Texas Tech Football: Top 10 Plays of 2015

No. 7 Jah’Shawn Johnson strip and recovery against Arkansas

The No. 7 play on our list of the top plays of 2015 is another impressive athletic feat. Late in the Texas Tech 35-24 victory over Arkansas, safety Jah’Shawn Johnson forced one of the more impressive turnovers of the season.

Up eleven points with just over a minute to play, Texas Tech was virtually assured of leaving Fayetteville, Arkansas with an upset victory. But that does not diminish the physical nature of the play Johnson made on Arkansas running back Alex Collins.

The 215-pound Razorback runner and future NFL draft pick came barreling through the Texas Tech defense meeting the 170-pound safety, Johnson in the secondary. Though Collins had 14 yards of momentum built up, Johnson delivered a hit that stopped Collins in his tracks.

Then Johnson had the presence of mind to rip the ball from the arms of the much larger man taking the ball away like an adult taking something dangerous out of the arms of a child.

Similar to the Fehoko interception, Johnson’s fumble did not lead directly to a victory as Texas Tech had already secured the win versus the Hogs. But what Johnson’s play did was illustrate that the message of new defensive coordinator David Gibbs was starting to sink in.

Gibbs prides himself on fielding defenses that take the ball away at every opportunity and recent Texas Tech teams have struggled with that aspect of the game. Johnson would turn out to be Texas Tech’s leading ball hawk in 2015 and it was evident that he took Gibbs’ teaching to heart.

For his play against Arkansas (16 tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery) Johnson was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

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