Conference championship weekend is officially in the books, as it was another big weekend for the Big 12. The action took place in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as BYU faced Texas Tech for the second time this season.
Here is the good, bad, and ugly from the Big 12 championship game.
The Good
Texas Tech’s Defense
We very well could be looking at the best defense not just in the Big 12 but the entire country when it comes to Texas Tech. They are fierce up front; they create pressure, and their linebacking core may be better than any in college football. Ben Roberts made some outstanding plays, and so did his fellow linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who should get an invite to New York.
Of course, their secondary is outstanding as well. This defense has a knack for shutting down the run game and forcing turnovers. On Saturday, they forced four of them, and the last time they faced BYU, they got three, which means in the last two matchups against the Cougars, they have forced seven total. It seemed like after that first drive of the game, they anchored down and made BYU’s offense look like it was nothing. Good luck to anyone trying to move the ball on them in the playoffs.
BYU’s Defense
If you look at the scoreboard, you wouldn’t think BYU played well defensively, but when your offense turns the ball over four times, it’s not easy. BYU’s offense put their defense in bad spots all game long, and I thought BYU’s defense did about as well as they could. They held on, and the only reason this was a game still in the third quarter is that the defense was able to hold Tech to a field goal several times. Again, the stat sheet won’t show it, but BYU’s defense did about all they could in this game.
The Crowd
Not many people are talking about this, but the crowd at AT&T Stadium was the best I have ever seen at a Big 12 championship game since they brought the game back in 2017. It was a sellout as over 85,000 packed Jerry World on Saturday to watch BYU and Texas Tech. Sure, there were a lot more Red Raider fans there, but the atmosphere was incredible compared to previous years. I found it more impressive as I sat and watched other conference championship games, like the ACC, which had about as many people as a local high school football game.
The Bad
Texas Tech’s Red Zone Woes
Way too many times in this game, Texas Tech had to settle for a field goal. There were moments where I felt like Tech could have put the game to bed earlier, but they just couldn’t get that play on third down.
This is something that has worried me about this team all season long when it comes to finishing drives, but what’s crazy is that they don’t, and they still win games by twenty plus. While it may not have hurt them this season, it is something that will need to be better once the postseason comes around, when points come at a premium.
The Ugly
BYU’s Offense
Outside of the first drive of the game that went 90 yards, the Cougars were held to just 110 yards and zero points after that. On that first scoring drive, BYU kept grinding and looked like they were ready to play. Instead, Tech figured it out quickly, and BYU couldn’t get out of its own way. The Cougars turned the ball over four times, which was a season high, and never could get into a rhythm. Bear Bachmeier struggled along with the line, and he didn’t have much time to find any receivers downfield. Plus, it also looked like Bear got shaken up a bit early in this one. Much like the last time these two played, BYU’s offense couldn’t do much of anything.
