Key Points:
- No. 7 BYU suffered its first loss of the season in Lubbock against No. 8 Texas Tech.
- Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez continued his Heisman-worthy campaign with 14 tackles and two key turnovers.
- BYU receiver Chase Roberts promised the Cougars would meet and beat Texas Tech again soon.
In one of the more highly anticipated matchups of the Week 11 college football slate, the No. 7 BYU Cougars took a trip to Lubbock, Texas for a Big 12 clash with the No. 8 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Selected as the site for ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time since the iconic Michael Crabtree game in 2008, the eyes of college football were on this matchup as it greatly impacted the Big 12 and College Football Playoff races. The Red Raiders came into the game as 13.5-point favorites, according to ESPN BET and seemed to be in full control from the jump.
Texas Tech led by as many as 26 points before BYU true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier found star wide receiver Chase Roberts for a touchdown with 7:35 remaining in the game. Offensively, the Red Raiders got a nice showing from senior quarterback Behren Morton, who completed 17-of-32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez continued to make a case for being a legitimate Heisman contender, as he led the team in tackles with 14, while also recovering a fumble and picking off Bachmeier.
When speaking to the media after the game, Roberts made it clear that he and the team will be looking for revenge.
Chase Roberts promises BYU will get another crack at Texas Tech
When asked by a media member if he hoped to see Texas Tech again in a few weeks at the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Roberts couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, of course,” Roberts said. “You always want to play the best, especially when you felt like you left a lot out there. So, we’re going to meet them again. I promise you that and we’re going to go beat them.”
The senior wide receiver out of Highland, Utah racked up a team-high six catches for 61 yards and the lone score for the Cougars in the defeat.
Following the loss, things will get extremely interesting for BYU in the College Football Playoff race. Saturday marked their first loss of the season, but the fact that it was a 22-point defeat could really hurt them in the eyes of the committee.
Following the loss, things will get extremely interesting for BYU in the College Football Playoff race. Saturday marked their first loss of the season, but the fact that it was a 22-point defeat could really hurt them in the eyes of the committee. On the bright side, they still control their fate in the Big 12 race, as they dropped just one spot in the standings.
Next week will see BYU take on TCU (6-3), who is fresh off a disappointing loss to Iowa State on Saturday, while Texas Tech will be taking on UCF, who is also coming off a heart-breaking loss to Houston on Friday.