BYU forces five turnovers to beat Texas Tech 27-14

Updated Oct. 22, 2023 12:39 a.m. ET

Associated Press

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Kedon Slovis threw for 127 yards and two touchdown passes, and BYU forced five turnovers to power a 27-14 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday night.

LJ Martin piled up 93 yards rushing on 10 carries. The Cougars (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) never trailed despite totaling only 277 yards on offense.

“We didn’t get down on ourselves tonight, and I thought the energy and the belief that we could make plays was there, especially in the first half,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “I thought our first half was a good half. It wasn’t perfect, but our guys played really sound in all three phases.”

Jake Strong threw for 236 yards and a touchdown pass but also had three interceptions in his first start for Texas Tech. Tahj Brooks added 105 yards and a score on the ground. Turnovers caused the Red Raiders (3-5, 2-3) to lose in their first game in Utah despite 389 yards and going 9-of-18 on 3rd down.

“It’s just the whole offense,” Red Raiders receiver Xavier White said. “We just have to make our routine plays and everyone got to just give it all out on the field every play. If we do that no one can stop us."

BYU tallied three turnovers in the first half alone and ultimately scored 13 points off five takeaways. The Cougars also made big plays on offense before halftime to jump on Texas Tech early.

The Red Raiders have committed eight turnovers in their last two games.

“One good thing is I thought the guys played to the end,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “There’s a lot of frustration in that locker room right now. I hate it for them and really guys are just upset by the way we played.”

Martin’s 55-yard run on BYU’s second play from scrimmage set up a 3-yard touchdown catch by Chase Roberts. Eddie Heckard then pounced on a fumbled ball in the end zone to put the Cougars up 14-0.

The Red Raiders finally got on the board in the second quarter when White caught a wide-open pass along the sideline and raced 72 yards for the score. BYU countered on a 4-yard touchdown catch by Darius Lassiter and a 35-yard field goal from Will Ferrin, extending its lead to 24-7 before halftime.

In their two Big 12 losses, the Cougars were outscored 28-7 in the first quarter.

“Starting faster – that’s everything that we need,” Lassiter said. “We normally kind of go down and beat ourselves. Having that fast start this week was great.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas Tech: Moving the ball wasn’t a problem for the Red Raiders early. They outgained BYU in total yardage over the first three quarters. Turnovers ultimately hindered their ability to turn drives into points.

BYU: The Cougars shook off a trend of sluggish starts behind a strong first half. An opportunistic defense and efficient offense combined to give BYU an early advantage.

RUNNING GAME REVIVAL

BYU finished with a season-high 150 yards rushing and averaged 5.0 yards per carry as a team. It marked the first time the Cougars amassed at least 100 yards rushing since tallying 112 on the ground in the season opener against Sam Houston.

BYU totaled 405 yards rushing in its first six games – ranking last in the Big 12 Conference in rushing offense coming into Saturday.

“It’s definitely a breakthrough,” junior running back Aidan Robbins said. “It gives you a little bit of confidence as well.”

SPITTING MAD

Two Texas Tech players reportedly spit at BYU defensive end Tyler Batty on Saturday night. The first one, Jayden York, was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct after attacking Batty with his saliva in the second quarter. Then, Batty told reporters that Caleb Rogers cursed and spit at him following the game’s final play.

The junior was unfazed by the hostility.

“They were pretty upset throughout the game,” Batty said. “We’ll take advantage of that.”

UP NEXT

Texas Tech hosts TCU on Nov. 2.

BYU visits Texas on Saturday.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football