Lubbock primed for Top 10 Saturday showdown versus BYU

#8 BYU AT #9 TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Jones AT&T Stadium (60,229)
Nov. 8, 2025
ABC | 11 a.m. CDT

GAME LINKS

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 9 Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) will look to protect its undefeated record inside Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. when hosting No. 8 BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) in front of a sold-out crowd and national television audience on ABC. Texas Tech is in the midst of its best start to a season since 2008, and looks to solidify its position in the race for a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game with a victory over the undefeated Cougars. The matchup of top-10 teams will be previewed by College GameDay, which will make its first trip to Lubbock since 2008.

The television broadcast will feature play-by-play commentator Chris Fowler and analyst Kirk Herbstreit in the booth, while Holly Rowe will be reporting from the sideline. The broadcast can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, a personal cellular device, and television streaming services using the ESPN app.

Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico, as Brian Jensen will have the call alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 84, as well as on the Varsity app.

COLLEGE GAMEDAY RETURNS TO LUBBOCK ON SATURDAY

College GameDay, the popular ESPN traveling pregame show, is set to make its first appearance in Lubbock since 2008 on Saturday in anticipation of the Red Raiders' showdown with No. 8 BYU at Jones AT&T Stadium.
The three-hour show will begin at 8 a.m. on ESPN. Due to Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff, the show will host the final hour inside Jones AT&T Stadium.
Host Rece Davis is at the helm for his 11th season hosting College GameDay, joined at the desk by analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban.
College football insider Pete Thamel, analyst 'Stanford Steve' Coughlin, and reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims round out the GameDay cast for the 2025 college football season.
Admission for the pregame show will be free, and fans are encouraged to arrive early.

TWO HOME GAMES REMAIN IN 2025; ONE OF TWO ALREADY SOLD OUT

Texas Tech announced on Sept. 30 that it sold out of its primary ticket inventory for the Nov. 8 contest versus BYU.
Single-game tickets remain available for purchase for the Red Raiders' season finale on Nov. 15 versus UCF.
All five games already played this season sold out of their primary ticket inventory as Texas Tech is on pace to set the school record for average home attendance, besting the 58,934 average set in 2014.
Tickets can be purchased online at TexasTech.com or by speaking to a ticket sales representative at 806-742-TECH.
Fans are encouraged to visit SeatGeek for tickets for games that the Texas Tech Athletics Department has previously announced as a sellout.
Texas Tech sold out of season tickets for the third consecutive season in early May as Red Raider fans purchased more than 33,000 season passes for the 2025 campaign.

TEXAS TECH ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO GAMEDAY POLICIES

Texas Tech Athletics announced on Oct. 20 changes to its gameday fan policies moving forward as the throwing of objects inside Jones AT&T Stadium – including tortillas – will result in an immediate fan ejection and possible revocation of future ticket privileges for the remainder of the season.
As a result of this policy change, Texas Tech Athletics is directing fans to no longer participate in the tortilla toss tradition at any point in the game, including the opening kickoff. "We have the best fans in the country who impact the game each and every Saturday through the atmosphere inside Jones AT&T Stadium," Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said prior to the Red Raiders' game on Oct. 25 versus Oklahoma State. "We have three important home games remaining this season. Coach McGuire has said multiple times this team's ultimate goal is to play in AT&T Stadium in Arlington for a Big 12 title. I am confident our fans will continue to support our team and coaches with their passionate support and energy to accomplish this goal. We cannot risk penalizing our team by throwing tortillas."

BALANCE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL

Texas Tech's success this season has stemmed, in part, from its balance in having one of the nation's top defenses to go along with a high-scoring offense.
The Red Raiders enter this weekend as one of three teams to rank in the top 10 nationally for scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense, joining both Indiana and Oregon.
Texas Tech is the only team in the country to have eight or more wins by at least 23 points, as the Red Raiders are outscoring opponents by 30.3 points a contest, the second-highest margin in the FBS.

THE NATION'S BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Jacob Rodriguez continues to prove why he's the best defensive player in the country as he forced two more fumbles at Kansas State that were both recovered by the Red Raiders. He is now the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles this season, including five in the past three games alone.
Rodriguez, who is the second-highest graded defensive player in the country currently by Pro Football Focus, has contributed to six takeaways in Big 12 play alone this season for a Texas Tech defense that is tied for second nationally with 20 forced turnovers.

