Previewing Texas Tech-BYU Rematch in Big 12 Championship
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Week 11 marked a historic game for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. The scarlet and black improved to 9-1 with a win over the BYU Cougars, a team ranked eighth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings the same week.
A loss to Arizona State on the road stung, but the Red Raiders recovered with back-to-back wins against Oklahoma State and Kansas State by a combined 65 points. With the team back on track, Tech was ready for a surging BYU squad traveling to Jones AT&T Stadium under the bright studio lights of ESPN's "College GameDay."
As the top teams in the Big 12 clashed, the nation anticipated a down-to-the-wire contest. However, the Red Raiders came out with a dominant 29-7 victory. The Cougars did not cross midfield until the second quarter … and then did not do it again until the fourth quarter.
Throughout the game, Texas Tech had 28 plays on or inside BYU's 20-yard line; conversely, BYU had just four inside of Tech's, all on their lone touchdown drive.
The Cougars' offense was overwhelmed by Tech's defense, including freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier. While he was sacked just once, he was pressured on 37.2% of his dropbacks, well above his season average of 30.0%.
However, the chaos was created despite Texas Tech's defense rarely blitzing the young quarterback. Bachmeier has been blitzed on 34.6% of his dropbacks this season, but he was only blitzed on seven of 43 (16.7%) against the Red Raiders.
This may have been part of defensive coordinator Shiel Wood's game plan; Bachmeier has played well against the blitz all season, completing 64.5% of his passes and recording a 77.4 PFF passing grade. These both rank above his season-long averages of 64.2% and a 76.2 grade.
However, he has seemingly paradoxically struggled when facing pressure. Bachmeier has a 49.5 passing grade when under pressure, making Tech's ability to get into the backfield without extra bodies a critical task.
Texas Tech has the horses needed to achieve this style of defense. The defense ended the regular season with 37 total sacks, led by edge rushers David Bailey (12.5, most in the nation) and Romello Height (8.5). Interior defenders A.J. Holmes Jr. and Lee Hunter have also dominated, and all four have formed one of the best run defenses in the country.
Allowing just 68.9 rushing yards per game, the Red Raiders not only led the country but set a program record. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led the nation in PFF run defense grade (min. 50 snaps) with a 95.3 and was recognized as a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award as one of the top defensive players in football.
Bailey finished seventh in tackles for loss (17), and Holmes finished third among interior defensive linemen in run defense grade (90.0), leading the way for a defense that conceded just 67 rushing yards to BYU in its initial matchup.
BYU's leading rusher, LJ Martin, had just 35 yards on 10 carries. However, he entered the matchup with an injury and ran for 135 yards per game in his final three contests to end the season. He finished atop the conference with 1,229 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
"I think, as a great defense, you need to stop the run, and if you can stop the run, you can get them into second or third [downs] in pass situations — then you earn the right to rush the passer, and so [the] big focus was on stopping the run," Rodriguez said at the postgame press conference after the victory over BYU.
The offensive line has been the most consistent and dominant part of BYU's offense all season and is a staple under head coach Kalani Sitake. Their pass-blocking grade (74.3) ranks fifth in the Big 12, while their run blocking (73.5) ranks third and 10th nationally.
However, Tech dominated in the running game, opening the door for their defense to thrive. While BYU had only 67 rushing yards, 56 came after contact, leaving no breathing room for Martin and Bachmeier out of the backfield.
"Their O-line is really good," Rodriguez said after the game. "Their back [Martin] is really talented, and they have a great scheme week in and week out. If you can stop the run on defense, it frees you up to be able to attack the passer and change up the look for him when he's scanning the field."
Hispanic College Football POY WATCHLIST top performer: Jacob Rodriguez
— HISPANIC FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (@HispanicFB) November 9, 2025
14 tackles, 9 solo, 1 tfl, 1 interception and 1 fumble recovery in the @TexasTechFB win over BYU! #orgullohispano pic.twitter.com/FGLtENSmAO
Replicating Wood's sound defensive game plan should help Texas Tech get off to a strong start in the Big 12 title game, but one area of improvement that will be needed is on offense. Despite finishing with 29 points, Tech struggled to convert drives for most of the game.
