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Does the defense get an A after Texas Tech football’s win at Arizona?

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Does the defense get an A after Texas Tech football’s win at Arizona?

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Tahj Brooks recovered two fumbles while rushing for 128 yards and three touchdowns and Gino Garcia hit a go-ahead field goal with 2:21 left as the Texas Tech football team defeated Arizona 28-22 on Saturday night in Tucson, Ariz.

Brooks scored on runs of 3 and 9 yards in the first half to help Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0 in the Big 12) take an 18-3 lead at halftime. He then capped the game with 32 yards with 1:53 left.

Tyler Loop made 5 of 6 field goals for Arizona (3-2, 1-1). He gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 19-18 with 10:07 left in the game, but missed from 48 yards with 4:52 left.

Tech wide receiver Caleb Douglas caught five passes for 116 yards, including a 32-yard catch that put the Red Raiders in position for the Garcia field goal that gave Tech a 21-19 lead.

On the first play after kickoff, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan fumbled as Jacob Rodriguez picked off the football and safety Brenden Jordan recovered. Brooks broke free for his final touchdown with 1:53 left.

More: Ranking Texas Tech Football’s remaining 7 opponents by difficulty

The loop was also good from 47, 40, 30 and 52 yards, the last one with 54 seconds left. McMillan caught eight passes for 161 yards, and Quali Conley carried 14 passes for 97 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown that cut Tech’s lead to 18-16 late in the third quarter.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 301 yards but was intercepted twice for the first time in his career.

Tech picked up momentum late in the first half, turning two Arizona turnovers into a touchdown, a two-point conversion and Garcia’s first field goal.

The score was 7-3 three minutes before halftime when Rodriguez deflected a Fifita pass and intercepted Quincy Ledet. The 315-pound defensive tackle rumbled 20 yards to the Arizona 30-yard line, and Brooks scored his second touchdown to seal the win.

After calling a timeout before Brooks’ TD, Arizona got to the Tech 27 before safety Julien (CJ) Baskerville intercepted a throw into the end zone. Tech took the lead with 31 seconds left, scoring 57- and 19-yard passes from Behren Morton to Douglas, setting up a Garcia field goal.

Offense: C

The offense went through a five-series cold streak in the second half, but survived it. Brooks and Douglas were the standouts on a night where the Red Raiders moved the ball just enough.

Defense: A

The unit was under pressure for most of the night and kept increasing. Rodriguez had 13 tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. The defense set the tone with a fantastic first half that included a fourth-down stop deep in Tech territory and two interceptions that the offense turned into 11 points. Quite an effort as the defensive edge unit and defensive backs are depleted.

Special Teams: A

Garcia scored two field goals, including the powerful free kick late in the game. Jack Burgess hit two punts inside the 20 and the coverage was solid. The Red Raiders also caught the Wildcats napping with an easy two-point conversion run by Johncarlos Miller from the swinging gate formation.

Coach: B

Going out on the road with an undermanned defense against a top-notch quarterback-receiver combination seemed like a bad matchup. But defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter had an outstanding performance on his part. The offensive team had a good first half, but almost cost the team the game because they were cold for most of the second half.

Overall: A

Tech is now 4-0 this season in games decided by eight points or fewer. And that one came on the road, where the Red Raiders had a difficult time winning in Joey McGuire’s three seasons.

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