Virtually no one on the Texas Tech football team had ever laid a hand on The Saddle, the traveling trophy that goes home with the winner of the annual Tech-TCU game.

That's why having a chance to hoist it before his career ended felt so sweet to Dadrion Taylor-Demerson.

"I've never had it, so it's nice to have The Saddle," the Red Raiders' fifth-year senior safety said. "It is kind of heavy. I got to hold it for a second. It was pretty heavy."

Tech snapped a four-game losing streak in the series Thursday night with a 35-28 victory at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Taylor-Demerson played a central role. He intercepted two passes, one setting up a go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter and the other stopping TCU's drive toward a tying touchdown late in the fourth. He had another earlier in the game that was erased by a roughing-the-passer penalty.

"Rabbit played incredible," Tech coach Joey McGuire said, using Taylor-Demerson's nickname.

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Tech quarterback Behren Morton threw for two touchdowns and a season-high 282 yards. He scored on a 9-yard keeper in the first quarter.

Tahj Brooks carried 31 times for 146 yards and a touchdown, becoming Tech's first 1,000-yard rusher since DeAndre Washington in 2015.

Tech hadn't beaten TCU since 2018 in Fort Worth. Defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings is the only current Tech player left from that season.

"I didn't really play (in the 2018 game)," Hutchings said, "so it was cool to see all the guys, see them holding The Saddle up and really enjoying the win. I'm really thankful for it."

In a game they appeared to have under control with a 20-7 halftime lead, the Red Raiders needed more playmaking after TCU went ahead 21-20. The Horned Frogs converted three third-and-long situations before a 16-yard touchdown by running back Emani Bailey. Then a fourth-down stop set up a short field and another Bailey touchdown from 2 yards.

Two plays after TCU got the ball back, Taylor-Demerson intercepted a Josh Hoover and returned it to the Horned Frogs' 16. That set up a 9-yard Brooks touchdown and a two-point conversion from Morton to Jerand Bradley, giving Tech a 28-21 lead.

Morton whipped a deep throw down the middle to Drae McCray for a 44-yard touchdown that made it 35-21, but TCU answered with a 16-play drive that ended with a Trey Sanders 1-yard run. Then, starting from their 12 with 2:18 left, the Horned Frogs advanced to the Tech 44 with 1:01 to go.

But Taylor-Demerson sealed it with another interception.

"I was telling myself the whole day, be a game changer," he said. "I've always dreamed of getting a game-winning interception, so I can't even express what this means to me."

Morton had some time to heal shoulder and back injuries the past two weeks, missing an Oct. 21 loss at Brigham Young before an open date. He said he was "probably about 70, 80 percent" of optimal health.

"It kind of depends on what I do in the game, how healthy I stay," he said. "I'm looking forward and ready to be back to a hundred percent, though."

McGuire said Morton's deep throw to McCray, a ball he put on the money over safety Bud Clark, showed he's better than he'd been.

"You could tell on that last touchdown to Drae, he put that ball out there," McGuire said. "Those are balls that you haven't seen throw — that we've attempted, but you haven't seen thrown."

Tech (4-5, 3-3 in the Big 12) must win at least two of its last three regular-season games to become bowl eligible. Next up is a Nov. 11 road game at Kansas.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson helps Texas Tech football take back The Saddle