Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech football: Tahj Brooks, Defense power Red Raiders past Baylor

By Matthew Conner

Oct 7, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Bryson Donnell (22) runs the ball as Baylor Bears cornerback Chateau Reed (21) chases during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Bryson Donnell (22) runs the ball as Baylor Bears cornerback Chateau Reed (21) chases during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
WACO, TX – OCTOBER 7: Head coach Joey McGuire (L) of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates following the team’s win over the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
WACO, TX – OCTOBER 7: Head coach Joey McGuire (L) of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates following the team’s win over the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium on October 7, 2023 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech dominates the ground game on both sides of the ball

Last season, when Baylor trucked the Red Raiders in Lubbock, 45-17, the Bears out-rushed Tech 231-149.  That night, Aranda’s team owned the line of scrimmage.

It was a completely different story this year.  In fact, Tech has rarely dominated the ground game the way it did in Waco.  While the Red Raiders churned out 188 yards, Baylor was held to just 17.  That’s right…17.

The Bears’ exciting sophomore RB Richard Reese was one of the top freshmen in the nation in 2022 and against Tech last fall, he ran for 148 yards and 3 TDs on 36 carries.  But on Saturday, he had just four carries for four yards.

What’s more, no Baylor running back had more than the 21 yards that Dominic Richardson amassed.  As a group, the BU backs had just 37 yards on the ground.

This Texas Tech defense is proving to be very tough against the run.  Oregon had only 113 yards on Tech despite featuring two RBs that ran for over 800 yards last season, Houston’s running backs had only 95, and now, Baylor managed only 17 as a team.

Tonight, players such as “Dooda” Banks, Charles Esters III, Myles Cole, and Jaylon Hutchings controlled the line of scrimmage and gave the Bears nowhere to run.  When the Red Raiders run the ball the way they did with Brooks and stop the run as effectively as the defense did, it is the ultimate form of complimentary football and it is beautiful to watch after years and years of being on the other side of that equation.

Home/Texas Tech Football