TEXAS TECH DOMINANT OVERALL

The Red Raiders have been dominant in their eight victories this season, winning all eight games by at least 23 points while outscoring opponents, 392-119, overall. Texas Tech currently ranks second nationally in average points differential as the Red Raiders are outscoring opponents to the tune of a 31.3 margin this season, which trails only Indiana (35.7) and barely leads top-ranked Ohio State (29.8).
Texas Tech is the only team in the country with eight or more wins by 23 or more points this season. The only other school nationally with at least seven wins by that margin this season is fellow Big 12 member Utah, which suffered a 34-10 loss to the Red Raiders to open conference play. The Utes are followed by Indiana with six wins by at least 23 points and Ohio State and South Florida with five each.
Texas Tech's eight wins by at least 23 points are the most by a Big 12 team in a single season since TCU also had eight in 2014. The league hasn't had a school win by that margin nine times in a season since Texas did so in 2009 on its way to appearing in the BCS Championship. The league record is 10 wins by at least 23 points, which was set by Oklahoma in 2008.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

3: Texas Tech is one of three FBS programs to rank in the top 10 for scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense, and total defense, joining Oregon and Indiana.
6: Texas Tech allowed less than 200 passing yards for the sixth time at Kansas State as the Red Raiders are now a perfect 6-0 in those games this season.
16: Jacob Rodriguez has contributed to 16 takeaways over his career, with the most recent being his two forced fumbles in the win over Kansas State.
31: Teams with Shiel Wood as its defensive coordinator are a combined 31-1 when scoring at least 30 points since he was promoted at Army in 2021. r.
63: Texas Tech enters this weekend with a share of the FBS lead with 63 offensive plays from scrimmage that have gone for 20 or more yards, including 43 through the air.

INSIDE THE SERIES

This will only be the third all-time meeting between Texas Tech and BYU and the second since the Cougars joined the Big 12 prior to the 2023 season. The two schools have split the previous two meetings with the Red Raiders edging BYU, 21-20, all the way back in 1940, with the Cougars winning the lone Big 12 matchup with a 27-14 victory in 2023.
Texas Tech's victory over BYU in 1940 was part of a memorable 9-1-1 season for the Red Raiders in their final season under then head coach Pete Cawthon. It was the third of eight-consecutive victories that season for the Red Raiders, who would not face the Cougars again for 80-plus years.
Texas Tech had never played a football game in the state of Utah prior to their trip to Provo midway through the 2023 season. The Cougars jumped out to a 24-7 lead at halftime en route to dropping the Red Raiders to 3-5 on the season thanks to a 27-14 victory. Texas Tech responded by winning its next three games to finish the regular season at 6-6 overall before a victory over Cal in the Independence Bowl.
BYU forced five turnovers in that victory, turning those into 13 points. It marked the most giveaways by the Red Raider offense since falling to Baylor midway through the 2022 season.
Texas Tech started Jake Strong in the loss as he became the seventh true freshman in school history to start a game at quarterback and the fifth to do so against a conference opponent. Of that group, Strong was the first true freshman quarterback to make his starting debut on the road, joining Aaron Keessee, who did so in 1984 at Arkansas.

TEXAS TECH-BYU CONNECTIONS

Texas Tech outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You has several family ties to BYU as his father, Charles Ah You, and his two brothers, Matt and Charles, all played for the Cougars. C.J. Ah You began his playing career at BYU before transferring to Oklahoma, where he was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2005. In addition to his two brothers and father, C.J. Ah You has also had numerous other cousins and other family members play for the Cougars, including a nephew, Chaz, who was part of the BYU program when the Red Raiders traveled to Provo in 2023.
C.J. Ah You will have his brother, Jasen Ah You, on the opposite side of Saturday's game, as he is currently an Assistant Athletics Director of football academics for the Cougars. In his role, Jasen Ah You oversees the academic progress of each Cougar football student-athlete. He also plays a pivotal role in celebrating the BYU legacy as part of the BYU Varsity Club before each home game.
Texas Tech running backs coach Garret McGuire also has one tie to the BYU staff in tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride, as the two were part of Matt Rhule's staff with the Carolina Panthers in 2022. Gilbride was the tight ends coach for the Panthers that season, while McGuire was in his second year with the organization as an offensive assistant.

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Lubbock primed for Top 10 Saturday showdown versus BYU

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Players Mentioned

Jacob Rodriguez

Jake Strong

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Lubbock primed for Top 10 Saturday showdown versus BYU

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