Turnovers propel BYU football to Homecoming win over Texas Tech
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- BYU senior defensive back Eddie Heckard celebrates after recovering a fumble for a touchdown during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU freshman running back LJ Martin runs the ball up the field during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU junior defensive back Jakob Robinson makes an interception during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior running back Aidan Robbins carries the ball during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior running back Deion Smith runs the ball during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU fans cheer on their team during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU wide receiver Keelan Marion carries the ball up the field during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU head coach Kalani Sitake celebrates after senior defensive back Eddie Heckard intercepted a pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior defensive back Eddie Heckard intercepts a pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior wide receiver Darius Lassiter makes a one-handed catch during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU fans cheer on their team during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU freshman running back LJ Martin runs the ball up the field during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior defensive back Eddie Heckard recovers a fumble for a touchdown during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU junior punter Ryan Rehkow punts the ball during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU players celebrate with sophomore defensive back Ethan Slade after her intercepted a pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior running back Aidan Robbins carries the ball up the field during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU football players take the field before the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior running back Aidan Robbins celebrates getting a first down during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU defenders celebrate getting a fourth-down stop during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU sophomore wide receiver Chase Roberts catches a touchdown pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU fans celebrate with junior defensive back Jakob Robinson after the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU football players take the field before the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior linebacker AJ Vongphachanh pressures Texas Tech quarterback Jake Strong during the Big 12 game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU senior quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU freshman running back LJ Martin carries the ball during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU freshman Parker Kingston carries the ball during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU mascot Cosmo and Cougar players run onto the field before the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- Fire-knife dancers perform for the crowd during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU defenders make a tackle during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU cheerleaders perform for the crowd during the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- An official reviews a call during the Big 12 game between BYU and Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- BYU football players celebrate with fans after the Big 12 game against Texas Tech at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
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- Texas Tech freshman quarterback Jake Strong throws a pass during the Big 12 game against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
For the second straight home game, the BYU football team allowed its opponent to have a big edge in total yardage.
After Cincinnati outgained the Cougars, 498-295, in BYU’s 35-27 win on Sept. 29, Texas Tech came in and put together a similar performance, finishing with 389 total yards to just 277 for the Cougars.
But yardage doesn’t mean much when you can’t hold on to the football.
The Cougar defense forced three interceptions and a fumble that senior defensive back Eddie Heckard recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, while the BYU special teams also forced a fumble on a punt return.
Those game-changing moments gave the Cougars enough of an edge to grind out the 27-14 victory in front of a near-sellout crowd of 63,523 on Homecoming Night on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.
“I am happy with the win,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “I think the guys played with great effort and energy tonight. We did enough to win the game, but we need to do more with the opportunities we are given.
“We forced five turnovers tonight, but I think we left too many plays on the field. There is still a lot of room for improvement in all three phases of the game, but we’ll build on the win tonight and look forward to playing our best next week in Texas.”
Leading the charge for the Cougar defense was Heckard, who in addition to his defensive score also had one of the interceptions.
“He’s a captain of the team and leads by example,” BYU sophomore safety Ethan Slade said. “The best way to lead is by making plays on the field and he does that.”
Cougar junior defensive lineman Tyler Batty grinned as he described finding out who got to the fumble for the score.
“Eddie is Eddie,” Batty said. “That dude is always making plays. When he recovered it in the end zone, I was like, of course it was Eddie. He is that type of dude. He’s had a huge impact on our defense.”
The five official takeaways will get a lot of attention but the Cougars also had two stops on fourth down, including one on the first Red Raider drive of the game inside the BYU 5-yard line that allowed the home team to set the tone.
“That was huge,” Batty said. “I’m really proud of our guys and the way we started tonight. I think we started fast and those were big plays for the game.”
The Cougars exorcised some of the ghosts of the miserable performance at TCU last week in the early going, getting a season-long 55-yard run by freshman LJ Martin on the first drive to set up a 3-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Kedon Slovis to sophomore wide receiver Chase Roberts.
After Texas Tech got stopped by a fumbled snap on a fourth-and-1 from the BYU 3-yard line, the Cougars were forced to punt. The Red Raiders got a nice return but it was called back on a holding penalty, pinning the visitors back at their own 10-yard line.
That was when Texas Tech senior running back Tahj Brooks couldn’t get the handle on the ball after and handoff and it ended up getting knocked back across the goal line. Heckard pounced on it and BYU had 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The Red Raiders then got a big play of their own as freshman quarterback Jake Strong took advantage of having plenty of time on a third-and-18 play from his own 28-yard line to find senior wide receiver Xavier White behind the Cougar defense for a 72-yard TD pass.
But BYU answered with a scoring drive of its own, highlighted by an amazing one-handed catch by senior wide receiver Darius Lassiter. Slovis later found Lassiter in the end zone for a 4-yard TD to extend the Cougar lead.
BYU would get interceptions on the next two Texas Tech possessions, one by Heckard and one by junior defensive back Jakob Robinson, and added three more points to hold a 24-7 lead at halftime.
“It’s great when we’re getting those turnovers,” Lassiter said. “All we have to do is go halfway and we are already in field goal range. Defense wins games while offense sells tickets. Having a strong defense behind you is great.”
BYU had opportunities to put the game away in the second half, including getting a fumble recovery by junior punter Ryan Rehkow on a punt return and another interception, this one by Slade.
But although the Cougars had more success on the ground that they have had, finishing with a season-high 150 yards rushing, all BYU could manage in the final two quarters was another field goal by sophomore kicker Will Ferrin.
“I think Texas Tech made some great plays in the second half, but we found ourselves in too many third-and-long situations, which
we were trying to avoid,” Sitake said. Credit to Texas Tech as they got through our pass protection a few times. On offense, we need to sustain our blocks a little longer to give Kedon more time to find our open receivers.”
The Red Raiders scored one final touchdown in the fourth quarter after Strong found junior Jordan Brown for a 36-yard gain on fourth-and-4, setting up a 1-yard score from Brooks.
BYU was able to close out the game from there, securing their second Big 12 victory and moving to 5-2 on the season.
One of the best things was bouncing back after the disappointment of the previous week.
“It felt amazing,” Slade said. “The defense put a big emphasis on having a perfect week of practice with everyone competing and working hard. Everyone was there, studying as much as they could. We earned this win and earned the right to play the way we did.”