Despite having 28 plays inside of BYU's 20-yard line, the Red Raiders left plenty of meat on the bone in Week 11. Tech advanced inside the red zone seven times; the results were four field goals, two touchdowns, and a turnover on downs. In fact, Texas Tech kicked five field goals against the Cougars, with the fifth coming at the 21-yard line, just outside of the red zone.
The Red Raiders have done a good job playing complementary football all season, but with a tendency to leave points on the board at critical moments, getting the extra four points could be the difference in a rematch with BYU or in a potential College Football Playoff run.
"At the end of the day, my job is just to manage the game," Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton said after the team's victory over BYU. "… But having a defense like that makes your life a lot easier … to have that in your back pocket, a great defense, I can't say enough."
Morton's game against BYU was his second-worst of the season, in terms of PFF passing grade, but it came one week after his return from injury, and he appeared to be labored during the contest.
Tech's starting quarterback has been recovering from his leg ailment, and he is in a better condition now after a Week 13 bye and opportunities to rest in the second halves of Week 12 and Week 14 blowouts. Morton has been in a boot in recent weeks as he recovers for a potential postseason run.
"He doesn't want to be in that boot," Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said on Nov. 24 at the team's weekly press conference. "He doesn't think he needs it right now, but I know he felt better than he had felt all year long, really, whenever we played UCF, and so we'll keep him in it."
Behren Morton SLINGIN' the rock in Morgantown 🫡#Big12FB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/YwOB0v1FJi
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 29, 2025
Morton looked razor-sharp against UCF and West Virginia, jumping out to 38-2 and 28-0 halftime leads, respectively. The running game also looked impressive in recent weeks, going for 205 yards and 188 yards, respectively.
Tech's recipe to success this season has been jumping out to early leads with the help of defensive excellence before grinding it out with their running backs.
Big 12 Opponent | Halftime Score | Texas Tech Rushing Yards in Second Half |
|---|---|---|
@ Utah | 10-3, Texas Tech | 132 |
@ Houston | 25-11, Texas Tech | 124 |
Kansas | 21-17, Texas Tech | 208 |
@ Arizona State | 9-7, Arizona State | 55 |
Oklahoma State | 28-0, Texas Tech | 27 |
@ Kansas State | 12-7, Texas Tech | 99 |
BYU | 13-0, Texas Tech | 96 |
UCF | 38-2, Texas Tech | 87 |
@ West Virginia | 28-0, Texas Tech | 87 |
If Cameron Dickey and J'Koby Williams can get the necessary blocking against BYU's defensive line, the offense will be able to control the pace of the game.
BYU has struggled at times with tackling, missing nearly 70 tackles this season. Tech's running back duo has excelled in this regard. They forced a combined 14 missed tackles in the previous matchup, running for 151 yards after contact.
Morton will need to be better and serve as the engine that takes Tech's offense to the next level, but the running game will be the steadying force that holds the Red Raiders together as they look to take down BYU for the second time this year.
A win on Saturday, Dec. 6, almost assuredly seals a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, and the Cougars are fighting for their own spot in the postseason tournament. The ball will kick off at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at noon ET (11 a.m. local time).
Next Stop: Arlington‼️ pic.twitter.com/yykfyI9r0z
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 29, 2025
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-43389ae7766a84cbb8a6c33939d17968.jpeg "Jordan Epp")
Jordan Epp is a journalist who graduated from Texas A&M in 2022 and is passionate about telling stories, sharing news, and finding ways to entertain people through the medium of sports. He has formerly worked as a writer and editor at The Battalion and The Eagle, covering football in College Station, Texas, and served as the managing editor for PFSN.
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