What to Expect from This Weekend’s Big 12 Showdown in Lubbock
This Saturday, Texas Tech is looking to defend their home turf against the undefeated BYU Cougars, who are coming fresh off a bye week and looking to shock the nation. This matchup holds a ton of weight not just in the Big 12 but for the Selection Committee, as the CFP rankings debuted this past Tuesday, putting BYU one spot ahead of Texas Tech. These two teams have both proven their success this year, with consistent domination over strong opponents, and are looking to add each other to their resumes.
As for BYU, they are coming off a much-needed bye week that followed a barnburner against Iowa State, where they forced four turnovers to Iowa State’s zero. Led by Freshman Quarterback Bear Bachmeier, the Cougars have yet to face true adversity against a strong opponent. Iowa State was the closest they’ve come to a team of that caliber, however they aren’t as close to Texas Tech in any category. BYU is a team that has given up a decent amount of explosive plays in past games, such as the very first play from scrimmage against ISU, which was a 75 yard bomb from Rocco Becht. On the other side, Texas Tech is ranked as one of the best teams for having explosive plays and are in the top twenty-five with their run and pass game. In order for BYU to beat the Red Raiders, they will have to win the turnover battle by a significant amount, limit Tech’s explosive plays on offense, and win the time of possession battle.
Texas Tech, which, despite its lone loss, remains, is still a dangerous team and could make some noise later this season. Contrary to BYU coming off their bye week, this will be Tech’s sixth straight game without a bye and is looking to extend their win streak to three. After dropping their only game to Arizona State, which was an ugly game on all fronts, Texas Tech has outscored their last two opponents 85-20. One area Tech has dominated this season has been their defensive line, led by Anthony Holmes Jr. and Braylon Rigsby which has held their opponents to very little rush yards, and with BYU’s Running back LJ Martin not playing, one can assume they are going to feast on the Cougar’s backup. As for the rest of their defense, Bear Bachmeier should be the guy they have their eyes on all game, especially with his ability to run and Tech’s inability to contain mobile quarterbacks, as we saw last week with Avery Johnson. In order for Tech to come out on top, they must contain Bachmeier, keep the offense humming all game, and protect the football.
