Jacob Rodriguez credits his success to teammates, culture
Texas Tech moves to 5-0 after securing a 35-11 win against the Houston Cougars. The Red Raider defense continues to be the most dominant unit on the field, and a significant part of that is because of linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
Rodriguez had five tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss, and one interception, continuing to be one of the main anchors of the Tech defense. The Red Raiders only gave up 11 points in the first half and allowed zero in the second half. Rodriguez spoke to the media after the game to discuss the team and culture that contribute to his success.
Rodriguez trusting the guys around him
The linebacker group has expressed several times how much easier their job is when they have the defensive line that they have. With Romello Height, David Bailey, Skyler Gill-Howard, and Lee Hunter at the front, the rest of the defense can focus on their assignment and make the defense run smoothly.
“It makes it so easy to play when you got guys like this (Bailey) hunting the quarterback. Everybody up front made it easy, all the lanes I was able to run through and make plays,” Rodriguez said. “The guys that we brought in this year and the guys that stayed, I think they’re the best at what they do.”
Strong coaching leadership making an impact
First-year defensive coordinator Shiel Wood has continued to be a big talking point among his players, and they have expressed how much they enjoy playing for him and the kind of defense he allows them to execute. Worries about Wood gelling with his team in the first season were a concern, but it doesn’t seem to be holding them back at all.
“I think he (Wood) makes it really easy on us and gives us great indicators to be able and go attack the ball,” Rodriguez said. I think Coach (Joey) McGuire got the right guy for the job in Coach Wood… he let’s us go out and play free with the game plan that we have and we trust in him and trust in each other… I think that we are doing things the right way. We had a lot of adversity tonight, so I think that’s going to help us in the long run.”
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