LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – It was all No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) in the second half as the Red Raiders take down the No. 11 BYU Cougars, 34-7, to clinch Texas Tech’s first ever Big 12 Conference championship.
Weeks after falling to the Red Raiders 29-7 in Lubbock, the Cougars set the tone early when running back and “Offensive Player of the Year” LJ Martin scored from ten yards out. From that point on, BYU would score no other points.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate winning the 2025 Big 12 Football Championship Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.(KCBD / Shelbie Rhodes)
Head football coach Joey McGuire credits first-year defensive coordinator Shiel Wood.
“The one thing we did make them do is drive the field, so they had to use everything. Then we settled in. I think Shiel, that’s one thing that makes him special. He does a great job adjusting. Once he kind of has your number, he can really dial in and these guys,” McGuire says, “The thing that we do really well as a team, they really listen. When you say, hey, we need to do this, this and this, they can adjust. We’ve got a really high IQ football team.”
Final: Texas Tech 34, BYU 7(KCBD, Andrew Wood)
Texas Tech vs BYU in Big 12 Conference championship game(KCBD, Shelbie Rhodes)
Linebacker Ben Roberts, who was one of the first recruits to sign on to play for Coach McGuire, was awarded the game’s most-outstanding player of the game after two key interceptions in the second half. The first came with 3:33 left in the first half when Tech still held a 13-7 lead. Once the ball was returned to the Cougars’ nine-yard line, running back Cameron Dickey scored shortly thereafter and put the Red Raiders in front 21-7.
Roberts says he spent the week practicing on those picks, and the preparation paid off.
“I didn’t think I jumped that high. I’ve been practicing. I’ve been practicing that one hand in practice, and it finally paid off” he said.
His second pick came with 12:40 left in the game, when he returned the ball to the BYU 31.
Quarterback Behren Morton, who has also been with the program since the beginning of the McGuire era, completed 20-of-33 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. He says McGuire has been the difference-maker in this program.
Texas Tech vs BYU in Big 12 Conference championship game(KCBD, Shelbie Rhodes)
Texas Tech vs BYU in Big 12 Conference championship game(KCBD, Shelbie Rhodes)
“I think it’s our coach, our leader for sure. Coach McGuire, he makes the ball roll. But all the guys, 120 of us, we trust Coach McGuire. I’d do anything for that man. He’s a very special guy for me,” he said. “It means so much. The community of Lubbock is a really, really special place that people could see. Maybe it’s not wherever Dallas is or whatever, but Lubbock is a really, really special place, and there’s really special people there. I’m going to have relationships the rest of my life from Lubbock. I hope my kids get to go to Texas Tech. I hope my son gets to play for Coach McGuire. To bring back the standard of bringing back championships to Lubbock, it means the world to me.”
All of Texas Tech’s 12 wins were by 20 points or more. This is the first outright conference title for the Red Raiders since 1954.
Lubbock has now seen firsts in both Texas Tech softball and football.
Both programs have shown the new era of college athletics, after Texas Tech dove into NIL through the Matador Club donors.
Looking ahead, Texas Tech will almost certainly remain in the top four, getting a bye week going into the College Football Playoff.
For now, Texas Tech will enjoy the victory, as Joey McGuire said. They’ll return to Lubbock as Big 12 Champs and to a place where McGuire couldn’t describe in just one word.
The final CFP rankings will be released at 11 a.m. CT Sunday.
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