BYU football preparing to face nation's best defense vs. Texas Tech

It is no secret that Texas Tech’s football program went on a spending spree in the offseason, landing some of the top talent in the transfer portal, particularly on defense.

After a week and a half of watching film on the No. 8-ranked Red Raiders’ defense, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick says it was money well-spent.

“This is the best defense we have played, probably since Texas in 2023, I would say. They are right up there with those guys,” Roderick said Tuesday. “This (defensive) line, they are freaks and they are really good players. Their linebackers are great. Everybody knows that. Good secondary. They have no personnel weaknesses.”

No. 7 Texas defeated BYU 35-6 in Austin in 2023, holding the Cougars to a pair of field goals and 292 total yards. BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis was injured in the Oct. 28 game, and Jake Retzlaff finished out the season but couldn’t get the Cougars into the win column in November.

The No. 7 Cougars hope history doesn’t repeat itself Saturday when they will face the Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock (10 a.m. MST, ABC) in the first top-10 matchup in BYU history. Clearly, the pressure will be on freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier and BYU’s offense to do something that hasn’t been done often against Texas Tech this season — move the chains consistently and score points.

“They have a very good scheme, and are well-coached. I have a lot of respect for their defensive coordinator (Shiel Wood, who came from Houston),” Roderick said. “They don’t really have any weaknesses. And they get turnovers. Man, they strip the ball as well as any team I’ve ever seen.”

The Red Raiders allow just 13.2 points per game, No. 5 in the nation. They are No. 1 in FPI’s defensive efficiency. They have the No. 1 rush defense in the country, allowing just 74.6 yards per game.

They’ve also forced 20 turnovers.

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Tech leads the Big 12 in sacks, with 28 in nine games. They are allowing just 271.3 yards per game, tops in the Big 12.

“We know it is going to take the best of us to go in there and be victorious,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. “On film, it is as impressive a defense as we’ve seen in quite some time.”

According to PFF, three of the top eight defensive players in the country wear black and scarlet: linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year) and edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height. Bailey, who leads the Big 12 in sacks (1.28 per game), transferred from Stanford; Height, who has six sacks, transferred from Georgia Tech.

Additionally, Mississippi State transfer Brice Pollock is tied for the league lead in interceptions, with four. UCF transfer Lee Hunter, Northern Illinois transfer Skyler Gill-Howard and North Dakota State transfer Cole Wisniewski are also key components on a defense that had allowed only six total points in first quarters of games until Kansas State got a touchdown via a long run by quarterback Avery Johnson last week in a 43-20 Texas Tech win in Manhattan, Kansas.

A big test for Bachmeier, BYU’s offense

Bachmeier and BYU’s offense have been efficient and effective in 2025, a big reason why the Cougars are undefeated and atop the Big 12 standings. But on paper, this looks like a mismatch. What are the Cougars to do?

“Well, we just have to execute. We have to stick within our identity. When you play a defense this good you try to have some wrinkles for them, but at the same time, if you do too much new stuff, then you’re not going to play fast,” Roderick said. “So we’re trying to find that right balance of having some things that give them trouble, but also stick to our core identity, be physical and execute our core things.”

The Cougars are 19th nationally in points per game (36.2) and Bachmeier has surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. But the Cougars acknowledge this will clearly be his biggest test to date.

“It is going to come down to those individual matchups, every player executing a block or executing his assignment, and I’m sure it’s going to be the same thing for them,” Roderick said. “They’re really good.”

Texas Tech is 10th in the country in pass efficiency defense, and fifth in the Big 12 in overall pass defense, allowing 196.8 yards per game.

“They play a completely different defense (than Utah),” said BYU receiver Parker Kingston. “They are just gonna do what they do and we’re gonna do what we do and see what happens.”

BYU receiver JoJo Phillips is back

Roderick said the expectation he has for Bachmeier is to continue to improve and take care of the football against the most ferocious pass rush the Cougars will see since the 24-21 win over Utah.

“He has exceeded my expectations multiple times this year already,” Roderick said. “These guys are good. This could be a game where maybe he struggles a little bit for part of the game, or whatever, but I think that he has the character to battle through and am really looking forward to seeing how he does in this environment.”

BYU expects star running back LJ Martin to play, after he missed the final three quarters of the Cougars’ 41-27 win at Iowa State two weeks ago. Receiver JoJo Phillips should be back for the first time since sustaining a clavicle injury against Stanford.

“JoJo is a starter, man. He’s one of our best players. He was one of our best players last year, too,” Roderick said. “He gives us size and speed, and he’s super smart and he’s tough and he’s got fresh legs. … I expect him to play well.”

The onus is on BYU’s offensive line to play well, too, and try to neutralize Bailey, Height, Gill-Howard and Hunter, arguably the best defensive front in college football. In particular, offensive tackles Andrew Gentry and Isaiah Jatta will need to have their best games as Cougars.

“We have been watching film on them (since last week), and they are a great team, great up front,” said Gentry, a transfer from Michigan. “They have some really good edge rushers, some really great interior D linemen, and some really great linebackers as well.

“We are just excited for the opportunity to play against the best. That’s what you want to do, is play against the best,” Gentry said. “That’s the chance that we get right here. What a fun opportunity for us. We have a lot of respect for those guys on that other side of the ball. So it’s going to be a fun challenge for us.”

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