BYU Football Progress Report: Texas Tech Edition

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 7 BYU suffered its first loss of the season to No. 8 Texas Tech in the first top-10 matchup in program history.

BYU Football Progress Report: Texas Tech Edition

Coming off a bye week and playing on a national stage, the Cougars looked sluggish and committed three turnovers in a decisive loss. BYU didn’t necessarily need to win to keep its conference championship and playoff hopes alive, but the way it lost will have people questioning whether the Cougars are truly contenders.

Offense: D

The BYU offense was unable to establish a rhythm. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick noted early in the week that this would be the offense’s toughest test since facing Texas in 2023.

The Cougars’ 67 rushing yards tied their fewest in a game since they finished with nine against Kansas in 2023.

It’s worth noting that Texas Tech’s rush defense is the best in the country, so it might not be something to overreact to. Still, considering how much of an impact LJ Martin had in the first seven games of the year, the offense seems unsure how to move the ball without him.

Martin suffered an upper-body injury two weeks ago that sidelined him for three quarters of the Iowa State game. He finished with 35 yards on just 10 carries, while the other two running backs, Preston Rex and Enoch Nawahine, combined for five carries and 14 yards.

Without a consistent rushing attack, BYU struggled to move the ball. If Martin isn’t able to play the way he did before his injury, it drastically changes the ceiling for this team. Already down Sione Moa, BYU doesn’t have the depth at running back to fill the void of its top two backs.

The Cougars had 12 offensive drives. Of those, only two went for more than 30 yards, and just one exceeded 45 yards — the 75-yard drive that led to BYU’s lone score in the fourth quarter.

The good news is BYU won’t face another defense like Texas Tech’s unless the two teams meet again in the Big 12 championship. The concern, though, is whether the issues from Saturday could resurface over the final three games and once again keep BYU from reaching Arlington.

The bad news: It all added up to a very disappointing performance on Saturday.

Defense: B+

The defense did what it needed to do to give BYU a chance to win.

Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker looked as healthy as they’ve been in more than a month. They combined for 17 tackles, three sacks, and four tackles for loss. Kelly also had several strong pass breakups, including one about 20 yards down the sideline.

After the first two drives, Texas Tech had minus-29 yards of offense but still led 3-0 because of a muffed punt that set up the Red Raiders deep in BYU territory.

Texas Tech faced a third-and-6 just before halftime with a chance to take a 20-0 lead into the break. Faletau Satuala made a strong play to drag the runner just short of the goal line, and Raider Damuni broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone to end the half and keep it a two-score game. At that point, there still seemed to be some life, but the offense needed to make something happen.

Unfortunately for BYU, after forcing a three-and-out to start the third quarter, Texas Tech responded with two field goals and a touchdown on its next three drives, slamming the door on any hope BYU had.

It seemed to be a case of the defense wearing down as the game went on. It takes a toll when you keep getting stops or forcing field goals, but the offense can’t sustain drives.

There were plenty of reasons BYU didn’t win this game, but the defense wasn’t one of them.

Special Teams: F

The downfall of the special teams unit this season has been one of the few disappointments for BYU. Whether it’s muffed punts, failed fakes, missed field goals, or a lack of explosive returns, BYU’s special teams has regressed to the mean after a thrilling 2024 campaign.

Parker Kingston muffed the first punt of the game, setting up Texas Tech for an easy three points. It set the tone for the rest of the night, as BYU was playing catch-up from the start.

Trailing by 10, Will Ferrin had a chance to hit a 51-yard field goal to make it a one-score game. His kick sailed wide left, and Texas Tech responded with a field goal on the ensuing drive.

A 51-yarder is no gimme, but entering the year, Ferrin was regarded as one of the best kickers in the country. He has now surpassed his miss total from 2024 and is just 4-for-8 from beyond 40 yards. If you’re Kalani Sitake, you may start to contemplate going for it on fourth down when it’s manageable inside the 40.

Overall: D

The effort was there on Saturday — BYU just got overwhelmed by an excellent Texas Tech team. There will be national pundits claiming BYU is a fraud, but that doesn’t seem fair. Sometimes good teams are outplayed by great teams, and that appeared to be the case in Lubbock.

The Cougars still control their own destiny. With three games remaining, BYU is in a good position to win out and earn a spot in the Big 12 championship. It will be interesting to see how the College Football Playoff selection committee views BYU’s performance and how far the Cougars drop in the rankings. The next rankings will be released on Tuesday at 5 p.m. MST.

Nate Slack is an Executive Producer for Cougar Sports Saturday (Noon–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.