Texas Tech Dominates Big 12 Weekly Awards After Statement Win

LUBBOCK, TX — Texas Tech cleaned up the Big 12’s weekly honors Monday as redshirt freshman quarterback Will Hammond was named Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez earned Defensive Player of the Week, and the Red Raiders’ front four was tabbed the league’s top defensive line.

The honors follow Texas Tech’s 34-10 win over then-No. 16 Utah — the Red Raiders’ fourth consecutive victory by at least 24 points. It also marks the third straight week a Texas Tech defender has earned one of the Big 12’s top defensive awards, with Skyler Gill-Howard and Brice Pollock recognized the previous two weeks.

Hammond came off the bench in the second half to replace injured starter Behren Morton and led Texas Tech to four scoring drives. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 61 yards on eight carries. His performance also earned him a spot as the top quarterback on the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week.

Hammond previously saw significant action in last year’s halftime comeback at TCU and started the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Rodriguez posted a game-high 11 tackles, forced a fumble recovered by A.J. Holmes Jr., and sealed the win with a late interception. The senior linebacker now has eight career forced fumbles — the most among Power Five players and third-most nationally among active FBS players.

Texas Tech is 8-1 in games where Rodriguez has forced a turnover. His defensive effort helped hold a Utah offense that entered the game averaging 45.7 points and 517 yards to just 263 total yards and 10 points, with only three coming in the first three quarters.

The Red Raiders’ defensive line limited Utah to just 101 rushing yards — 28 of which came on the final drive with the game out of reach — and did not allow an explosive run over 20 yards. Pro Football Focus credited the unit with 15 pressures and 26 “stop” tackles, leading to negative plays for the Utes’ offense.

Through four games, Texas Tech ranks fourth nationally in rushing defense (56.3 yards per game) and 14th in both scoring (11.3 points per game) and total defense (238.8 yards per game). The Red Raiders have outscored opponents 164-3 through the first three quarters this season.

Texas Tech (4-0) rose to No. 12 in this week’s Associated Press poll and is off this weekend before resuming Big 12 play Oct. 4 at Houston. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN.