![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP25278696684894.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The availability of Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton for Saturday\u2019s game at Arizona State will be a game time decision. (Photo by Karen Warren\/Associated Press)<\/p>\n
TEMPE \u2013 The college sports landscape changed forever when the NCAA allowed athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. Less than five years later, the Texas Tech Red Raiders are reaping the rewards \u2013 arriving in Tempe for Saturday\u2019s game against Arizona State with a roster valued at more than $28 million as the No. 7 team in the country.<\/p>\n
In July, On3\u2019s Pete Nakos reported on Tech\u2019s hefty NIL budget<\/a>. The Red Raiders\u2019 strong 6-0 start suggests it was money well spent. A lump sum of that investment went into their defense, particularly the defensive line, which has transformed into one of the nation\u2019s best units, built through the transfer portal.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of their defensive linemen that started last year are their twos or they\u2019re rotating ones,\u201d ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said. \u201cThat tells you how much they leveled up.\u201d <\/p>\n Four Texas Tech defenders earned spots on The Athletic\u2019s Midseason All-American Team, including three transfers on the defensive front. Edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height, along with defensive tackle Lee Hunter, have fueled one of the country\u2019s top defensive units. <\/p>\n Bailey, a Stanford transfer, is the catalyst of the group. After entering the portal in the spring window, Bailey signed with Tech. On3 estimated his NIL value to be around $1.2 million<\/a>, the 3rd highest among edge rushers according to its NIL valuation list<\/a>. <\/p>\n The standout edge earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors after picking up three sacks, 11 pressures and a forced fumble against Kansas. Bailey leads the nation with 8.5 sacks. Paired with Height on the opposite edge, the Red Raiders boast one of college football\u2019s most dangerous pass-rushing duos. <\/p>\n Pro Football Focus has Height and Bailey as the two highest-graded transfers across Power Four schools. Between them is Hunter, a 330-pound UCF transfer who has anchored the interior. He has helped Tech hold opponents to just 62.5 rushing yards per game, the fewest in the nation.<\/p>\n Paying big in the portal can be risky, but the Red Raiders seem to have mastered the formula. Across the board, Texas Tech ranks top-15 nationally in nearly every major defensive category. They are ninth in total defense, fifth in sacks and fifth in takeaways. The Red Raiders have done this with seven of their 11 defensive starters transfering into the program. <\/p>\n Despite a slew of newcomers, senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez remains the defense\u2019s cornerstone. The Big 12 named Rodriguez the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and he has lived up to that. <\/p>\n The former Virginia quarterback has racked up 50 tackles and four forced turnovers this season. Rodriguez is the engine of the machine and someone the Sun Devils must account for on every play. <\/p>\n Stacked up against a star-studded defense, the Sun Devils will need their stars to shine. With signs pointing toward Sam Leavitt\u2019s return, ASU will need its star quarterback and top playmaker, Jordyn Tyson, to create explosive plays.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we play our game, we can beat anybody,\u201d Tyson said.<\/p>\n The potential first-round pick has scored a touchdown in seven straight games and will need to continue his hot streak Saturday. The one hiccup this year for the Tech defense has been its pass defense, which ranks 41st in the country, leaving room for Leavitt and Tyson to connect deep.<\/p>\n Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire praised Leavitt earlier this week.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s really talented,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cHe extends plays with his feet. He\u2019s got a good arm. He\u2019s smart. He\u2019s a guy that\u2019s going to play on Sundays.\u201d<\/p>\n Offensively, it\u2019s more fireworks for the Red Raiders. Their 47.5 point per game rank second in the nation, and they can score from anywhere on the field. It also does not matter who is under center. <\/p>\n Like the Sun Devils, Tech is dealing with an injury to its starting quarterback, Behren Morton. The senior went down with a leg injury against Kansas, but when redshirt freshman Will Hammond came in, the offense did not miss a beat. Hammond also entered in relief of Morton against Utah. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 100% their future and he\u2019s a phenomenal player,\u201d Dillingham said. \u201cHe can make all the throws. You saw him do that at the end of the Utah game. You could see him scramble and make plays with his legs. He can really do it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Morton and Hammond are capable quarterbacks who can lead the offense, but Tech\u2019s pass catchers make their jobs a lot easier. Five Red Raiders have at least 200 receiving yards, including Louisiana transfer tight end Terrance Carter Jr. <\/p>\n Carter can hurt the Sun Devils\u2019 defense on all three levels, while also helping pave the way in the run game. The Red Raiders love to run behind their big 245-pound tight end, then reward him in the pass game.<\/p>\n On the ground, sophomore running back Cameron Dickey leads the charge. The do-it-all back earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after posting 279 yards of total offense and two touchdowns against Kansas. Dickey has filled the shoes of coveted transfer running back Quinten Joyner, who tore his ACL in the preseason, and has emerged as one of the nation\u2019s top young rushers. <\/p>\n Arizona State\u2019s defense will have its hands full, but it has shown a knack for timely takeaways this season. Edge rusher Prince Dorbah and corner Keith Abney II already have delivered game-changing turnovers this year. They have another chance to be the hero Saturday.<\/p>\n With their Big 12 title hopes on the line, the Sun Devils will need to do something they have not done since 2019: beat a top-10 team. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MST Saturday at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The availability of Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton for Saturday\u2019s game at Arizona State will be a game…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9340,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8728,8148,7092,2880,420,3775,3785,1888,419,8729,8152,3777,1192,8730,1771,8731,8732,8733,1775,3776,417,8734,8155,8735,27,29,28,874,2188,3142,7091],"class_list":["post-9339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-arizona-state-football","tag-asu","tag-behren-morton","tag-big-12-football","tag-cameron-dickey","tag-david-bailey","tag-jacob-rodriguez","tag-joey-mcguire","tag-jordyn-tyson","tag-keith-abney-ii","tag-kenny-dillingham","tag-lee-hunter","tag-louisiana","tag-mountain-america-stadium","tag-ncaa","tag-pete-nakos","tag-prince-dorbah","tag-quinten-joyner","tag-red-raiders","tag-romello-height","tag-sam-leavitt","tag-stanford","tag-sun-devils","tag-terrance-carter-jr","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news","tag-texas-tech-football","tag-utah","tag-virginia","tag-will-hammond"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}