wide receiver Ja’Deion High, one of the players left from that 2014 squad. “Coming back and doing this after that [82-27] loss man. [Losing that game] was the worst feeling in the world.”

Perhaps the biggest statement came with less than a minute left and TCU facing 4th-and-1. TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson is one of the best short-yardage runners in the conference; everyone knew the ball would be in his hands. These are the moments that test the mettle of a defense.

Tech reacted quickly and efficiently. The defense broke into the backfield almost immediately and forced Robinson to turn the field. However, Allen crashed with linebacker Jordyn Brooks in hot pursuit. Miraculously, the secondary kept its coverage for just long enough. The ball, almost magically, flew out of Robinson’s hands and into Adrian Frye’s.

Texas Tech’s offense has consistently been among the best in the Big 12. But with starting quarterback Alan Bowman out with a partially collapsed lung, everyone else had to step up. The other two phases of the game put on a masterclass.

The Red Raiders held TCU to just 5.3 yards per play and 14 points. They forced seven punts, three turnovers and held the Horned Frogs to 5-of-17 on third down. The punting game also got in on the fun. Punter Dominic Panazzolo dropped a pair of punts within the 5-yard line and only allowed five return yards.

Heading into this game, Texas Tech was 4-15 when scoring fewer than 30 points in the Kingsbury era. When scoring fewer than 20, it was even worse: 0-7. Finally, Texas Tech is balanced enough to win games in many different ways.

“That’s what you have to do in this conference,” Kingsbury said. “Traditionally, you see the teams that won the Big 12 has a defense that can make some plays when it counts. In the last couple of years we’ve started to do that more.”

The offense generally looked lost without Bowman in the lineup. Luckily, quarterback Jett Duffey made just enough plays to win the football game.

Duffey found High on a breakaway 62-yard touchdown up the seam. In a critical spot, Duffey broke away for a 38-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw that Kingsbury stole from Lincoln Riley’s playbook from the Big 12 title game.

It was only two plays and two scores without a sustained drive to be found. It ended up being just enough.

Now, the Red Raiders have another nine-day break before playing a game. Even that matchup is against lowly Kansas. There’s plenty of time for Bowman to get fully healthy before Texas Tech plays meaningful games again.

This is a program that hasn’t convincingly made a bowl since winning the first seven games of the Kingsbury era in 2013. But after beating TCU and Oklahoma State in key road matchups, just six games remain on the schedule. The Red Raiders should be favored – considerably even in some cases – in four.

Winning on the road against Oklahoma State and TCU are encouraging. Doing the latter without its record-setting freshman quarterback is even moreso. If Texas Tech's complete roster is here to stay, those performances might just be the beginning.