Red Raiders take home several Big 12 weekly awards

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech nearly swept the Big 12 weekly awards Monday as linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, running back Cameron Dickey, kicker Stone Harrington and the entire Red Raider defensive line were recognized following a 29-7 victory over No. 7 BYU.

It marked the third time both Rodriguez and Harrington were honored as the league's top defensive and special teams performer, while Dickey was selected with one of the top offensive accolades for the second time this season. Texas Tech was also recognized as the Big 12's top defensive line for the fourth time this season, continuing the Red Raiders' reign as the league's most-dominant defensive front.

The victory pushed the Red Raiders to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play heading into their home finale versus UCF on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT with coverage on FOX and the Texas Tech Sports Network.

Below is a breakdown of each Big 12 weekly award winner from this past week.

CAMERON DICKEY, BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dickey rushed for 100 yards for the second time this season after carrying 23 times for 121 yards and a touchdown against the Cougars. Dickey rushed for 58 yards and found the end zone via a 1-yard scamper in the fourth quarter alone to push Texas Tech's lead to 26-0 with 10:46 remaining, giving its defense plenty of room for the Red Raiders' ninth win by 20 or more points this season.

The touchdown marked his 11th on the ground this season, which leads the Big 12 and is tied for 11th nationally. He is also the Big 12 leader with 12 total touchdowns this season, which is tied for 10th now in the FBS. Dickey, who set a career high with 23 carries, also had one catch for 24 yards in the win, which followed a 33-yard run earlier in the drive that ultimately set up his touchdown scamper. Dickey is also the Big 12 leader with 867 rushing yards this season as he is close to becoming only the ninth Red Raider in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

STONE HARRINGTON, BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Harrington set a Texas Tech single-game record with five successful field goals as he found the uprights from 47 yards to give the Red Raiders their first points in the win and then connected again from 27, 39, 29 and 34 yards the rest of the way. His five field goals snapped the previous Texas Tech single-game record of four that was set 13 times previously.

Harrington matched the Big 12 single-game high for field goals in the process as he's now 16-of-19 on the season. Harrington is one of only four FBS kickers this season to make five or more field goals in a game. In addition to his five field goals, Harrington sailed six of his eight kickoffs for touchbacks with his only other two resulting in an average of an 18.0 yards a return thanks to Texas Tech's coverage unit.

JACOB RODRIGUEZ, BIG 12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jacob Rodriguez put together another memorable performance Saturday, leading Texas Tech with a team-high 14 tackles to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery. Rodriguez had his hand in two of Texas Tech's three takeaways in the win as the Red Raiders became the third FBS team this season to hold an AP top-10 team to fewer than 10 points.

Rodriguez intercepted BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier midway through the third quarter, giving the Red Raiders the ball just outside the red zone to set up a Stone Harrington 29-yard field goal for a 19-0 lead. He all but sealed the win with less than four minutes remaining by recovering a loose ball caused by a Lee Hunter sack to give Harrington another field goal.

Rodriguez has now been responsible for eight takeaways during Big 12 play alone this season as he joins former Buffalo standout Khalil Mack (2013) as the only FBS players since 2005 to have at least five forced fumbles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries all in the same season. Rodriguez, the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles this season, matched his season high with 14 tackles in the win as the Red Raiders gave up their fewest points to a top-10 team since defeating No. 8 Texas A&M, 14-7, in 1995.

THE BIG 12 DEFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK
Texas Tech dominated BYU up front, allowing only seven points to No. 7 BYU, the fewest against an AP top-10 team since the Red Raiders defeated No. 8 Texas A&M, 14-7, on Oct. 7, 1995. The Red Raiders also became only the third team this season to hold a top-10 opponent to fewer than 10 points.

Texas Tech limited BYU to only 67 rushing yards in the win, marking the first time the Cougars have been held under 100 yards this season. LJ Martin entered the game averaging a Big 12-leading 98.6 rushing yards per game before finishing with only 35 yards on 10 carries. Texas Tech came into this weekend as the FBS leader for rush defense as the Red Raiders are now giving up only 73.8 yards a game on the ground. BYU was limited to only 255 yards of total offense and forced into three turnovers, the final one of which was the result of a Lee Hunter sack up front.

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier had little time to work with on the day as Pro Football Focus credited the Red Raiders with 28 total pressures with eight from David Bailey, seven from Hunter and four from Romello Height up front alone. Texas Tech remains the publication's top-rated defense at 96.7 overall and its best pass-rushing unit with a 91.8 grade.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Red Raiders take home several Big 12 weekly awards

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Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Cameron Dickey

Stone Harrington

Romello Height

Lee Hunter

Jacob Rodriguez

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