Fast start propels BYU past Texas Tech for first legacy Big 12 win

PROVO — BYU's "Vampire Cougs" came out to play in the sunlight, too.

Kedon Slovis threw for 127 yards and two touchdowns during a frenetic start, and the BYU defense forced five turnovers to help the Cougars hold off Texas Tech 27-14 Saturday night.

The win is BYU's first victory over a "legacy" member of the Big 12, or one of the 10 teams in the league prior to the Cougars' entry alongside Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.

The once-cheekily described "Vampire Cougs" scored 24 points while the sun was up Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 63,523 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium, scoring on three of their five possessions in the pre-sunset first half.

Texas Tech (3-5, 2-3 Big 12) piled up 389 yards of offense, but also had nine penalties for 80 yards and converted 9-of-18 third downs with a 3-of-5 clip on fourth-down calls.

The 3-point favorite Red Raiders also out-gunned the Cougars (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) 7-3 in the second half, including a 1-yard TD plunge by Tahj Brooks, the All-Big 12 caliber tailback who finished with 105 net yards.

"We got behind the sticks early on first down; that made us lose way too many yards to make up, and we found ourselves in third-and-long, which is what we tried to avoid," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. "But credit to Texas Tech, they made some plays.

"If we can hang on just a little bit longer," he later added, "Kedon can make some big throws. We had some wide receivers that were wide open."

But the fast start? The five turnovers? The pressure against a freshman quarterback in Jake Strong, who threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, but also had three interceptions?

That was the goal, defensive end Tyler Batty said.

"It was huge," said Batty, who had nine tackles, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble. "I'm really proud of our guys and the way we started tonight. I think we started fast, and those were big plays for the game."

After an embarrassing 44-11 loss at TCU a week ago, BYU's defense showed up against the Red Raiders. Jakob Robinson had 10 tackles and an interception, Eddie Heckard and Ethan Slade also added a pick, and the Cougars forced five turnovers — including a fumble recovered in the end zone by Heckard during a 14-0 first quarter.

That marks the most turnovers by a BYU defense since a 42-14 win over Utah State in 2019.

Crew Wakley added a team-high 11 tackles, split a tackle for loss, and had a pass breakup for the Cougars — though Slade joked that he "may need to hit the jugs" next week to haul in one of the errant passes that he nearly picked off.

As for the Orem High product's first career interception, he won't begrudge it.

"That's my first one, so it feels amazing," Slade said. "That's the goal as a safety, to have some takeaways. That was a dream come true to make that play in LaVell and have that moment."

The Cougars also got a boost from its run game, including the return of 1,000-yard transfer Aidan Robbins for the first time since the second game of the season.

Robbins had 49 yards, and freshman LJ Martin led all rushers with 93 yards on 10 carries, including a career-long 55-yard rush on the third play of the game.

"It was definitely a breakthrough, and it gives you a little bit of confidence as well," said Robbins, who has struggled with an undisclosed injury that kept him out four games. "I watched it on TV last week, and it was disheartening to hear the announcers say we have one of the worst run games in the country. I definitely took that to heart."

Beyond Martin, BYU couldn't have started much better, jumping out to a 21-7 advantage on Darius Lassiter's 4-yard touchdown grab moments after the Eastern Michigan transfer's highlight-reel one-handed catch during a furious first half.

Lassiter called the catch the highlight of his collegiate career — at least at the Division I level (he made a similar grab in junior college, but "nowhere near as contested as that," he added). But getting the win after last week's 44-11 thrashing at TCU brought an even bigger smile to his face moments after he and Robbins stayed late to sign autographs for the late departures at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"That's something special about this team," said Lassiter, who finished with 47 yards on four catches. "When things go down, we've got to look at each other, not on the coaches or anyone else. We're the ones that have to be making plays."

Isaac Rex added 41 yards on four grabs, and Chase Roberts added a 3-yard touchdown grab on one of his two catches on the night. Kody Epps caught three passes for 26 yards, both season highs for the wide out making just his third appearance since dealing with an offseason injury.

Brooks, a top-five running back nationally in rush yardage, ran for 107 yards and a 1-yard TD plunge with 8:41 remaining to pull the Red Raiders within 27-14.

But Slade helped put the game on ice with his first career interception with 5:48 remaining.

Xavier White caught three passes for 98 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown in the first half for Texas Tech.

Related topics