Texas Tech LB overcame injury scare to be Big 12 title hero against BYU

Oh, sweet, sweet victory (again). The Texas Tech Red Raiders dominated the BYU Cougars for a second time this season, and this time, it was for the conference title.

Despite No. 11 BYU finding the end zone first, No. 4 Texas Tech stormed to a lead and never looked back. The only bump in the road to victory was when junior linebacker Ben Roberts went down in the first half with an apparent injury.

Ben Roberts plays through pain to secure Tech the W

After going down, Roberts actually returned to the game, and as the third quarter unfolded (Texas Tech holding onto a 13-7 lead), he immediately became the star of the show.

Roberts picked off BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and returned the ball nine yards before getting taken down. Just like that, Texas Tech had the ball back, and after a quick touchdown and successful two-point conversion, the Red Raiders had seemingly secured the win.

"The defense came out and got a huge interception," Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said between the third and fourth quarters. "Those linebackers, the mustache crew, that's what they do."

The veteran linebacker intercepted Bachmeier's pass attempt with three minutes and 23 seconds left in the third quarter of the Big 12 Championship. One play later, Tech running back Cameron Dickey ran in an 11-yard touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion from tight end Terrance Carter Jr.

The fourth quarter was filled with more of the same issues for the Cougars, including punts, turnovers, and a lack of scoring. As BYU flailed its way through the second half, the Red Raiders seemed to only further find their footing.

As the game clock hit 12 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, not only had Texas Tech continued to dominate on the offensive side of the ball, but Roberts picked the ball off once again.

Roberts, who entered the game with a resounding 69 total tackles, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one interception, wasn't the biggest name on the Red Raiders defense (shoutout to his fellow LB Jacob Rodriguez), but was an undeniably leader on that side of the ball.

Two interceptions by Roberts, two fumble recoveries between linebacker Romello Height and Jayden Cofield, and a complete lack of defensive success by the Cougars spelled disaster for the team in blue and white.

When the game clock hit 0:00, Texas Tech had secured a 34-7 victory over BYU, also securing the Red Raiders their first-ever Big 12 conference title.

With the win, the Red Raiders cemented their berth in the College Football Playoff, possibly knocked the Cougars out of reach of the CFPs, and arguably secured their first-round bye as one of the top four teams in the country.

After the game, McGuire shared that Roberts' injury was supposedly related to his abs, but he refused to back down from the challenge. Even commentator Jesse Palmer couldn't deny that the linebacker should be the MVP of the title game.

As the trophy ceremony unfolded, Roberts was handed the undeniably well-deserved title belt and the trophy as the Most Outstanding Player from the matchup.