We are back for week 8 of college football. This week, Texas Tech is playing in Provo against BYU, where both teams are coming off some pretty bad losses. Tech just dropped a game at home to Kansas State where the Red Raiders would lose 38-21, while BYU would drop a game on the road against TCU where the Cougars would lose 44-11.

Both teams are coming off some pretty bad losses, but Texas Tech has also been pretty beat up in the process. In their game against Kansas State, the Red Raiders would lose their 2nd QB of the season, seeing Behren Morton go down and 3rd string QB Jake Strong come in. Morton is questionable for this weeks game, and him being there would impact the entire outcome.

BYU got whooped against TCU, and now the Cougars are looking for their second Big 12 win. The first came against Cincinnati in Provo, so they haven’t beaten a non-newcomer Big 12 team this season.

Leading the way for BYU at QB this season is talented and traveled QB Kedon Slovis. Slovis started his career at USC, where he would actually get good playing time. His first season at USC is still his best season to date, where he passes for 3,502 yards with 30 TDs and 9 INTs. Through 6 games this season, Slovis has thrown for 1,392 and 10 TDs, along with 4 INTs. Slovis has his worst completion percentage of his career so far this year, with a 56.8% completion percentage.

Slovis is not going to be a threat at all running the ball. He has never ran for a TD in his career, and I don’t expect him to suddenly become a mobile QB against Texas Tech. Slovis is a talented QB who is still considered a pro prospect by some, and could create issues for the Red Raiders if they cannot get pressure. Slovis is a pocket-passing QB, and if he has time he can be lethal. When well protected, Slovis is accurate and can make big plays when needed. Look for the Red Raiders to bring pressure to make sure Slovis remains uncomfortable at all times back in the pocket.

In the backfield, BYU is led by freshman RB LJ Martin. Martin is a freshman out of El Paso, Texas, and has had a really solid start to his college career. He has taken 86 carries for 345 yards and 4 TDs so far this season, and has averaged 4 yards per carry to this point. Martin’s best game came against Sam Houston State, where he took 16 carries for 91 yards, for an average of 5.7 yards per carry. BYU is not a run-heavy team, as Martin has only broken 20+ carries once this year, and it was on the road against Arkansas.

The Cougars leading receiver is sophomore Chase Roberts. Roberts is a big bodied receiver, as he comes in at 6’4, so he could be a mismatch with the Red Raider secondary. Roberts has caught 27 passes for 421 yards this year, while also catching 3 TD passes. Roberts has already surpassed his career highs of last season, where he only had 357 yards and 3 TDs for the entire season. Roberts best win came in the Cougars lone Big 12 win against Cincinnati, where Roberts caught 6 passes for 131 yards and 1 TD.

Another talented receiving threat is junior TE Isaac Rex. Rex has caught 19 passes for 275 yards and 1 TD this season. Rex’s best game came against Southern Utah where he would catch 4 passes for 112 yards and a TD, including a season long catch of 65 yards. Rex is another big body, as he comes in at 6’6 and 255 pounds, so he’s very difficult to bring down once he has that ball in his hands.

Defensively, the pass rush is led by Tyler Batty, who has 3.5 sacks this season. CB Jakob Robinson has caused issues for opposing QBs with 3 INTs and 2 pass-deflections this season. I won’t act like BYU has a super stout defense, they’re letting up a little of 36 points per game in conference play, but they have proven they can be stingy in causing turnovers and making winning plays.

What’s gonna happen in this game? I wish I knew. As of me writing this, we have no idea who Texas Tech will have come out to play QB. It’s tough to make an outright prediction, but here is goes. Prediction: Texas Tech 34 – BYU 31