The Arizona Wildcats return home with a lot of momentum defensively as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday night.
The Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) are coming off perhaps their best defensive performance of the season. Against Utah, the Wildcats held the Utes to a 10-point lead, going down on four different drives and making a key interception. This is the perfect momentum booster heading into the battle against Tech, who just picked up 44 points last week.
The Red Raiders (4-1, 2-0) have given up a lot of goals this season, which means their defense is really putting up big numbers. However, Texas Tech would rather concede fewer points. But so far, what they’re doing is working.
Introducing three notable defensive players from each team.
LB Tay Brown
Brown was Arizona’s leading tackler on the season with 29 goals and 12 solo stops. He also tied for the team lead in sacks with two, along with defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson. It’s a big jump for the sophomore, who appeared in 13 games on defense and special teams last season and recorded six tackles against linebackers.
DB Genesis Smith
With Treydan Stokes’ injury lingering after the game against Utah, Smith’s second interception of the year against the Utes was significant. If Stokes is unable to play, the Wildcats will be comfortable playing Smith, who has 13 tackles and one pass defensed. Like Brown, he had 24 tackles (13 solo, 11 assists) and one interception as a freshman last year.
DB Tacario Davis
No other defensive back protects more passes than Smith, who protects five passes. That’s more than a third of the Wildcats’ passes this season. He has 16 tackles but no interceptions. But it’s his job to break up passes. Last year, he led the Pac-12 with 15 pass breakups and 16 passes defensed and was named second-team All-Pac-12.
LB Ben Roberts
There aren’t many tacklers in the country right now with at least 40 stops, but Roberts is on the club. He had 20 solo stops and 20 assists. He also forced three fumbles and is a threat in terms of creating turnovers. It’s nothing new. As a redshirt freshman, he recorded 107 tackles, making him Tech’s leading tackler and the most by a redshirt freshman for the Red Raiders since 1980.
LB Jacob Rodriguez
Right behind Roberts is Rodriguez, who has 39 tackles so far this season, but leads all Texas Tech defenders with 27 solo tackles. He also defended a pass, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. That’s making up for last year’s injury that limited him to just 32 tackles in five games. Rodriguez left last year’s numbers in the dust.
DB Chapman Lewis
Lewis leads the Red Raiders with two interceptions and is a defender to watch in the secondary. He also had 17 tackles. As a true freshman, he played in every game in 2023 and finished with 14 tackles. He has played a key role on the last line of Texas Tech’s defense this season.
