Copyright Essentially Sports
The Texas Tech Red Raiders handed Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars their first loss of the season with a decisive 29-7 victory. In the highly anticipated top-10 matchup, the Red Raiders’ defense, own the game from the very get-go. The Red Raiders forced three turnovers and completely shut down BYU’s offense to just 255 yards and also had wideouts on lock, Post game, BYU insiders gave the injury tea on the Red Raiders’ warfare’s casualty. On November 8, BYU insider, Linton Spencer, gives the update on Parker Kingston’s injury on BYUTV Sports Nation: “What I know about Parker right now is very preliminary. I was told he’s sore, but should be okay…but the initial report was sore, but should be okay.” Spencer Linton said that overall, BYU stayed pretty healthy after the game, which is good news as they get ready for the last three games of the season. The main concern is wide receiver Parker Kingston. The BYU’s #11 took a heavy hit from Texas Tech defensive back Dontae Balfour, causing the ball to pop loose and hit the turf in the game. Parker ended up with just 5 receptions for 43 yards. The early update is that he’s just sore and should be okay, but doctors will know more after doing tests like X-rays or MRIs. If he can’t play in the next games against TCU or Cincinnati, it would be a big loss for BYU’s offense. The Red Raiders’ defense didn’t give any benefit of the doubt against the Cougars. Honestly, it was a masterclass in defense. They completely shut down BYU’s running game, holding the Cougars to a season-low 67 rushing yards on 27 carries. Jacob Rodriguez and Co. were suffocating BYU’s QB all night game. Spencer Linton ended his update with props to Tech’s front-seven: “That Texas Tech defensive front is legitimate out of the game.” Jacob Rodriguez led the charge with 14 tackles, a pick, and a fumble recovery. The thing BYU can cheer about is Linton mentioned that linebacker Jack Kelly looked great and seemed much healthier after the bye week. Running back LJ Martin didn’t carry the ball as much because Texas Tech’s defense held him to just 35 yards on 10 carries. Overall, BYU’s health looks good, and having key players like Kelly feeling better gives the team confidence heading into the rest of the season.
